The short version: Alberta pays solar owners through net billing — your import and export kWh are tracked separately, and you are charged the retail rate for what you import and credited a different (usually lower) export rate for what you export. The export rate is set by your retailer. Most contracts roll credit forward month to month, with periodic settlement.

The misunderstanding that hurts new solar owners

New solar owners often hear "my panels mean I do not pay for electricity" and expect their bill to drop to zero. It rarely does. The fixed delivery charge stays. The delivery variable charge applies to your imports. And export credits are usually paid at a lower rate than imports, so a net-zero kWh balance does not produce a net-zero dollar balance. Understanding net billing before installation calibrates your expectations honestly.

Net metering vs net billing, side by side

Net metering (Alberta does NOT use this)
One rate both ways

Imports and exports settle at the same per-kWh rate. A kWh exported is exactly worth a kWh imported. Common in some jurisdictions; valuable for solar but expensive for the grid.

Net billing (Alberta uses THIS)
Separate import and export rates

You pay the retail rate for imports. You receive an export rate (set by your retailer) for exports. The two rates differ. Self-use is worth more than export.

Live satellite read · Google Solar API

See how net billing would look on your roof

We pull your roof's annual generation potential from Google's satellite imagery, then split it into the self-use kWh (worth the retail rate) and the export kWh (worth your retailer's export rate).

VERIFIED

Pick from the suggestions for an accurate satellite read of your roof.

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Typical Alberta home electricity bill: $130 to $230 per month.

Mostly exportMostly self-use

Your retailer\'s solar export rate.

Energy + delivery, from your bill.

Self-use value (retail rate)
Export credit (export rate)
Net annual energy bill
Roof read
panels · m²
System size
kW
Sunshine hours / yr

Split assumes the self-consumption slider. Real-world self-use depends on appliance timing and whether you have storage. Imagery , dated .

The non-obvious thing that drives solar economics

Self-consumption is worth more than export. Every kWh your panels generate that you also use immediately avoids paying the retail rate (say 16 cents). Every kWh you export gets paid the export rate (say 8 cents). The difference between those two is the value of self-use over export — and it can be huge.

This is why battery storage, smart loads (EV charging set to midday), and right-sizing your system matter so much in net-billing jurisdictions. Oversizing your array creates surplus export at the lower rate. Right-sizing maximises self-use at the higher rate. Most installers will discuss this; ask explicitly if they do not.

What this means for your household

  • Alberta is net-billing, not net-metering. Imports and exports are paid at different rates.
  • The export rate is set by your retailer and matters a lot for payback.
  • Self-use is worth more than export — design and behave accordingly.
  • Read your retailer\'s export-credit policy carefully. Roll-forward, settlement, and any cash-out rules vary.

Frequently asked questions

Net billing. The difference: net metering treats imported and exported kWh as identical (one rate both ways). Net billing tracks them separately and pays a different rate for export than it charges for import. Alberta uses net billing.
Because the export rate is almost always lower than the retail import rate, your solar saves you more when you self-consume than when you export. System sizing and battery storage tilt the economics in your favour by raising self-use.
Your retailer. Each retailer publishes its export rate as part of the contract. Some pay a wholesale-linked rate, some pay a fixed rate, some pay the full retail rate (rare and usually limited to specific programmes).
Usually they carry forward month to month within a year. Annual balances may be settled or rolled — check your contract. Some retailers cash out positive balances at year-end; others just keep rolling them.
Yes. Your retailer for solar export must be the same as your retailer for general supply. Switching is allowed any time.