Earn Monthly Bill Credits

The energy you generate from your solar panels is used to power your home throughout the day. On sunny days, your system may produce more electricity than you need. When this happens, this excess energy is sent back to the Eversource electric grid.

At the end of each billing month, the total electricity you sent back (sold) to the grid will be subtracted from the total amount of energy you used (purchased) from the grid. This determines your "net" amount. 

Net metering is one way you can be compensated for this extra energy your system produces. The formula is simple:

Energy you produce - Energy you consume = net energy  

Eligible Systems

State laws cap the number and size of projects that can benefit from net metering. Residential solar installations smaller than 10kW will usually qualify for net metering. Systems larger than 10kW may receive credits at a reduced rate.

You solar contractor will apply for net metering for you when applying to interconnect a new solar system to the Eversource grid. You will be asked to complete a Schedule Z form and your installer can help you with this process. 

Talk to your solar installer to see if your system is eligible for net metering.  

Expect New Meters

During the installation of your solar system, Eversource will replace your existing electric meter with a new model that reads the amount of electricity flowing in and out of your home. This meter helps us calculate your monthly net metering credit.

If you participate in the Massachusetts SMART program, your solar installation will include a second meter to measure your production to earn SMART incentives.

Net Metering Rate

If your system is 10kW or less, the rate at which you earn net metering credits will be slightly lower than the full retail rate you pay for power from Eversource. This is because charges for energy efficiency, renewable energy and distributed solar are excluded from the net metering rate.

The net metering rate (as determined by state law) will change as our rates fluctuate. Systems larger than 10kW may receive a lower net metering rate.

Your Monthly Electric Bill

Earned net metering credits can be used to reduce the amount owed on your monthly electric bill.

Your monthly bill will look different than it did before you installed a solar energy system. In months where you produced more energy than you used, your Eversource bill should show a negative balance because net metering credits were applied to that bill and possibly roll over to future bills, depending on the state where your solar system is installed.

If you use more electricity than you generate, Eversource supplies the power you need at the standard rate. If this occurs over the course of a month, net metering credits will not appear on your bill.  

Virtual Net Metering

If you find yourself accumulating too many net metering credits, you can share them with other Eversource customers in Massachusetts. This is known as virtual net metering. In some instances, you may only be able to transfer net metering credits to Eversource customers in the same region, or load zone, of Massachusetts.

When it's Time to Move

If you move and have net metering credits on your bill, you can submit a final Schedule Z form before your account closes to transfer the credit balance to other Eversource accounts, including the new account you're moving to if it is located in Eversource's service territory. If you choose not to do this, your credits will be used to offset net metering recovery charges for all customers.

Net Metering and SMART

Net metering is a separate program from the Massachusetts incentive program known as SMART but you can participate in both programs. Net metering provides monthly credits on your electric bill, where SMART sends you direct monthly incentive payments.

Renewable Credits Portal

Net metering and Alternative Online Billing Credit (AOBC) customers that wish to allocate credits to accounts other than their own may submit Schedule Z and AOBC forms via our Renewable Credits Portal. In most cases, credits can be allocated to any Eversource account of your choosing. 

Answers to frequently asked questions about the Renewable Credits Portal are available.