Wisconsin · Net metering · Deep-stack program
WI Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Wisconsin -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 14.2 yr
- Wisconsin baseline payback
- 3
- other Wisconsin programs
Deep-stack program · early directory
Wisconsin runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 14.2-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #1/3
- Type #44/46
- Baseline14.2 yr
In-state directory place #1 of 3 (early alphabet). National net metering directory #44 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
Wisconsin utilities provide net metering at retail rates for systems up to 20 kW.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Retail rate credit
- State electricity rate
- 16.5¢/kWh
- Wisconsin solar score
- 24/100
Solar's trajectory in Wisconsin
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Wisconsin reported to the EIA.
Wisconsin's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Wisconsin's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin's deep stack
The WI Net Metering governs how Wisconsin 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. 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. Wisconsin averages 4.3 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 16.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,534 kWh/year and $1,243 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $17,700. That baseline already implies a 14.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $13,375 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Wisconsin bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Wisconsin has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like WI Solar Property Tax Exemption, Wisconsin Focus on Energy Renewable Incentive. 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 Wisconsin incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the WI Net Metering sit in Wisconsin's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Wisconsin's other programs?
Who qualifies, and why is this an early in-state directory row?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Wisconsin?
Which other Wisconsin 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 · Wisconsin solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.