Export Rate
The per-kWh credit received for electricity exported from a home solar system to the grid. May equal retail rate (net metering), avoided cost (net billing), or a time-varying amount.
Why It Matters
Your export rate determines whether battery storage makes financial sense. When export rates are much lower than retail, storing solar for self-use saves more than exporting.
Related Tools
Related Terms
Net Metering
A billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. The excess power generated during the day offsets power consumed at night.
Net Billing
An export compensation mechanism where excess solar electricity sent to the grid is credited at a rate lower than the retail rate — typically wholesale, avoided cost, or a set export rate.
Buyback Rate
The rate at which a utility purchases excess solar electricity from a customer. May equal the retail rate (full net metering) or a lower wholesale/avoided cost rate.
Avoided Cost
The cost a utility would have incurred to generate or purchase electricity that was instead provided by a distributed resource like rooftop solar.