A solar export rate is the compensation per eligible unit of electricity delivered to the utility grid under the applicable tariff or contract. Read the rate together with its billing period, eligible quantity and settlement conditions. A cents-per-kilowatt-hour figure alone cannot establish the value of every unit your panels generate.
For a homeowner reviewing solar financing and savings assumptions, the immediate decision is which account-specific documents support the export forecast. A familiar utility name or a neighbor’s quote is not enough.
This glossary explains the term and its arithmetic. The existing South Carolina net-metering guide retains the utility-by-utility buying discussion. All unbranded numerical examples below are original hypothetical assumptions, not current tariffs, household savings or Sunburst project results.
What does a solar export rate measure?
The rate states compensation per eligible unit, commonly expressed in dollars or cents per kilowatt-hour. The quantity describes electricity, while the rate describes the value applied to that quantity under the specified arrangement.
“Export credit,” “buyback rate” and “surplus compensation” can appear in proposals. Do not assume the labels define an identical calculation. Ask whether the number applies to measured exports, a net excess quantity, a particular time-of-use period or a settlement balance.
A rate also needs a date and an account context. Its applicability can depend on the utility, rate schedule, solar rider and customer cohort. Keep those identifiers attached to the number when comparing a proposal with current documents.
| Item | What it establishes | What it does not establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| Export energy | Electricity leaving through the defined boundary | Which quantity earns compensation |
| Export rate | Value per eligible unit under stated conditions | Total bill reduction |
| Credit calculation | Eligible quantity multiplied or treated as the tariff directs | Whether the balance is paid in cash |
| Settlement rule | How unused balances are carried, applied or closed | All other bill charges |
The homeowner should be able to trace the forecast from measured or modeled electricity to a specific rule. “We used the export rate” is incomplete if the eligible quantity and treatment are missing.
Which electricity quantity receives the rate?
Solar generation, onsite use and export are different quantities. A generation forecast should not be multiplied by an export rate unless the relevant arrangement actually compensates that generation quantity.
For an original simplified example without storage, assume 800 kWh generated at a defined AC boundary during a period. Household loads use 600 kWh directly, and 200 kWh leaves as export. The solar account balances: 600 + 200 = 800 kWh.
If the fictional compensation arrangement values every exported unit at its specified rate, the relevant quantity is 200 kWh. Applying that rate to 800 kWh would treat the 600 kWh used onsite as though it had also been exported.
Our solar self-consumption definition owns the onsite-use ratio. It helps keep these flows separate before assigning value. Onsite use and export may both contribute to a financial result, but they do so through the applicable purchase and credit rules.
| Hypothetical solar flow | Quantity | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Generation | 800 kWh | Total produced at the stated boundary |
| Direct onsite use | 600 kWh | Solar serving household loads within that boundary |
| Export | 200 kWh | Electricity delivered outward under the assumed arrangement |
Some tariffs first compare imports and exports within defined periods. Their compensable net excess need not equal every gross exported kilowatt-hour. Establish the actual calculation before using this simple example as a template for a real bill.
Worked example: cents, dollars and an export credit
Assume an original fictional arrangement paying a bill credit of 5 cents per eligible exported kWh. Assume 200 kWh is eligible for that period, with no adjustments or different rate periods in this teaching calculation.
Convert cents to dollars before multiplying: 5 cents = $0.05. The resulting credit is 200 kWh × $0.05/kWh = $10. The energy unit cancels, leaving a dollar value.
| Calculation | Result |
|---|---|
| Eligible exported energy | 200 kWh |
| Fictional credit rate | $0.05/kWh |
| Calculated energy credit | $10 |
This calculation is not a current utility quote. It also does not say the customer receives a $10 check or that the final bill falls by exactly $10. Those results require the fictional or actual settlement rules and other charges to be specified.
Two errors are easy to spot. Multiplying 200 by 5 without recognizing cents gives 1,000 cents, which is $10 rather than $1,000. Applying $0.05 to the entire assumed 800 kWh of generation gives $40, but that is not the export credit in this example.
When a quote uses a single annual credit figure, ask for its quantity, unit price and calculation. Check that the rate’s unit and the modeled electricity unit agree, and that the amount being valued is eligible under the assumed arrangement.
How do time-of-use export rates change the arithmetic?
A time-of-use rate assigns values to scheduled periods. Different periods can have different values. Calculate each eligible quantity under its applicable rate and then combine the results. A simple average of quoted rates can misrepresent the value when the quantities differ.
For an original hypothetical example, assume 100 kWh qualifies at $0.04/kWh in one period and 50 kWh qualifies at $0.12/kWh in another. This is a fictional two-period arrangement, not a description of Dominion or another utility.
| Fictional period | Eligible energy | Assumed rate | Calculated credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period A | 100 kWh | $0.04/kWh | $4 |
| Period B | 50 kWh | $0.12/kWh | $6 |
| Total | 150 kWh | Weighted result below | $10 |
The weighted value is $10 ÷ 150 kWh = approximately $0.0667/kWh, or 6.67 cents per eligible unit. Averaging 4 and 12 cents equally gives 8 cents, which would overstate this particular combined result.
Now keep total eligible energy at 150 kWh but reverse the quantities: 50 kWh at 4 cents and 100 kWh at 12 cents. The credit becomes $2 + $12 = $14. The same total energy has a different value because its allocation to periods changed.
A realistic forecast must use the applicable period definitions and eligible quantities. An annual average rate is useful only when its derivation and intended purpose are disclosed. It should not conceal a different export pattern from the one the proposal assumes.
Is an export rate the same as the electricity purchase rate?
Not automatically. A purchase rate values electricity supplied to the account. An export rate or credit rule values electricity supplied outward under the applicable arrangement. The two can have different units of eligibility, periods and settlement treatment even when a quoted energy price looks similar.
Use an original hypothetical comparison: one eligible exported kWh earns 5 cents, while one purchased kWh in the relevant comparison costs an assumed 20 cents. The export credit does not purchase one imported kWh in full under these fictional assumptions.
If the same kWh can instead serve a household load directly and avoid that purchase, the simple difference is 20 − 5 = 15 cents. That is a conditional marginal comparison, not an instruction to consume more electricity or a complete project-savings model.
Ask which charge is actually avoided. A bill’s total divided by purchased kWh can include fixed or other charges that do not disappear when imports fall. Using that blended figure as the marginal avoided purchase price can misstate the result.
| Question | Record to request |
|---|---|
| What is paid for imported energy? | Applicable purchase schedule and adjustments |
| What is credited for eligible exports? | Solar rider or compensation agreement |
| Which quantities are compared first? | Defined netting interval and order |
| Which charges remain? | Fixed, minimum and other applicable bill provisions |
Keep the financial interpretation attached to the actual account. The existing Georgia solar export comparison develops that market-specific buying discussion rather than using a statewide export assumption.
Why do netting and settlement rules matter?
Netting describes how quantities are compared within the specified period. Settlement describes how the resulting balance is treated. A per-unit rate cannot explain either process by itself.
For a deliberately fictional contrast, suppose an account exports 100 kWh and imports 80 kWh during a defined period. One assumed arrangement credits all 100 exported kWh separately. Another first compares those quantities and applies a surplus rate only to the remaining 20 kWh.
Those examples isolate the quantity difference. They are not complete versions of net billing or net metering, and they do not specify the imported-energy charges. Their purpose is to show why the same surplus rate can be applied to a different quantity.
Next ask what happens to the resulting balance. It might be a dollar credit applied against permitted charges, an energy balance used in later periods or an amount subject to a separate closeout rule. The specific tariff determines which description applies.
| Term in a quote | Follow-up question |
|---|---|
| Net excess | Net of which imports, over which period? |
| Credit rollover | A balance in kWh or dollars, with what restrictions? |
| True-up | Which balance is closed, when and at what valuation? |
| Payout | Under which conditions does a bill balance become a payment? |
Do not read “credit” as “cash.” Also avoid assuming that an unused amount retains the same value indefinitely. Ask for the current rule, any expiration or closeout condition and the treatment of a remaining balance when the account changes.
A South Carolina example: current credits versus later payout
Dominion Energy South Carolina’s Residential Solar Choice rider, checked October 3, 2026, is effective for bills rendered on and after the first July 2026 billing cycle. Its availability section identifies Rate 5 time-of-use residential customer-generators applying on or after June 1, 2021, subject to its requirements.
The rider bases energy charges or credits on Rate 5. It describes time-of-use period crediting, use of remaining excess in lower-priced periods according to its ordering, and carryforward. It states that credits do not offset the basic facilities charge.
For November billing cycles, accumulated excess not used to reduce billed usage is paid at the specified avoided-cost basis: the off-peak winter energy credit in Rate PR-1. The excess-energy account then resets.
This bounded example shows why current energy crediting and a later unused-balance payout are different parts of the arrangement. It does not establish one flat cash rate for every exported unit or determine another account’s eligibility. Consult the actual rider and related schedules for the complete calculation.
No numeric Dominion energy rate is quoted here. The South Carolina net-metering guide retains the wider comparison. A low avoided-cost figure should not be applied to all Solar Choice credits merely because that basis appears in the November settlement provision.
How do I identify the right utility and document version?
Begin with the utility named on the bill, the account’s base schedule and its solar rider or agreement. Then establish which cohort and effective documents apply. Do not infer the arrangement from a city name or another customer’s system.
A nearby home can have a different account arrangement, and a utility’s older solar program can differ from the program available to a new applicant. Keep original application and approval records when evaluating an existing installation.
Berkeley Electric Cooperative’s solar information page, checked October 3, 2026, describes its Renewable Surplus program and says the posted compensation price is updated annually on or about March 1. A posted webpage number therefore needs an applicability check before being used in a long-term forecast. No numeric current Berkeley rate is asserted in this glossary.
| Identifier | What to record |
|---|---|
| Utility | Full name shown on the electricity account |
| Base schedule | The schedule used for purchases and other bill provisions |
| Solar rider or contract | The account’s applicable export or netting arrangement |
| Cohort | Relevant application or enrollment conditions |
| Effective version | Date and governing tariff or agreement |
| Verification date | When the project team checked the source |
The utility information hub is a starting point for this work. It does not replace the account’s current documents. Distinguish a historical example, a filed future proposal and an effective tariff before describing a rate as available now.
How does export value affect a battery comparison?
Storing electricity can give up an export opportunity and later avoid a purchase. The two energy quantities can differ because of losses and operating conditions. Evaluate the actual pathways rather than assigning retail value to every unit sent toward storage.
For an original fictional calculation, assume 10 kWh is diverted from eligible export at an assumed $0.05/kWh. Assume the specified storage path later delivers 9 kWh to household loads that otherwise would buy electricity at an assumed $0.20/kWh.
The forgone credit is 10 × $0.05 = $0.50. The avoided purchase value is 9 × $0.20 = $1.80. The simple energy-value difference is $1.80 − $0.50 = $1.30, before additional costs or other bill provisions.
| Fictional storage comparison | Amount |
|---|---|
| Solar diverted from compensated export | 10 kWh |
| Energy delivered to the stated loads | 9 kWh |
| Forgone export value | $0.50 |
| Avoided purchase value | $1.80 |
| Difference before additional costs | $1.30 |
The 9 kWh is a prescribed delivered quantity, not a product efficiency claim. This comparison does not establish battery payback, purchase price, service life, degradation, reserve behavior or outage duration.
A complete proposal needs those investment and operating assumptions separately. The existing battery quote comparison guide develops that buying decision. Our usable battery capacity definition helps distinguish a rating from energy actually delivered during a modeled period.
How should a credit be reconciled with the bill?
Match the forecast or calculation to the billed period and applicable rule. Start with the eligible quantities, then trace their valuation and subsequent application. Do not compare an inverter’s total production directly with a bill line that measures something else.
Our energy-offset definition explains why total generation compared with household use does not establish a dollar saving. The same distinction applies when a monitoring display and a utility credit appear inconsistent.
| Reconciliation step | Question |
|---|---|
| Period | Do the records cover the same dates? |
| Energy quantity | Is this generation, gross export, net excess or a carried balance? |
| Time allocation | Which rate periods contain the eligible energy? |
| Valuation | Which rate or credit ordering applies? |
| Balance treatment | Is the result applied, carried, paid or otherwise settled? |
| Remaining bill | Which charges are outside that credit calculation? |
If records differ, identify the missing explanation before assuming an incorrect meter or compensation rate. A period mismatch, different quantity label or prior balance can make a comparison misleading even when the multiplication is correct.
Request the statement detail and relevant source document from the responsible provider when the discrepancy cannot be resolved. A hypothetical glossary example cannot determine the correct treatment of an actual account from a screenshot alone.
What should a savings proposal disclose about export rates?
A useful proposal makes the export assumption reviewable. It names the arrangement, identifies the eligible quantities and explains how the forecast applies time periods, netting and settlement. It should distinguish a current verified assumption from an unknown future value.
Ask for sensitivity cases when export value is material to the decision. Keep the generation and load scenario unchanged while varying a clearly identified assumption. That shows the effect of the assumption without presenting any hypothetical future rate as a utility promise.
Also keep the investment objective visible. A proposal for residential solar installation may reduce purchases, produce credited exports or do both. The forecast should explain those contributions separately rather than treating every generated kWh as both an avoided purchase and a sale.
If a forecast assumes future compensation growth, ask for the source and a case without that growth. Keep a documented current price separate from a modeling assumption about later years, particularly when projected export income materially changes the financing comparison.
Export compensation is not a tax credit or equipment rebate. Its value arises from the electricity account arrangement. Keep incentive eligibility, financing payments and production guarantees in their own documented calculations.
Bring your bill, solar rider or agreement, existing approval records and proposed savings estimate to a free solar assessment. The next step is to connect the export-rate assumption to eligible energy, actual timing and the settlement rules for your account.
Frequently asked questions about solar export rates
Does the utility pay the export rate on all solar generation?
Not automatically. Solar used onsite is different from export, and a tariff may value a net excess quantity rather than every gross exported unit. Identify the eligible electricity quantity and billing rule before multiplying a production forecast by a rate.
Is an export credit the same as a cash payment?
No. A credit may be applied to permitted bill items, carried or settled under specific conditions. A payout can have separate eligibility and valuation rules. Read the account’s arrangement instead of assuming that every calculated credit produces a check.
Can I use one average rate for time-of-use exports?
Only with a disclosed calculation appropriate to the forecast. Value the eligible quantities in their applicable periods first. An equally weighted average of prices can misstate the result when exported quantities differ across those periods.
Can two homes in the same city have different solar compensation?
A city name does not establish the account’s utility, schedule, rider or enrollment cohort. Verify those identifiers from current bills and project records. Do not substitute a neighbor’s proposal for the arrangement that applies to the property being assessed.
Does a lower export rate make a battery worthwhile automatically?
No. Evaluate energy delivered after the stated losses, purchases avoided, export value forgone, additional costs and the supported operating scenario. The fictional storage comparison illustrates a marginal energy-value difference, not a complete investment result.
Which rate should an existing solar owner verify first?
Verify the rate schedule and solar rider or contract actually attached to the account, including relevant enrollment records and effective versions. Do not replace an existing arrangement with a new-applicant assumption simply because a current marketing page describes it.
Sources and methodology
Primary sources were checked October 3, 2026. Dominion’s July 2026 Solar Choice rider supports the bounded example distinguishing energy crediting from November settlement. Berkeley’s page supports the need to check a posted price’s update and applicability; no numeric Berkeley rate is asserted as current.
All unbranded prices, quantities and financial calculations are original hypothetical teaching examples. They are not current tariffs, actual customer results or a savings forecast. The page establishes no utility assignment, account eligibility, future compensation guarantee or named expert review.