Net Metering
If you install a solar, wind or other eligible system at your DC home, net metering credits the extra power you send to the grid against your next bill, and credits can carry forward indefinitely. For systems 100 kW or smaller, credits are at the full retail rate, and any credit left in December is paid at the generation rate only. Systems can be sized up to 140% of your past 12 months of usage as of 2021, rising in steps to 200% by 2024, so contact Pepco about its net metering process and standard contract.
Net metering lets your DC residential and commercial customers offset bills with solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biomass, hydro, digester gas, CHP, fuel cell or microturbine systems, with systems of 100 kW or smaller credited at full retail rate. Size systems to the allowed share of the customer's historical 12-month usage, which was 140% in 2021 and rises 20 points a year to 200% by 2024, and make sure metering can measure power flow in both directions. Customers of competitive suppliers are not guaranteed net metering because suppliers may opt out, and larger systems over 100 kW are credited monthly at the generation rate only.
DC net metering applies to residential, low-income residential, commercial and industrial customer-generators with eligible renewable, CHP, fuel cell and microturbine systems, with the sizing cap rising from 140% of historical 12-month usage in 2021 to 200% in 2024. Net excess generation for systems of 100 kW or smaller is credited at the full retail rate as a dollar value carried forward indefinitely, with any December remainder paid at the generation rate, while systems over 100 kW get monthly credit at the generation rate. Utilities such as Pepco must offer a PSC-approved standard contract and bear the cost of any additional meter they choose to install, and competitive suppliers may decline to offer net metering.
Program details
- Program ID
- 105
- Effective
- 5/9/2000
- Last updated
- 3/6/2026
Eligibility
- Sectors
- commercial industrial residential low income residential
- Technologies
- geothermal electric solar thermal electric solar photovoltaics wind (all) biomass hydroelectric combined heat & power fuel cells using non-renewable fuels tidal wind (small) hydroelectric (small) anaerobic digestion fuel cells using renewable fuels microturbines
Program summary
Eligibility:
In the District of Columbia (DC), net metering is currently available to residential and commercial customer-generators with systems powered by renewable-energy sources, combined heat and power (CHP), fuel cells and microturbines. Effective January 1, 2021, systems must be sized to provide no more than 140% of the customer's historical 12-month usage. This limit will increase by 20 percentage points annually until 2024 when systems can be sized to provide no more than 200% of the customer's historical 12-month usage. The term "renewable energy sources" is defined as solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric facilities, and digester gas.
Net Excess Generation:
The District's net-metering rules specify that metering equipment must be capable of measuring the flow of electricity in two directions. Utilities are not prohibited from installing an additional meter on the facilities of eligible customer-generators, but utilities that choose to do so must pay for the added cost of the second meter and/or other necessary equipment. For systems 100 kW or smaller, NEG is credited to the customer's next bill at the full retail rate, which includes generation, transmission, and distribution components. Credits for NEG are expressed as a dollar value on the customer's bill and may be carried forward indefinitely. Any NEG remaining in December will be compensated at the generation rate only. Systems larger than 100 kW will be credited monthly at the generation rate.
Utilities (i.e., Pepco) must offer a standard net-metering contract approved by the PSC. The District's net metering rules also contain sections addressing net metering for customers of competitive electricity suppliers. The rules for crediting NEG are essentially the same as those used for customer-generators that receive standard offer service, but it should be noted that competitive suppliers are not required to offer net metering if they do not choose to do so.
More information can be found on Pepco's webpage dedicated to net metering.
Contact & resources
- Contact email
- ghu@psc.dc.gov
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
