How net metering works in Rhode Island in 2026

The short answer

Net metering is how Rhode Island Energy credits your bill for solar power. Each kWh your panels make, up to what your home uses, earns a credit. In October 2026 that credit was 27.553¢ per kWh27.553¢27.553¢ per kWh (Oct 2026, standard home rate A-16)Home solar credit per kWh, standard home rate A-16This changes when supply rates change. It shows on your bill as the renewable generation credit.RI Energy, Addendum to RIPUC Tariff No. 2095, Net Metering Credit by Rate Class, Oct 2026For the Month of October 2026. Row (21) Renewable Net Metering Credit, column A-16 (Fixed LRS): $(0.27553)Verified Oct 28, 2026 on the standard home rate. Your fixed monthly charges stay. Power beyond what you use earns much less.

A kWh is the unit your bill counts power in.

What does each kWh earn?

State law sets the credit for power up to what your home uses. It is credited at the supply and delivery parts of your rateCredited at the supply and delivery parts of your rate. Fixed monthly charges stay.What your solar credit coversFixed monthly charges on your bill are not covered by credits.R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26.4-2(22)§ 39-26.4-2(22)(i)-(iv), 'Renewable net-metering credit'Verified Sep 28, 2026.

Supply is the power itself. Delivery is the cost of getting it to your home. On the standard home rate, those parts came to 27.553¢ per kWh27.553¢27.553¢ per kWh (Oct 2026, standard home rate A-16)Home solar credit per kWh, standard home rate A-16This changes when supply rates change. It shows on your bill as the renewable generation credit.RI Energy, Addendum to RIPUC Tariff No. 2095, Net Metering Credit by Rate Class, Oct 2026For the Month of October 2026. Row (21) Renewable Net Metering Credit, column A-16 (Fixed LRS): $(0.27553)Verified Oct 28, 2026 in October 2026. Your bill calls it the renewable generation credit. It moves when supply prices move, so check your latest bill.

Will I still get a bill?

Yes. Fixed monthly chargesCredited at the supply and delivery parts of your rate. Fixed monthly charges stay.What your solar credit coversFixed monthly charges on your bill are not covered by credits.R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26.4-2(22)§ 39-26.4-2(22)(i)-(iv), 'Renewable net-metering credit'Verified Sep 28, 2026 are not covered by credits. You pay them every month, even when your panels make more power than your home uses.

What does extra power earn?

Power past what your home uses earns the wholesale priceWholesale price, much lower than your retail rateWhat power beyond your own use earnsThe law changed in 2025. The utility's own table still lists this rate as to be determined.R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26.4-2(8)§ 39-26.4-2(8), second paragraphVerified Sep 28, 2026. That is the price power plants get in the New England power market. It is much lower than what you pay for power at home.

This price came from a change in the law in 2025. The utility's own credit table still lists it as to be determined.

There is no cap for systems 25 kW and underNo cap for systems 25 kW and underIs extra power capped for home systems?Bigger systems only get credit for extra power up to a limit.R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26.4-2(8)§ 39-26.4-2(8), first paragraph ('except for any system ... equal to or less than twenty-five kilowatts')Verified Sep 28, 2026, so every extra kWh from a home system earns this price. A kW is how solar systems are sized. You can also build bigger than you use. Systems up to 25 kWYes, up to 25 kW, no usage limitCan a home system be bigger than your use?You can build bigger than you use, but the extra earns the lower wholesale price.R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26.4-2(6)§ 39-26.4-2(6), 'Eligible net-metering system'Verified Sep 28, 2026 are not limited by your past use. Each extra kWh still earns only the low wholesale price.

Do credits roll over?

Credits you don't use can roll to next monthCredits can roll to next month; balances can be cashed outDo unused credits roll over?The law lets the utility do this. It is not required to.R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26.4-3(a)(2) and (a)(4)§ 39-26.4-3(a)(2), last sentence; (a)(4), cash-out clauseVerified Sep 28, 2026, and leftover balances can be cashed out. The law lets RI Energy do this. It does not require it.

Is the credit cut for rooftops?

Rhode Island's net metering law does have a credit cut of 20%No. The 20% cut is for remote ground-mount projects, not rooftops on your own meter.Does the 20% credit cut hit a new home rooftop system?The law ties the cut to a cap on remote ground-mount projects, and systems on a home's own meter are left out of that cap. The utility's September home credit shows no reduced rate.R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26.4-2(22) and § 39-26.4-3(a)(1)(vi); RI Energy Net Metering Provision RIPUC No. 2279 §3.3 and §4.33§ 39-26.4-3(a)(1)(vi), last sentence, exception (A); § 39-26.4-2(22) 20% sentenceVerified Sep 28, 2026. It does not hit a new rooftop system on your own meter.

The law ties the cut to a cap on remote ground-mount projects. Those are panels on open land that credit bills somewhere else. Systems on a home's own meter are left out of that cap. And the utility's September credit for homes shows no reduced rate.

What about REG?

REG is a separate state program that pays for each kWh your panels make. REG replaces net metering. You get one or the other.REG replaces net metering. You get one or the other.Does REG work with net metering?A system already on net metering can't join REG. Ask in writing who receives REG's cash part; RI Energy's documents differ on it.RI Energy, RE Growth Program Tariff for Residential Customers, RIPUC No. 2151-M (effective 4/1/2026)Sheets 6-7, project segmentation paragraphVerified Sep 28, 2026 For its whole term, a REG system gets the REG rate instead of net metering credits. A system already on net metering can't join REG. See how REG pays.

Quick answers

Does net metering still work in Rhode Island?

Yes. Home solar still earns a credit on your bill for the power it makes.

Do credits cover my whole bill?

No. Fixed monthly charges stay on your bill, even in a sunny month.

What does extra power earn?

The wholesale price. That is much lower than what you pay for power at home.

Can I have net metering and REG?

No. REG replaces net metering. You get one or the other.