South Dakota
Net metering in South Dakota, 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 41649 kilowatt hours. A 994 kilowatt hour month against 1,271 kilowatt hours produced leaves 0 kilowatt hours billed and 277 banked for next month, so the energy charge falls from $152.68 to $0.00 at 15.36 cents per kilowatt hour.
South Dakota average household use, 994 kWh a month, at the current published residential price of 15.36¢ 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 Dakota, utility by utility
South Dakota has no statewide net metering policy. The Legislature has considered it several times and concluded mandatory net metering is not in the public interest. A state rule does govern how you connect, but none governs what you are paid.
Credits you below retail
- Black Hills EnergyInvestor owned/75K accountsWholesale rateNo net metering, and 2.48 cents if you qualify at all
- NorthWestern EnergyInvestor owned/63K accountsWholesale rateExports pay 2.547 cents, on a rate that falls as you use more
- Xcel EnergyInvestor owned/95K accountsWholesale rateSell at 3.16 cents, buy at 13.655
South Dakota net metering rules
No state policy, by decision.
- Who it binds
- Nobody, on price. Administrative Rule 20:10:36 does bind a public utility on the interconnection process, but it sets no export rate.
- What happens to a surplus
- Whatever your utility’s own tariff provides. None of the three investor owned utilities banks credits.
- How big a system you may build
- No state cap. Administrative Rule 20:10:36 sorts applications by size: Tier 1 is inverter based and 10 kilowatts or less, Tier 2 runs to 2 megawatts.
No statewide net metering policy — checked 2026-09-29
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 Dakota, 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 Dakota
Every company we list for at least one South Dakota utility. Each profile shows the utilities it covers and what each one pays for the power you export.
Net metering in South Dakota: the questions people ask
- Does South Dakota have net metering?
- South Dakota has no statewide net metering policy. The Legislature has considered it several times and concluded mandatory net metering is not in the public interest. A state rule does govern how you connect, but none governs what you are paid.
- What is the solar buyback rate in South Dakota?
- It is set utility by utility, not by the state. How the 3 providers we list in South Dakota credit the power you export: 3 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 Dakota 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 Dakota homes use about 994 kWh a month at an average of 15.36 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 Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Dakota rule cover?
- Nobody, on price. Administrative Rule 20:10:36 does bind a public utility on the interconnection process, but it sets no export rate.
- What happens to credits you do not use in South Dakota?
- Whatever your utility’s own tariff provides. None of the three investor owned utilities banks credits.
- How big a solar system can you install in South Dakota?
- No state cap. Administrative Rule 20:10:36 sorts applications by size: Tier 1 is inverter based and 10 kilowatts or less, Tier 2 runs to 2 megawatts.
- Which electricity providers does this cover in South Dakota?
- We have read the published terms of 3 providers in South Dakota: Black Hills Energy, NorthWestern Energy, Xcel Energy. Each has its own page with the figures taken from its own tariff or from the state’s own order.
Source: No statewide net metering policy, checked 2026-09-29.
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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