APS Net Metering Explained: How Arizona Solar Credits Work (2026)
When your panels make more power than your home uses, that extra goes to APS and they credit your bill. In Arizona this is not the old full-credit net metering anymore. Here is how the credit works now, in plain words, and why using your own solar beats banking on the buyback.
Reviewed May 2026 · Sources cited throughout and listed at the bottom.
APS net metering: the bottom line
- Arizona does not have the old net metering anymore. It changed around 2016 and 2017.
- Now APS credits your extra solar at a set export rate that is lower than the price you pay them.
- That rate locks in for about 10 years when you go solar, and it steps down a little each year for new customers.
- So using and storing your own power (with a battery) is worth more than selling it back. Going solar sooner locks in a better rate.
APS net metering: key facts at a glance
- Old net metering
- Gone for new Arizona customers. The state replaced it around 2016 and 2017.
- What APS uses now
- A set export rate (a type of net billing, sometimes called the RCP) for the power you send to the grid.
- How the export rate compares
- Lower than the retail rate you pay to buy power, so exporting is worth less than using your own power.
- How long it lasts
- Your export rate locks in for about 10 years once you go solar.
- Which way it is moving
- Down. The export rate has stepped down a little in each review since the change.
- What it means for you
- Self-consume your solar, often with a battery, instead of exporting it at a low rate. Go solar sooner to lock a better rate.
- The exact current rate
- Changes over time. We show you the current number on your free review (we do not guess it here).
What net metering is, in plain words
Short answer: Net metering is the way your utility pays you for extra solar power. Your panels often make more power at midday than your home is using. That extra power flows out to the grid, and your utility gives you a credit on your bill for it. The question is always the same: how much is that credit worth?
Think of your electric meter like a scorecard. When your home pulls power from APS, the score goes up and you owe money. When your panels make more than you need, the extra flows back out and you earn a credit. Net metering is just the rule that decides how big that credit is.
The simple picture goes like this:
How it actually works in Arizona now
Short answer: Arizona replaced traditional net metering around 2016 and 2017. New APS solar customers are now credited for exported power at a set export rate that the Arizona Corporation Commission decides. That rate is lower than the retail price you pay to buy power, and it locks in for about 10 years once you go solar.
Here is the honest part. The old one-to-one net metering, where a unit you send out at noon fully cancels a unit you pull back at night, is gone for new customers in Arizona. Around 2016 and 2017 the Arizona Corporation Commission (the elected group that oversees the power companies) changed the rules. Instead of full retail credit, APS now pays a set export rate for the power you send to the grid.
You may see this called the set export rate Arizona uses now, sometimes labeled the RCP (Resource Comparison Proxy) or net billing. The names do not matter much. What matters is the shape of the deal: the rate APS pays you for exported power is lower than the retail rate you pay to buy power back, and it has been stepping down a little each year in the reviews since the change. The good news is that once you go solar, your rate is locked in for about 10 years, even as APS lowers it for newer customers.
We are not going to print a fake number. The exact cents-per-kilowatt-hour export rate changes over time and depends on your plan, so we show you the current, real figure when we run your free review instead of guessing here.
| What changed | Old net metering | Arizona now |
|---|---|---|
| What you earn for exports | Full retail rate (same as you pay) | A set export rate, lower than retail |
| Which way it moves | Held steady at retail | Steps down a little each year for new customers |
| How long your rate holds | Open-ended | Locked about 10 years once you go solar |
| Best way to get value | Export freely, it all counted the same | Use and store your own power first, export the rest |
| Status for new homes | Gone (ended around 2016 to 2017) | This is what you get today |
Source: Arizona Corporation Commission solar export-rate (Value of Solar) proceedings that replaced retail net metering. Arizona Corporation Commission · APS solar service plans.
Why this means going solar sooner is better
Put the two trends side by side. The export rate APS pays you keeps stepping down. At the same time, the price you pay APS for power keeps going up (APS is asking for another big increase right now). So waiting hits you twice: you would lock in a lower export credit, and you would pay more for the grid power you keep buying in the meantime.
Because your export rate is held for about 10 years once you go solar, the sooner you start, the better the rate you keep. People who went solar earlier are usually locked in at a higher credit than people signing up today.
The bottom line: The export rate keeps going down and power prices keep going up. Since your export rate locks in for about 10 years when you go solar, starting sooner generally locks in a better deal than waiting for the next change.
It also gets you out from under the rising APS rate increase path sooner, since the power your panels make is not subject to the next rate hike.
Make the most of your solar
Short answer: Because APS pays you less for exported power than it charges you to buy it back, using your own solar is worth more than selling it. That makes two things matter: sizing your system around your real usage, and adding a battery so your cheap daytime power covers the expensive evening hours instead of being sold back at a low rate.
When exports are worth less than retail, the goal shifts. It is no longer "send as much to the grid as possible." It is "use as much of your own sun as possible." Two moves do that:
- Right-size the system. We design around your real usage instead of overbuilding for export credits that are worth less than the power you buy.
- Add a battery. A battery stores your cheap midday solar so you spend it in the evening, instead of exporting it at a low rate and then buying expensive power back after sundown.
How battery storage fits in Solar financing options How residential solar works
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Cities APS serves in Arizona
APS provides power to much of metro Phoenix and the West Valley. If you live in one of these cities, the APS solar buyback rules on this page are your rules, and we install solar in your area. Tap your city to see how solar looks where you live.
Not sure which utility you have, or what your export rate would be? We will check both when we run your free savings review. Estimate my savings Book a free review
APS net metering: common questions
Does Arizona still have net metering?
No. Arizona does not have the old net metering anymore. Around 2016 and 2017 the Arizona Corporation Commission replaced it with a different program. Now APS credits the extra solar power you send to the grid at a set export rate. That rate is lower than the retail price you pay to buy power, and it has been stepping down a little each year.
How does APS credit my extra solar power?
When your panels make more power than your home is using, that extra goes to APS and they put a credit on your bill at a set export rate. That export rate is lower than what you pay APS for power, and it locks in for about 10 years once you go solar. The exact rate changes over time, so we show you the current number on your free review.
Is net metering going away, or is it already gone?
The old full-credit net metering is already gone for new Arizona solar customers. It was replaced around 2016 and 2017 with an export-rate program (sometimes called net billing or the RCP). The export rate has only moved one direction, down, in the reviews since. That is one reason many homeowners go solar sooner: you lock in a higher export credit and you get out from under rising power rates.
Should I get a battery with APS solar?
Often, yes. Because APS pays you less for exported power than it charges you to buy it back, using your own solar is worth more than selling it. A battery stores your cheap daytime solar so you use it at night instead of exporting at a low rate and buying back at a high one. Whether it pays off depends on your usage and rate plan, which the free review works through.
How do I lock in the current export rate?
You lock in the current export rate when your solar system is approved and turned on. After that, your rate is held for about 10 years even as APS lowers it for newer customers. Because the rate keeps stepping down, going solar sooner generally locks in better terms than waiting. A free savings review shows you the current rate and runs your real numbers.
Sources
- Arizona Corporation Commission (the body that replaced retail net metering with the current solar export-rate program).
- APS solar service plans (how APS credits exported solar today).
- APS residential solar overview.
Arizona replaced retail net metering with an export-rate program around 2016 and 2017. The exact export rate is set through the Arizona Corporation Commission, changes over time, and depends on your service plan. Figures and rate behavior described here are general and not a guarantee for any individual home. We show you the current export rate and run your real numbers during a free savings review.
Get the export-rate math for your APS bill.
Bring a recent APS bill. We will show you the current buyback rate, what to use, what to store, and what solar would save you, honestly, even if the answer is no. No pressure, no hard sell.