Net Metering

What is net metering?
If you are thinking about installing an on-site renewable energy source, such as solar, wind or hydro, that produces electricity, you can save on your electric bill through net metering. Customers who net meter have a special meter which measures the difference between the electricity provided by the local utility or competitive energy supplier and the electricity produced by an on-site renewable energy source. The meter registers the flow of electricity in both directions – from your local utility or competitive energy supplier to your home and from your renewable energy source back out to the utility distribution system - and the net amount is used to calculate your monthly electric bill.  

Who can net meter?
If you are a customer of Eversource, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and Unitil and you are interested in installing equipment which produces electricity using renewable energy, you can take advantage of net metering.  It doesn’t matter if you buy your energy supply from your local utility or a competitive energy supplier.  Customers of municipally owned and operated electric utilities should call their utility to see if net metering is available.

Are there any limits on the amount of energy I can produce? 
For residential and small commercial customers, the peak generating capacity of the equipment is limited to 100 kW AC, and the equipment must be located behind the customer’s meter.  The equipment must also be interconnected and operating in parallel with the electric grid and used primarily to offset the customer's own electricity use. For larger generation facilities, the peak generating capacity is 1,000 kW.

Where can I find more information?
An illustrative overview of the current net metering tariff structure is available here. Please note that a number of project details impact compensation and customer-generators should work with their utility and/or installer to fully understand net metering compensation specific to their project:
Net Metering Tariff Overview 2020

Contact your local utility for more information about their net metering requirements. Rules governing net metering are also available on the Commission’s website.

NH law limits the amount of customer owned generation used for net metering for each utility’s service area. If you are interested in net metering, make sure to check with your utility on its availability.