Net Metering

You are watching your electricity meter spinning backwards. “I must be dreaming,” you say to yourself, “because this would mean that the electricity company owes me money and not the other way around.” You pinch yourself. Wow, you really are awake, after all.

This isn't a scene out of a Twilight Zone episode, this can be real life for people who install and implement one of the net metering systems that are available.

These systems offer an incentive for consumers to invest in the generation of renewable energy by offsetting consumption. How do they do this? Based on the net metering laws and policies of your location, you can actually feed the excess power you generate back into the utility company's power grid, receiving retail prices for the energy they send back into the system.

How can you become involved with one of these net metering programs? Assuming that you have a power generation system at your home or farm (for instance solar or micro hydro), you need either a net metering meter or a second meter that is installed to measure the electricity that flows back to the provider. With the second-meter system the energy fed back into the grid is purchased by the utility company at a rate much lower than the retail rate, so the better choice is probably the net metering system.

A low cost scheme that is easy to administer, net metering is currently being offered in more than thirty five states across the nation. It's easy to find out about net metering by state if you visit the local library and ask about net metering news or give a call to your local utility provider and tell them that you're considering installing a net metering system. If they have the program available in your area, the folks at the power company will be able to explain the requirements for sending excess energy back into the grid and offsetting your power costs by participating.

You'll discover that net metering photovoltaic cells (PV solar panels) and net metering wind generators (turbines) are readily available at reasonable prices, and take advantage of the renewable resources of wind and the sun to generate abundant power. Just think about it: if you can generate enough power you can not only stop paying that utility bill, the power company may actually have to pay you money!

If you'd like to examine the track record of one of these programs for yourself, look into the PECO net metering program being run by the Philadelphia Electric Company.