Vermont · Net metering · Deep-stack program
VT Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Vermont -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit (net billing)
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 11.5 yr
- Vermont baseline payback
- 3
- other Vermont programs
Deep-stack program · mid directory
Vermont runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 11.5-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #2/3
- Type #42/46
- Baseline11.5 yr
In-state directory place #2 of 3 (mid alphabet). National net metering directory #42 of 46. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Vermont offers net metering for systems up to 500 kW with monthly bill credits.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Retail rate credit (net billing)
- State electricity rate
- 22.5¢/kWh
- Vermont solar score
- 31/100
Solar's trajectory in Vermont
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Vermont reported to the EIA.
Vermont's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Vermont's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
What this shows Vermont tracks 3 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
How this net metering layers inside Vermont's deep stack
The VT Net Metering governs how Vermont credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Retail rate credit (net billing). DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Vermont averages 4.1 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 22.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,183 kWh/year and $1,616 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,600. That baseline already implies a 11.5-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $21,800 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Vermont bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Vermont has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like VT Solar Property Tax Exemption, Vermont Standard Offer Program (SPEED). The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Vermont incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the VT Net Metering sit in Vermont's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Vermont's other programs?
Who is eligible for the VT Net Metering?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Vermont?
Which other Vermont programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Vermont solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.