A Net Metering customer’s bill is figured using a birectional meter, which records power flowing in either direction. This type of meter measures how much electricity you use from PGE and how much electricity your system supplies to the grid. Each billing period, the power you used from PGE is offset by the power you sent to PGE. You are only charged for the difference or “net” metering.

Credit for extra generation
If you generate more power than you use, you will incur no usage charges that month and will receive kilowatt-hour credits that will be applied to your future electric bills. Unused credits will accumulate in your PGE account. For solar electric customers, this means credits accumulated during sunny summer months can be applied to charges during Oregon’s cloudy winter months. See the Net Metering rate schedule (PDF) for complete details.

Under Oregon Public Utility Commission’s Net Metering rules, credits that remain unused at the end of the annual billing cycle are transferred to customers enrolled in low-income assistance programs. This happens in the billing cycle that ends in March. If you would benefit by having your annual billing cycle end in another month, contact the Net Metering coordinator to request a switch.

Contact us
For more information, email us or call the Net Metering coordinator at 503-464-8100.