BC Hydro Net Metering Ended for New Customers July 2026 — Self-Generation Rate Now Applies (Home Systems)

BC Hydro Net Metering Ended for New Customers July 2026 — Self-Generation Rate Now Applies

idea

Claim: BC Hydro’s net metering program (Rate Schedule 1289) closed to new customers effective July 1, 2026. All new solar installations are now on the self-generation rate (Rate Schedule 2289), which pays 10 ¢/kWh for exported surplus — lower than the retail import rate of 11.87–14.08 ¢/kWh.

Mechanism

• Under the old net metering program, surplus solar generation was banked as kWh credits at the full retail rate and used to offset future consumption. Credits not used by March 1 each year were paid out at market price.
• Under the new self-generation rate (Rate Schedule 2289, effective July 1, 2026), surplus generation is credited at a flat 10 ¢/kWh each billing cycle — there is no annual banking.¹
• The practical difference: a homeowner who exports 1,000 kWh in summer earns $100(at10¢)vs$119–$141underoldnetmetering(atTier1–2retailrates).Atypical8kWsystemseesroughly$75 less in export credits per year.²
• Grandfathering: customers who joined net metering before July 1, 2026 without a BC Hydro rebate retain net metering terms for up to 10 years from their original start date. Customers who received a rebate were transitioned to the new rate on July 1, 2026, but could repay their rebate (by June 30, 2026) to remain on net metering for up to 10 years.¹²
• FortisBC customers (Interior and Okanagan) are not affected — they retain traditional retail-rate net metering under a separate program.

Scope

• Applies to BC Hydro service territory only (most of Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland).
• Does not change the economics of self-consumption — only the value of exported surplus.
• Does not affect battery storage rebates or the Peak Saver program.
• This note does not cover FortisBC territory or commercial solar programs.

Why This Matters

The shift makes self-consumption the primary economic driver of solar in BC Hydro territory. Exporting at 10 ¢ when the import rate is 11.87–14.08 ¢ means every unit you produce and immediately consume is worth more than every unit you export. System sizing and usage patterns (running EV charging, heat pump, dishwasher during solar generation hours) matter more than raw panel count. → Solar PV Export at 10 Cents Per kWh Is Weaker Than Self-Consumption (Home Systems)

Sources

Idea Compass

North: Where this comes from

• solar-pv (Home Systems) — the component note this idea supports
• BC Hydro Rate Schedule 2289 — the regulatory source (BC Utilities Commission approved)

East: Tensions / failure

• Solar PV Export at 10 Cents Per kWh Is Weaker Than Self-Consumption (Home Systems) — the economic tension this rate change creates
• Solar PV Payback in BC Is 10–18 Years — Longer Than Sunnier Jurisdictions (Home Systems) — the rate change extends payback further

South: Where this leads

• Battery storage with Peak Saver enrollment — becomes relatively more attractive under the new rate (store surplus rather than export at 10 ¢)
• ev-charger (Home Systems) — daytime EV charging during solar generation is the highest-value self-consumption use case

West: What’s similar

• FortisBC net metering — the same concept without the 2026 change; serves as a contrast case

Footnotes

1. BC Hydro, the provincial electric utility — self-generation program and Rate Schedule 2289 details, grandfathering rules, and July 1, 2026 transition — https://app.bchydro.com/accounts-billing/electrical-connections/self-generation.html ↩ ↩²

2. Skyfire Energy — financial impact of the transition for typical 8 kW system; $75/year reduction in export credits; payback extension from 9–12 years to 11–14 years — https://skyfireenergy.com/bc-hydros-shift-from-net-metering-to-self-generation-what-solar-homeowners-need-to-know/ ↩ ↩²