United States version
How it works
Separate import charges, eligible export credits and non-offsettable standing charges for one billing period.
This is the United States planning view, with monetary inputs and outputs in USD. A currency label does not establish that a tax rate, construction price, coverage rule or legal limit has been verified locally. The inputs and limitations below describe the actual scope.
Input query strings and outputs
Use an input name in this page’s URL as ?name=value, and join additional inputs with &. Portable shared links may instead use the compact ?ac= state parameter.
Input query strings
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?importKwh=Billing-period grid imports, kWhNumber · Required · Default: 600
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?exportKwh=Billing-period eligible exports, kWhNumber · Required · Default: 300
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?importRate=Import energy price per kWhMoney · Required · Default: 0.2
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?exportRate=Confirmed export credit per kWhMoney · Required · Default: 0.05
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?fixedCharge=Charges not offset by energy creditsMoney · Required · Default: 20
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?cashSurplus=Utility explicitly pays surplus credits in cashTrue or false · Optional · Default: false
Outputs
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importCostImport energy chargeCurrency · Currency: USD
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exportValueCalculated export creditCurrency · Currency: USD
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appliedCreditCredit applied to import energyCurrency · Currency: USD
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billEstimated remaining billCurrency · Primary output · Currency: USD
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surplusSurplus credit or cash balanceCurrency · Currency: USD
Formula
applied credit = minimum(import energy charge, eligible exports × credit rate).
Calculations retain numeric precision internally. Displayed values are rounded for readability. Quantities that must be purchased as whole units are rounded up only where the formula explicitly requires it.
Read the inputs before calculating
- Billing-period grid imports, kWh: Enter the quantity described by the label.
- Billing-period eligible exports, kWh: Enter the quantity described by the label.
- Import energy price per kWh: Enter the quantity described by the label.
- Confirmed export credit per kWh: Enter the quantity described by the label.
- Charges not offset by energy credits: Enter the quantity described by the label.
- Utility explicitly pays surplus credits in cash: Enter the quantity described by the label. Leave this unconfirmed until you have actually checked the required condition.
Reproducible worked example
The following is a fictional arithmetic example, not a local quote, a verified claimant or a market forecast. Its values are included so the formula can be checked. The form does not automatically confirm any verification checkbox.
| Input | Example value |
|---|---|
| Billing-period grid imports, kWh | 600 |
| Billing-period eligible exports, kWh | 300 |
| Import energy price per kWh | 0.2 |
| Confirmed export credit per kWh | 0.05 |
| Charges not offset by energy credits | 20 |
| Utility explicitly pays surplus credits in cash | false |
| Output | Calculated result |
|---|---|
| Import energy charge | USD 120 |
| Calculated export credit | USD 15 |
| Credit applied to import energy | USD 15 |
| Estimated remaining bill | USD 125 |
| Surplus credit or cash balance | USD 0 |
Interpreting a changed assumption
Start with one complete scenario and change only one input when diagnosing a difference. Recheck units, the period of every rate, whether an amount is recurring or one-off, and whether a cost is already included elsewhere. A larger calculated benefit is not evidence that an assumption is more likely to occur.
Limitations
- Surplus is an accounting balance, not cash, and may expire or have carry-forward restrictions.
- Time-of-use matching, true-up rules, capacity caps and taxes need the actual utility tariff.
Frequently asked questions
What does this Net Metering Credit result represent?
Separate import charges, eligible export credits and non-offsettable standing charges for one billing period. It applies the displayed formula to your inputs; it does not infer omitted facts.
Are the starting amounts verified United States prices or legal rules?
No. Numeric defaults are illustrative unless an input or dated reference explicitly identifies a researched component. Currency is USD; local quotes, eligibility and unsupported rules must be entered and verified separately.
What must I check before relying on the result?
Check the input units, supplier or authority evidence, the stated model exclusions and the period used for costs. This arithmetic does not supply missing site-specific design or local legal rules.
Can I compare or share different assumptions?
Change one assumption at a time and use the browser-local project or share controls. A shared URL contains the encoded input values; do not include information you do not wish to disclose.
Sources and reference scope
- DOE energy-use arithmetic — retrieved 2026-09-24. Energy consumption versus power; not a local tariff or an approval of this implementation.
- PVWatts: site-specific solar estimation — retrieved 2026-09-24. External site-yield model. AskCalculators uses your entered yield; it does not call or reproduce PVWatts.
- DOE insulation overview — retrieved 2026-09-24. Insulation and thermal resistance concepts; not structural or code approval.
These references support only their stated scope. They are not evidence that every local rule or price needed by the master expansion has been loaded.