Net metering in West Virginia
What is net metering?
Net metering enables households and businesses to generate their own electricity through solar, then feed their excess power back into the local electric grid. Current rules allow West Virginia consumers to be credited for that surplus power at a fair market rate.
In other words, when you make more than you use, you get a credit (equal in value) on your next month’s electric bill. It’s a good way to help consumers save money, AND it makes electric service more reliable for everyone!
Net metering is under attack
Monopoly utility companies want to rewrite the rules in their favor. They’ve asked the Public Service Commission, the government body that regulates utilities in West Virginia, to end net metering.
If they get their way, new customers can only net meter at a fraction of the current retail rate. This action would take away our right to earn fair credit for producing our own power. Pulling the plug on fair market net metering would also lead to undue stress on the power grid and economic stagnation in the emerging energy sector. The last thing the state of West Virginia needs is for monopoly utilities to take away more of our energy freedom.
Click HERE to take action to protect net metering in West Virginia (HB5422). And learn more HERE about the rate case in the WV Public Service Commission regarding net metering.
Current net metering rules in West Virginia
| System capacity limit | Depends on utility |
| Monthly excess generation credit rate | Full retail |
| Annual excess generation credit rate | Full retail (credit rolls over indefinitely) |
| State-wide net metering cap | Three percent of previous year’s peak demand |
| Applicable utilities | All utilities |
| Policies expanding net metering | Aggregate net metering |
| Additional barriers | N/A |
West Virginia Code §24-2F-8, amended by House Bill 2201, establishes the rules of net metering in West Virginia. All residential customers of investor-owned utilities (IOU), municipal utilities, and electric cooperatives with system capacity no greater than 25 kW and at least $100,000 in general liability insurance are eligible to net meter. The state’s total net metered capacity is capped at three percent of the previous year’s peak load capacity.
System capacity limits:
| Customer Type | IOUs with 30,000 customers or more | IOUs with fewer than 30,000 customers, municipal utilities, electric cooperatives |
| Residential | 25 kW | 25 kW |
| Commercial | 500 kW | 50 kW |
| Industrial | 2 MW | 50 kW |
note: IOU=investor-owned utility
Billing and credit
Utility customers with net metered systems will be credited for each kilowatt produced by their system and each month will be billed for the number of kilowatt hours they used, minus the number of kilowatt hours generated. If your generation exceeds your usage for a given month, you will receive a credit for each excess kilowatt hour, to be applied in later months when you generate less electricity than you consume. Credit for excess generation will rollover from month to month indefinitely.
Other types of net metering in West Virginia
Aggregate and virtual net metering are allowed in West Virginia. Meters must be located within two miles of the source of generation. Customers are responsible for any costs associated with aggregate metering.
Take action
- Tell the West Virginia Public Service Commission to protect net metering!
West Virginia resources
History of net metering in West Virginia
January 2015: The West Virginia legislature moved to repeal West Virginia’s Alternative and Renewable Portfolio Standard. This also included a repeal of the state’s net metering legislation. Solar United Neighbors of West Virginia worked with other state groups to mobilize citizen response. In a single day, 287 comments were submitted to House and Senate Energy and Judiciary Committee members. Delegate Mike Caputo received more than 90 emails in three hours. The organized response to this action led lawmakers to preserve the state’s net metering legislation. Learn more here.