Jackson EMC
Northeast Georgia, including Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Barrow and Banks counties. The largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the country.
- Type
- Cooperative
- Accounts
- 220K
What they credit you
4.32 cents, plus a $10 monthly solar charge
Published termsExports are credited at the 2026 Avoided Energy Cost of $0.0432 per kWh, roughly half the 8.81 cent first block retail rate. Net metering members also pay a $10 a month incremental service cost that other members do not.
- Month to month
- A credit balance carries to the following month, then is cleared by cheque each December.
- Once a year
- The December cheque is the true up. It pays out at the same avoided cost rate.
Published terms · checked 2026-09-05 · source
Battery backup is mandatory
in Jackson EMC territory.
Jackson EMC does not credit the power you send back at the rate it charges you to take it.
That does not make solar a bad idea in Jackson EMC territory. It changes what you should build. When exports are worth a fraction of retail the credit stops being the return, and the job becomes using more of your own production inside the house, which usually means a larger array than a one for one utility would need.
Sizing is where that gets decided, so ask about it directly. Georgia’s Distributed Generation Act defines an eligible residential system as 10 kW or less, and Georgia Power applies that limit to the inverter nameplate at the service point. Some cooperatives allow more: Walton EMC sets its residential limit at 50 kW. Jackson EMC sets its own limits. Ask Jackson EMC what it allows before you accept that a bigger system is off the table.
A battery then does two separate jobs. It moves daytime production into the evening so you use it instead of selling it, and it keeps the house running when the grid goes down. That second job is not a bonus. Panels on their own shut off in an outage, by design, so a roof full of them powers nothing during a storm. That is the part we will not refer around.
So we treat it as a requirement, not an upgrade. We will not refer you for a panels-only system in Jackson EMC territory, and you should be skeptical of anyone who quotes you one without raising storage first.
Our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement
What your installer should be telling you
The avoided energy cost is recalculated each year. The $31 service charge and the $10 rider are set by the co-op board and can change without a rate case.
What Jackson EMC bills you anyway
In a month when your production covers everything you use, the energy charge can reach zero. This does not. It is the floor under every bill, and it is the number that decides whether a system pays for itself.
- The charge
- $31.00 a month, plus $10.00 for net metering members
- How it is set
- The Residential Service schedule states that the minimum monthly charge is the $31.00 Service Charge. The Net Metering Rider adds $10.00 a month on top, so the working floor for a solar member is $41.00.
checked 2026-09-05 · source
Applying to Jackson EMC
What Jackson EMC itself requires, as distinct from what the state rule requires. Read from its own published guidelines on the date shown.
- There is a solar only surcharge, and it is $10 a month
- The Net Metering Rider charges "Incremental Service Costs $10.00 per month". A Jackson EMC member with solar pays $10 a month that an identical neighbour without solar does not. Over twenty years that is $2,400.
- The floor is $31, before the surcharge
- The Residential Service schedule effective 1 January 2026 sets a $31.00 monthly Service Charge and says "The minimum monthly charge is the Service Charge." Add the rider and a member whose energy charge nets to zero still pays $41 a month.
- What an exported kilowatt hour is worth
- The rider credits exports at Avoided Energy Cost and states it plainly: "2026 Avoided Energy Cost = $0.0432 per kWh". That is 4.32 cents, against a retail rate that starts at 8.81 cents.
- Credits are cashed out every December, not carried
- A credit balance rolls to the next month, but "Each December the account will be cleared of any credit balance by the issuance of a check". You cannot bank a spring surplus against a second summer.
- Residential systems are capped at 10 kW
- Larger systems are "at the sole discretion of the Cooperative", which means ask in writing before you design around it.
- Interconnection costs are yours
- The rider makes the member "responsible for ensuring a safe and reliable interconnection with the Cooperative system and all costs incurred therein", and each request is handled individually. Get the figure before signing, not after.
From Jackson EMC’s published guidelines · checked 2026-09-05 · source
Jackson EMC net metering questions
- Does Jackson EMC offer one for one net metering?
- No. Exports are credited at the 2026 Avoided Energy Cost of $0.0432 per kWh, roughly half the 8.81 cent first block retail rate. Net metering members also pay a $10 a month incremental service cost that other members do not.
- What does Jackson EMC pay for power sent back to the grid?
- 4.32 cents, plus a $10 monthly solar charge. The December cheque is the true up. It pays out at the same avoided cost rate.
- Do I need a battery with Jackson EMC?
- Yes, and we treat it as mandatory. Because Jackson EMC does not credit exports one for one, the return has to come from using your own production rather than selling it, which after dark means storage and usually a larger array than a one for one utility would need. The other half is backup: panels alone shut off in an outage, so a battery is what keeps the house running in a storm. We do not refer panels-only systems in Jackson EMC territory. This is our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement.
- How do I find my Jackson EMC bill?
- Sign in at jacksonemc.com. Open My Account, then Billing History. Open the latest statement and save the PDF. Or screenshot the summary page. If you cannot get to it, a rough guess at your average monthly amount is enough to start.
- What is the catch with Jackson EMC?
- The avoided energy cost is recalculated each year. The $31 service charge and the $10 rider are set by the co-op board and can change without a rate case.
Installers serving Jackson EMC customers
Pick one. Only the company you choose receives your details, and only that company calls you.
These are real companies operating in Jackson EMC territory, ordered by reviews, years trading and BBB grade. None of them pays us for placement. Pick the one you want and we will call you to arrange it.
Ordering combines three things we read from primary sources: Google review count and rating, years trading taken from the company’s Better Business Bureau profile rather than its own marketing, and its BBB letter grade. BBB accreditation is shown but never scored, because it is a paid membership rather than a mark of quality.
Check any contractor license yourself at the state register. Do that before you sign anything, with any company, including ours.