What does BC Hydro pay for solar power now?
BC Hydro pays new solar customers 10 cents per kWh for surplus power, as a dollar credit on the bill for each billing period. This is the self-generation rate, Rate Schedule 2289, which replaced net metering for new customers on July 1, 2026.
Last checked November 12, 2026. Rates and program rules change, so confirm them with the source before you sign.
How does the self-generation rate work?
The rate uses net billing. Over a billing period, BC Hydro compares what your panels made with what your home used. Solar covers your own use first. If you made more than you used across the whole period, the extra is your surplus, and BC Hydro credits it at a fixed 10 cents per kWh. BC Hydro's own example is 50 kWh of surplus becoming a $5 credit.
Two limits are worth knowing. The credit is in dollars, so surplus is no longer banked as kWh for later. And BC Hydro says the credits cover energy charges only. The daily basic charge, listed at 23.44 cents on the tiered rate when we checked, is still payable.
You apply to BC Hydro and wait for approval before connecting a system, even a small one. Systems up to 100 kW of inverter capacity can use the rate. BC Hydro counted more than 17,000 customers generating their own power as of February 2026, most of them with solar.
How is it different from net metering?
| Net metering (Rate Schedule 1289) | Self-generation (Rate Schedule 2289) | |
|---|---|---|
| Open to new customers | No. Closed July 1, 2026. | Yes |
| Surplus in a billing period | Banked as kWh credits | Credited in dollars at 10 cents per kWh |
| Summer surplus in winter | Banked kWh could offset later use | No kWh carry forward |
| Who is on it | Existing customers, for 10 years from their start date | Every new connection |
The practical change is the value of a summer kWh you can't use. On net metering it could come back later as a kWh. On the new rate it is sold for 10 cents, which is less than any of the residential energy charges it might have offset: 14.08 cents on Tier 2, about 12.70 cents on the flat rate and about 11.87 cents on Tier 1.
What does a year look like on the new rate?
Here is a gas-heated home in Metro Vancouver that uses 9,000 kWh a year, with a 7 kW system making 7,350 kWh. The example assumes a bill every two months and an energy charge of about 12.70 cents. The seasonal split comes from the model behind our free calculator.
| Billing period | Solar made, kWh | Home used, kWh | Used at home, kWh | Surplus, kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan and Feb | 515 | 1,575 | 515 | 0 |
| Mar and Apr | 1,323 | 1,485 | 1,323 | 0 |
| May and Jun | 1,874 | 1,440 | 1,440 | 434 |
| Jul and Aug | 2,021 | 1,530 | 1,530 | 491 |
| Sep and Oct | 1,176 | 1,440 | 1,176 | 0 |
| Nov and Dec | 441 | 1,530 | 441 | 0 |
| Year | 7,350 | 9,000 | 6,425 | 926 |
Rounded to the nearest kWh, so a column can differ from its total by one.
The 6,425 kWh used at home saves about $816 at 12.70 cents. The 926 kWh of surplus earns about $93 at 10 cents. Together that is about $908 in the first year.
Had the home been able to use that surplus itself, each kWh would have saved 12.70 cents. As surplus it earns 2.7 cents less, which comes to about $25 a year here. The amount is small because this system is sized below the home's yearly use.
The gap grows with system size. Put an 8 kW system on a gas-heated home that uses 8,000 kWh a year and the model sends 2,068 kWh out as surplus, about a quarter of what the panels make. For a home on Tier 2, each of those kWh earns 4.08 cents less than it would have saved.
For what this does to payback, see Is solar worth it in BC in 2026?
What happens to homes already on net metering?
BC Hydro says existing net metering customers can stay on Rate Schedule 1289 for 10 years from their original net metering start date. After that they move to the self-generation rate automatically.
BC Hydro describes its solar and battery rebates as being for customers on the self-generation rate. If you are on net metering and thinking about a rebate-funded addition, ask BC Hydro which rate you would end up on before you apply.
Does time-of-day pricing change what surplus earns?
No. BC Hydro says its optional time-of-day pricing applies to the electricity you draw from the grid. Surplus is credited at 10 cents whatever the hour.
What should a solar quote say about the rate?
A quote for a new BC Hydro connection should name the self-generation rate, or Rate Schedule 2289, and value surplus at 10 cents. If it says net metering, or multiplies every kWh the system makes by your retail rate, the savings figure rests on the rate that closed.
Two questions settle it. Which export rate does the payback assume? How many kWh a year does the installer expect you to export? How to read a solar quote in BC covers the other checks.
What could we not confirm?
BC Hydro's page says in one place that the credit applies to the current billing cycle and in another that it goes on the next bill. It also doesn't say whether a credit larger than your energy charges is ever paid out in cash. If either point matters to your decision, ask BC Hydro and keep the answer in writing.
Our reading that surplus is worked out within each billing period drives every figure above. BC Hydro's page supports it, and the tariff is the final word. FortisBC customers are under a separate program with its own terms.
Common questions
How much does BC Hydro pay per kWh for solar power in 2026?
New customers are paid 10 cents per kWh for surplus generation in a billing period, under the self-generation rate, Rate Schedule 2289. Solar that you use in your own home is worth the energy charge you would otherwise have paid.
Is net metering still available from BC Hydro?
Not to new customers. BC Hydro closed net metering, Rate Schedule 1289, to new customers on July 1, 2026. Existing net metering customers can stay on it for 10 years from their original start date.
Do summer solar credits carry into winter?
Not as kWh. Under the self-generation rate, surplus in a billing period becomes a dollar credit at 10 cents per kWh. It is no longer banked as kWh to offset winter use.
Do the credits cover my whole BC Hydro bill?
No. BC Hydro says self-generation credits cover energy charges only. Other charges, such as the daily basic charge, still apply.
Want your own quote checked?
The free calculator runs the rough numbers in your browser from four figures on your quote and your hydro bill. The sample report shows what a written review looks like.
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Solar Second Look is a document review. We check a quote against published prices and program rules. This guide is general information and does not replace legal, financial or engineering advice. For questions about a contract, contact Consumer Protection BC.
Related guides
- Is solar worth it in BC in 2026?
- How to read a solar quote in BC: the numbers to check before you sign