Wisconsin
Net metering in Wisconsin, 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 41746 kilowatt hours. A 645 kilowatt hour month against 825 kilowatt hours produced leaves 0 kilowatt hours billed and 180 banked for next month, so the energy charge falls from $126.16 to $0.00 at 19.56 cents per kilowatt hour.
Wisconsin average household use, 645 kWh a month, at the current published residential price of 19.56¢ 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 Wisconsin, utility by utility
Wisconsin sets no statewide rate. Xcel credits monthly excess at the retail rate and pays out any year-end credit; We Energies credits excess at a buyback rate well below retail, and Alliant nets within each month and buys the monthly excess at its avoided cost, 4.254 cents on average in 2026.
Credits you the full retail rate
Credits you at retail, with a condition
Wisconsin net metering rules
One answer per utility, and they are far apart.
- Who it binds
- Nothing sets a common rate. Each utility files its own parallel generation or buyback tariff with the Commission.
- What happens to a surplus
- Depends entirely on the utility. Xcel rolls credits over and settles annually; the others follow their own tariffs.
- How big a system you may build
- Set per utility: 20 kW at Alliant, 100 kW at Xcel, 300 kW at We Energies.
Utility-specific tariffs approved by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission — 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 Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin
Every company we list for at least one Wisconsin utility. Each profile shows the utilities it covers and what each one pays for the power you export.
Net metering in Wisconsin: the questions people ask
- Does Wisconsin have net metering?
- Wisconsin sets no statewide rate. Xcel credits monthly excess at the retail rate and pays out any year-end credit; We Energies credits excess at a buyback rate well below retail, and Alliant nets within each month and buys the monthly excess at its avoided cost, 4.254 cents on average in 2026.
- What is the solar buyback rate in Wisconsin?
- It is set utility by utility, not by the state. How the 4 providers we list in Wisconsin credit the power you export: 1 at the full retail rate; 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 Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin homes use about 645 kWh a month at an average of 19.56 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin rule cover?
- Nothing sets a common rate. Each utility files its own parallel generation or buyback tariff with the Commission.
- What happens to credits you do not use in Wisconsin?
- Depends entirely on the utility. Xcel rolls credits over and settles annually; the others follow their own tariffs. Xcel settles on the last bill of the year and pays any credit by check, with surplus beyond the year’s use bought at avoided cost. Others do not.
- How big a solar system can you install in Wisconsin?
- Set per utility: 20 kW at Alliant, 100 kW at Xcel, 300 kW at We Energies.
- Which electricity providers does this cover in Wisconsin?
- We have read the published terms of 4 providers in Wisconsin: Xcel Energy, We Energies, Alliant Energy (Wisconsin Power and Light), Wisconsin Public Service. Each has its own page with the figures taken from its own tariff or from the state’s own order.
Source: Utility-specific tariffs approved by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, 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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