South Carolina
Net metering in South Carolina, provider by provider.
Every provider in the state, and every figure below read from the published tariff or interconnection document rather than a comparison site. Some credit you the full retail rate for the power you send back. Most do not, and that difference is the whole reason this page exists.
Meter reading falling from 41926 to 41633 kilowatt hours. A 1,050 kilowatt hour month against 1,343 kilowatt hours produced leaves 0 kilowatt hours billed and 293 banked for next month, so the energy charge falls from $163.28 to $0.00 at 15.55 cents per kilowatt hour.
South Carolina average household use, 1,050 kWh a month, at the current published residential price of 15.55¢ per kWh. Your utility still bills a fixed monthly customer charge that no system offsets, so this is the energy part of the bill, which is the part that goes away.
Solar buyback rates in South Carolina, utility by utility
Act 62 required the Commission to create solar choice metering. New customers since 1 June 2021 are billed on a time of use rate, credited for exports at a rate reset annually in the utility’s fuel case, and pay a monthly minimum bill.
Credits you at retail, with a condition
South Carolina net metering rules
Time of use, with a minimum bill that credits cannot reach.
- Who it binds
- The three investor owned utilities the Commission regulates: Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress and Dominion Energy South Carolina. Cooperatives and municipal systems set their own terms.
- What happens to a surplus
- Monthly bill credits carry to the following month if you use more, and the ORS states consumers "will receive a credit on their bill at the end of each year".
- How big a system you may build
- Set by the Commission’s solar choice tariffs rather than by a single statutory figure.
S.C. Code § 58-40-20 (Act 62 of 2019, the Energy Freedom Act) — checked 2026-09-05
What actually happens after you pick
Most sites in this business hand your number to a sales team and disappear. We do the preparation first, so the company that turns up already knows your situation.
You see your real terms
Your provider page shows what that specific utility credits you, when it trues up, and where the catch is. Sourced and dated, not a sales page.
You choose the company
Companies serving your territory in South Carolina, with the reviews, years trading and BBB grade we found for each. You pick. Not a call center, not an auction.
We set the whole thing up
We call you, go through your bill and your last twelve months of use, work out what your utility owes you, and get the program paperwork in order.
They arrive prepared
The company you chose turns up to a job that is already understood, with your figures in hand. No cold pitch on your doorstep.
Solar installers in South Carolina
Every company we list for at least one South Carolina utility. Each profile shows the utilities it covers and what each one pays for the power you export.
Net metering in South Carolina: the questions people ask
- Does South Carolina have net metering?
- Act 62 required the Commission to create solar choice metering. New customers since 1 June 2021 are billed on a time of use rate, credited for exports at a rate reset annually in the utility’s fuel case, and pay a monthly minimum bill.
- What is the solar buyback rate in South Carolina?
- It is set utility by utility, not by the state. How the 3 providers we list in South Carolina credit the power you export: 1 at the retail rate, with a condition; 2 at a rate below retail. Each one’s own page gives its figure and the date we read it.
- Is solar worth it in South Carolina in 2026?
- It depends mostly on what your utility pays for the power you export, because the 30% federal credit ended for systems completed after 31 December 2025. South Carolina homes use about 1,050 kWh a month at an average of 15.55 cents per kWh, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Where exports are credited at the full retail rate, each kilowatt hour your panels send back is worth about that much; where they are credited below retail, size the system to what you use while the sun is up. Check your own utility on this page before you get a quote for solar panels.
- Is there a solar tax credit in South Carolina in 2026?
- Not a federal one. The 30% federal credit, IRC Section 25D, ended for systems completed after 31 December 2025, and a deposit paid in 2025 does not preserve it. Anyone still quoting it is working from an old script. Any incentive left in South Carolina comes from the state or your utility, and what your utility pays for exported power is now most of the financial case.
- Which providers does the South Carolina rule cover?
- The three investor owned utilities the Commission regulates: Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress and Dominion Energy South Carolina. Cooperatives and municipal systems set their own terms.
- What happens to credits you do not use in South Carolina?
- Monthly bill credits carry to the following month if you use more, and the ORS states consumers "will receive a credit on their bill at the end of each year". An annual bill credit rather than a cash payout.
- How big a solar system can you install in South Carolina?
- Set by the Commission’s solar choice tariffs rather than by a single statutory figure.
- Which electricity providers does this cover in South Carolina?
- We have read the published terms of 3 providers in South Carolina: Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Dominion Energy South Carolina. Each has its own page with the figures taken from its own tariff or from the state’s own order.
Source: S.C. Code § 58-40-20 (Act 62 of 2019, the Energy Freedom Act), checked 2026-09-05.
Not sure which one you are on?
It is the name at the top of your bill. Find it on the schedule and we will show you what it pays.
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