Tennessee
Net metering in Tennessee, 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 41604 kilowatt hours. A 1,154 kilowatt hour month against 1,476 kilowatt hours produced leaves 0 kilowatt hours billed and 322 banked for next month, so the energy charge falls from $162.37 to $0.00 at 14.07 cents per kilowatt hour.
Tennessee average household use, 1,154 kWh a month, at the current published residential price of 14.07¢ 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 Tennessee, utility by utility
Tennessee has no statewide net metering requirement. TVA supplies most of the state through local power companies under federal charter, so the state commission does not set a credit rate and no utility is obliged to offer one.
Credits you at retail, with a condition
Credits you below retail
- Memphis Light, Gas and WaterMunicipal/440K accountsWholesale rateNothing from MLGW; TVA’s monthly avoided cost by contract
- Knoxville Utilities BoardMunicipal/210K accountsWholesale rateExcess sold to TVA at its monthly avoided cost
- EPB of ChattanoogaMunicipal/180K accountsWholesale rateEPB publishes none; TVA buys excess at its monthly avoided cost
Tennessee net metering rules
No state rule, and no default credit.
- Who it binds
- Nobody. The Tennessee Public Utility Commission does not set net metering rules for the TVA service area, which is most of the state. Each local power company decides for itself.
- What happens to a surplus
- Whatever your local power company says, if anything. There is no state default to fall back on.
- How big a system you may build
- Set by TVA’s interconnection requirements and by each local power company, not by state law.
No state net metering statute; TVA operates under federal charter — checked 2026-10-07
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 Tennessee, 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 Tennessee
Every company we list for at least one Tennessee utility. Each profile shows the utilities it covers and what each one pays for the power you export.
Net metering in Tennessee: the questions people ask
- Does Tennessee have net metering?
- Tennessee has no statewide net metering requirement. TVA supplies most of the state through local power companies under federal charter, so the state commission does not set a credit rate and no utility is obliged to offer one.
- What is the solar buyback rate in Tennessee?
- It is set utility by utility, not by the state. How the 4 providers we list in Tennessee credit the power you export: 1 at the retail rate, with a condition; 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 Tennessee 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. Tennessee homes use about 1,154 kWh a month at an average of 14.07 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee rule cover?
- Nobody. The Tennessee Public Utility Commission does not set net metering rules for the TVA service area, which is most of the state. Each local power company decides for itself.
- What happens to credits you do not use in Tennessee?
- Whatever your local power company says, if anything. There is no state default to fall back on.
- How big a solar system can you install in Tennessee?
- Set by TVA’s interconnection requirements and by each local power company, not by state law.
- Which electricity providers does this cover in Tennessee?
- We have read the published terms of 4 providers in Tennessee: Nashville Electric Service, Memphis Light, Gas and Water, Knoxville Utilities Board, EPB of Chattanooga. Each has its own page with the figures taken from its own tariff or from the state’s own order.
Source: No state net metering statute; TVA operates under federal charter, checked 2026-10-07.
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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