Net Metering by State

What your electric utility actually pays for exported solar power.

Ameren Illinois solar export rate

What Ameren Illinois pays for power exported from rooftop solar in Illinois, with the source and the date it was checked.

No single rate — formula based

Applicable tariffed or contract rate for electricity supply and transmission charges; no single fixed export dollar rate is stated in Rider NM.

Ameren Illinois · Illinois

Effective March 21, 2023 tariff sheets, current Rider NM cited as governing tariff

Rider NM, filed pursuant to ICC Docket No. 22-0208, carries excess kWh credits to later billing periods and defines the customer's 12-month annual period as ending with the selected April or October billing period.

Source: icc.illinois.gov

Full Ameren Illinois detail →

Illinois rules that apply to Ameren Illinois

The state framework sets the default. Where Ameren Illinois pays something different, the utility tariff governs and is what the card above reports.

Compensation mechanismNet electricity metering / net billing transition: legacy customers registered before January 1, 2025 keep full-retail net-metering treatment for the system lifetime; new customers receive credits for exported energy against applicable supply and transmission charges, with the precise rate determined by the utility or retail electric supplier tariff/contract. Applies to eligible customers of electricity providers, including ComEd and Ameren Illinois; municipal and cooperative utility treatment is not established by these ICC tariffs.
Export rateNo single statewide dollar-per-kWh rate. For new residential and small-load customers, the credit is based on the applicable electric supply/energy and transmission tariff or contract rate; ComEd describes the value as determined by the customer's electric service rates and price paid for energy, while Ameren Rider NM credits exported energy at the applicable tariffed or contract rate for supply and transmission charges.
Rate effectiveFor new customers, the reduced credit treatment applies on and after January 1, 2025. Legacy full-retail net metering applies to eligible systems registered before January 1, 2025; the utility-specific tariff sheets cited here are effective March 21, 2023 (Ameren Rider NM) and the 2026 ComEd FAQ describes the current treatment.
Credit rolloverUnused export credits carry forward to subsequent billing periods until used. Ameren's Rider NM defines a 12-month annual period ending with the customer's selected April or October billing period; ComEd says post-January 1, 2025 credits do not expire.
Credit expirationPost-January 1, 2025 ComEd kWh or monetary credits do not expire. For ComEd legacy fixed-price customers, kWh credits reset annually in April or October under the election form; Ameren's Rider NM specifies an annual period ending in April or October, but the cited tariff does not state a separate dollar expiration rule.
Annual true-upThe annual reconciliation period ends on the last day of either the April or October monthly billing period, selected by the customer when applying for net metering.
Aggregate program capNo statewide net-metering aggregate capacity cap was verified in the current statute and cited utility tariffs; the former 5% limitation was eliminated by the Clean Energy Law.
Program statusNo statewide net-metering aggregate capacity cap was verified in the current statute and cited utility tariffs; the former 5% limitation was eliminated by the Clean Energy Law. This does not establish eligibility for every municipal or cooperative utility.
GrandfatheringEligible systems for which the customer registered for net metering before January 1, 2025 retain the legacy net-metering service described in 220 ILCS 5/16-107.5(d), (d-5), and (e) for the lifetime of the system, including when the customer changes electricity providers or the benefiting customer changes.
RegulatorIllinois Commerce Commission (ICC), Springfield
Governing rule220 ILCS 5/16-107.5 (Net electricity metering), 83 Ill. Adm. Code Part 465 (Net Metering), and utility tariffs including ComEd Rider POGNM and Ameren Illinois Rider NM.
Pending changePublic Act 104-0458 (Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act), effective June 1, 2026, expands net-metering eligibility to qualifying standalone energy storage and vehicle-to-grid systems up to 5,000 kW and requires tariff implementation. ComEd filed Rider POGNM revisions with an August 14, 2026 effective date; the cited filings do not change the solar export-credit formula for ordinary new rooftop-solar customers. ComEd says additional storage offerings are expected in early 2027 subject to ICC approval.

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