As of August 2026, North Carolina has no single statewide 1:1 net metering deal. New Duke Energy home solar customers move to a revised structure with a transitional Bridge Rate and time-of-use export credits, not old full-retail crediting. Dominion Energy North Carolina still runs standard net metering. Verify your utility before you size a system.
Net metering is how your electric utility credits the solar power your panels send back to the grid. In North Carolina the rules are not the same for every homeowner, because the state’s two big investor-owned utilities handle exports differently, and Duke Energy changed its residential program after a 2023 order from the North Carolina Utilities Commission. This page explains how Duke’s revised net metering works now, how it differs from the legacy 1:1 setup, how Dominion Energy North Carolina compares, and what the 2025 federal tax-credit change means. For the bigger picture, see our North Carolina solar guide.
What the numbers say. According to MySolarFY’s analysis (August 2026), a typical 7 kW rooftop system in Charlotte produces about 9,910 kWh a year (NREL PVWatts v8), enough to offset roughly $1,500 of grid power at North Carolina’s average residential rate of about 15.09 cents per kWh (EIA, May 2026). How much of that you actually keep depends on how your utility credits the power you export.
How Duke Energy net metering works in North Carolina now
New Duke residential solar customers no longer get flat 1:1 full-retail net metering. After a 2023 North Carolina Utilities Commission order, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress moved new rooftop solar customers onto a revised program with two paths (Utility Dive; DSIRE). The transitional Bridge Rate keeps monthly netting of what you make against what you use, but it carries a monthly minimum bill and a non-bypassable charge, so verify the current amounts with Duke before you sign. The alternative is a time-of-use path, where the power you export is valued by the time of day it hits the grid instead of one flat rate. For the mechanics of export credits in general, see how net metering credits your solar exports.
| Detail | What to know (verify current terms) |
|---|---|
| Who sets the rules | North Carolina Utilities Commission; Duke’s 2023 order reworked residential net metering |
| Utilities affected | Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress |
| Bridge Rate | Transitional option; monthly netting plus a minimum bill and a non-bypassable charge (verify amounts and enrollment window with Duke) |
| Time-of-use option | Exports valued by time of day, not one flat retail rate |
| Legacy 1:1 net metering | Grandfathered for qualifying pre-change systems for a set period; confirm your end date with Duke |
| Source | DSIRE North Carolina net metering |
How Duke’s revised net metering differs from the old 1:1
The old deal credited every exported kilowatt-hour at full retail with no solar-specific fee; the new one does not. Under the legacy program, a kilowatt-hour you exported offset a kilowatt-hour you later pulled from the grid at the full retail rate. Under the revised program, that clean one-to-one deal is gone for new customers: the Bridge Rate adds a monthly minimum bill and a non-bypassable charge, and the time-of-use path can make an exported kilowatt-hour worth more or less than a purchased one depending on the hour. Homeowners who interconnected under the older rules are generally grandfathered for a defined period, so your neighbor with panels from a few years ago may be on different terms than a new install today. Because the exact figures and enrollment deadlines have shifted through the transition, treat any number you read as a snapshot and confirm the current terms with Duke before you commit.
| Feature | Legacy 1:1 (grandfathered) | Duke revised (new customers) | Dominion NC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export value | Full retail, one-to-one | Bridge Rate netting or time-of-use, below flat retail | Standard state net metering (verify current schedule) |
| Solar-specific fixed charge | None | Minimum bill and a non-bypassable charge apply | Confirm with Dominion |
| Who it covers | Pre-change Duke systems, for a set period | New Duke Carolinas and Duke Progress installs | Homes in Dominion’s northeastern NC territory |
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Dominion Energy North Carolina is a different case
If Dominion is your utility, the Duke rules on this page do not apply to you. Dominion Energy North Carolina, which serves part of the northeastern corner of the state, offers residential net metering under North Carolina’s statewide framework, and its terms are not the same as Duke’s Bridge Rate design (DSIRE North Carolina). Confirm the current net-metering schedule directly with Dominion before you plan a system. Electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across the state set their own rules too, so the first step for any homeowner is to verify who serves your address and what that provider pays for exports.
What the 2025 federal tax-credit change means here
The 30% federal homeowner credit is gone, but North Carolina net metering is not. The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a North Carolina homeowner who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS; SEIA). Net metering, the value of the power you offset, and North Carolina’s 80% property-tax abatement on the added home value were not changed by that law. For the full timeline, see what the federal solar tax credit change means in 2026. A separate commercial credit (Section 48E) is claimed by the business that owns a leased or PPA system, not by the homeowner, so on a $0-up-front lease or PPA the provider, not you, takes any federal credit.
How to figure out your own net-metering terms
Because the answer depends on your utility and when you connect, work it in this order:
- Confirm your utility. Check your electric bill for Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Dominion Energy North Carolina, or a co-op or city utility. The net-metering rules follow the provider, not the town. For how this plays out in Raleigh on Duke Energy Progress, see our Raleigh solar guide.
- Ask which program applies. For Duke, ask whether a new install goes on the Bridge Rate or the time-of-use path, what the minimum bill and non-bypassable charge are today, and how long the option is open.
- Check grandfathering. If you already have solar, confirm the date your legacy terms run through so you can plan around it.
- Size to your usage. Because exports are no longer credited at full retail for new Duke customers, sizing a system close to your annual use usually beats oversizing to bank a surplus.
- Compare real quotes. A licensed installer who works in your utility’s territory can model your bill under the current rules. See what solar costs in North Carolina and going solar on a Duke Energy account.
Frequently asked questions
Does North Carolina still have 1:1 net metering?
Not for new Duke Energy residential solar customers. After a 2023 North Carolina Utilities Commission order, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress moved new rooftop solar customers onto a revised program with a transitional Bridge Rate and a time-of-use option, so exports are no longer credited at a flat full-retail rate. Homeowners who interconnected under the older rules are generally grandfathered on the legacy 1:1 terms for a set period. Dominion Energy North Carolina still offers standard net metering under the statewide framework. Confirm the current terms with your own utility.
What is Duke Energy’s net metering Bridge Rate?
The Bridge Rate is the transitional net-metering option Duke Energy offers new North Carolina residential solar customers after the 2023 reform. It keeps monthly netting of the power you produce against the power you use, but it adds a monthly minimum bill and a non-bypassable charge, so it is not the old full-retail one-to-one deal. The exact charges and the enrollment window have shifted through the transition, so verify the current amounts and deadline directly with Duke before you sign a contract.
How is Dominion Energy North Carolina net metering different from Duke’s?
Dominion Energy North Carolina, which serves part of northeastern North Carolina, offers residential net metering under the state’s standard framework rather than Duke’s Bridge Rate and time-of-use design. That means the export-crediting mechanics and any fixed charges can differ from Duke’s. If Dominion is your utility, do not assume the Duke rules apply; confirm the current net-metering schedule directly with Dominion Energy North Carolina.
What happened to the federal solar tax credit for North Carolina homeowners?
The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a North Carolina homeowner who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it. A separate commercial credit (Section 48E) can apply to leased and PPA systems, but the business that owns the system claims it, not the homeowner. North Carolina net metering and the state’s property-tax abatement were not affected by that law.
Are pre-2023 North Carolina solar customers grandfathered?
Generally yes. Duke Energy customers who interconnected rooftop solar under the older net-metering rules are typically grandfathered on the legacy 1:1 terms for a defined period before they transition to the current structure. Because the transition dates have moved, confirm the exact date your legacy terms run through with Duke so you can plan around it.
