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We use net billing instead of net metering. Net billing allows you to generate electricity for your own use and sell your excess electricity to us to receive a monetary credit on your Manitoba Hydro account. Net metering creates an energy credit to draw on at a later date.

Any electricity your system generates will reduce the amount of energy you need to buy at that time. If you use more than your system generates, you will purchase that energy from us at the current electricity rate, just like you did before you installed your system.

When your system generates more electricity than you use, you will receive a monetary credit for your excess generation at the excess energy price. This credit will be applied against other charges on your monthly bill.

Solar panel production examples

Learn how solar panel production affects how much energy needs to be purchased from our grid.

Scenario 1: Full sun, full load.

Solar panels produce exactly what the house loads need. The meter reads zero so you do not get credited for the 1500 Wh produced, but you are not charged for the 1500 Wh that you don’t have to purchase from the grid. This is solar savings “unseen” by the meter.

Full sun, full load.

Enlarge image: Solar panels produce exactly what the house loads need. The meter reads zero so you do not get credited for the 1500 Wh produced, but you are not charged for the 1500 Wh that you don’t have to purchase from the grid. This is solar savings “unseen” by the meter.

Solar panels produce exactly what the house loads need. The meter reads zero so you do not get credited for the 1500 Wh produced, but you are not charged for the 1500 Wh that you don’t have to purchase from the grid. This is solar savings “unseen” by the meter.

Scenario 2: Partly cloudy, full load.

Solar panels produce only part of the required house load so 500 Wh needs to be purchased from the grid. Note that the 1000 Wh of solar energy is not recorded by the meter and is “unseen” solar savings.

Partly cloudy, full load.

Enlarge image: Solar panels produce only part of the required house load so 500 Wh needs to be purchased from the grid. Note that the 1000 Wh of solar energy is not recorded by the meter and is “unseen” solar savings.

Solar panels produce only part of the required house load so 500 Wh needs to be purchased from the grid. Note that the 1000 Wh of solar energy is not recorded by the meter and is “unseen” solar savings.

Scenario 3: Full sun, lower load.

Solar panels produce more than what the house load needs so 500 Wh is exported to the grid. You  get credited for the 500 Wh but 1000 Wh of solar savings (energy the customer didn’t have to purchase) is “unseen” by the meter.

Full sun, lower load.

Enlarge image: Solar panels produce more than what the house load needs so 500 Wh is exported to the grid. You get credited for the 500 Wh but 1000 Wh of solar savings (energy the customer didn’t have to purchase) is “unseen” by the meter.

Solar panels produce more than what the house load needs so 500 Wh is exported to the grid. You get credited for the 500 Wh but 1000 Wh of solar savings (energy the customer didn’t have to purchase) is “unseen” by the meter.

Scenario 4: No sun, full load.

Solar panels produce zero energy and all required energy is purchased from the grid.

No sun, full load.

Enlarge image: Solar panels produce zero energy and all required energy is purchased from the grid.

Solar panels produce zero energy and all required energy is purchased from the grid.


Note: 1000 Wh = 1 kWh.