Solar for Duke Energy Carolinas Customers: Net Metering and Export Credits
How your utility credits the solar power you send back to the grid has a big effect on what solar is worth to you. Here's what official sources say for Duke Energy Carolinas customers. Rules change, so confirm current terms with the utility before you sign.
About Duke Energy Carolinas
The U.S. Energy Information Administration's Form EIA-861 data for 2024 lists 2,487,958 residential customers for Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (North Carolina and South Carolina), ranking #8 among U.S. utilities in our tally of bundled plus delivery-only residential customers. Source: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
How Duke Energy Carolinas credits home solar
- In North Carolina, Duke Energy Carolinas' Residential Solar Choice Rider (RSC) requires a time-of-use rate with critical peak pricing (Schedule RSTC or RETC) and sets a $22 monthly minimum bill for customer and distribution costs. Credits for net excess energy aren't counted toward the minimum. Source: https://www.duke-energy.com/-/media/pdfs/for-your-home/rates/electric-nc/ncriderrsc.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
- The NC Public Staff says that under Rider RSC, net exports are credited each month at the utility's avoided cost rate, and systems larger than 15 kW AC pay a grid access fee. Source: https://publicstaff.nc.gov/electric/net-metering (accessed 2026-10-20)
A note on the federal tax credit
The federal residential clean energy credit (25D) doesn't apply to expenditures made after December 31, 2025. The IRS treats an expenditure as made when installation is completed. Source: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-for-modification-of-sections-25c-25d-25e-30c-30d-45l-45w-and-179d-under-public-law-119-21-139-stat-72-july-4-2025-commonly-known-as-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-obbb (accessed 2026-10-20). This page isn't tax advice.
What this means for your quote
Savings depend on how much of your solar you use on site versus export, your rate plan, and your system size. We can't give a typical savings figure; it varies, and your quote should show the assumptions behind any estimate.
Questions for your installer
- Does your estimate use Rider RSC or Rider NMB, and the current export credit?
- Are you in the North Carolina or South Carolina service area? (Rules differ.)
- Will you handle the Duke Energy Carolinas interconnection application?
Sources
- https://publicstaff.nc.gov/electric/net-metering (accessed Oct 20, 2026)
- https://www.duke-energy.com/-/media/pdfs/for-your-home/rates/electric-nc/ncriderrsc.pdf (accessed Oct 20, 2026)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (2024 data) — https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/ (accessed Oct 20, 2026)
- IRS, "FAQs for modification of sections 25C, 25D, 25E, 30C, 30D, 45L, 45W, and 179D under Public Law 119-21 (OBBB)" — https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-for-modification-of-sections-25c-25d-25e-30c-30d-45l-45w-and-179d-under-public-law-119-21-139-stat-72-july-4-2025-commonly-known-as-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-obbb (accessed Oct 20, 2026)
SolarMatchup is a free service: you submit one request and we match you with one installer. Their proposal is an estimate, not a guarantee — use this guide to read it carefully and ask questions before you sign. Savings, if any, depend on your usage, utility rates, and local rules.
Last reviewed 2026-10-20.
More for North Carolina and South Carolina homeowners: state guides with utility rules, prices and city pages.
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