Net Metering
Oregon's net metering law allows all utility customers to generate their own electricity and reduce their electricity bills. If you install a photovoltaic system, your utility will come to your home and switch out your existing utility meter for bidirectional "net" meter (there is no charge for the new meter). This meter keeps track of the power you acquire from the utility, and what you supply to the grid. Each month, the power you used from your utility is offset by the power you send to the utility. You are only charged for the difference or the 'net.'
If you generate more power than you use in a given month, your electric bill will have no charges, and you will receive kilowatt hour credits that will be applied to your future electric bills. Unused credits will accumulate in your Portland General Electric or Pacific Power account. This means credits accumulated during sunny summer months can be applied to charges during Oregon's cloudy winter months, eliminating the need for batteries to store your excess energy.
Let's say your solar panels provide 200 kWh of energy in a particular month. Here are three scenarios showing how energy is measured at the net meter:
- If you consumed 200 kWh in the month, the net meter would read 0 kWh.
- If you consumed 100 kWh in the month, the net meter would read -100 kWh (a credit to your account).
- If you consumed 500 kWh in the month, the net meter would read 300 kWh usage from your utility.
For more information on net metering, we encourage you to contact PGE or Pacific Power:
Contact us
For more information, questions or comments, call us at 1.866.368.7878 or contact the solar team.