Duke Energy net metering by state
Duke Energy does not have one net metering policy — it has a different one in every state it serves, because export rules are set by each state’s commission: North Carolina moved Duke customers onto time-of-use net billing, Florida still credits exports at full retail, Indiana ended net metering for new systems, Ohio pays only the generation portion of the rate, and South Carolina uses the Solar Choice tariff.
Export rules are set by state commissions and change through regulatory proceedings. Confirm the tariff your account will sit on, and how long its terms are locked, directly with the utility before you sign anything.
The rule in each Duke state
Same company, same equipment on the roof, five different answers about what your surplus is worth. This is the clearest available demonstration that net metering is a regulatory question rather than a utility one.
- North CarolinaDuke Energy Carolinas · 13.5¢ / kWh · 4.7 sun hrs
North Carolina moved Duke Energy customers onto time-of-use net billing in 2023, so export value now depends heavily on when your panels produce.
- FloridaDuke Energy Florida · 15.3¢ / kWh · 5.2 sun hrs
Florida still credits exports at the full retail rate for residential systems, though the utilities have repeatedly pushed the legislature to end it.
- IndianaDuke Energy Indiana · 15¢ / kWh · 4.2 sun hrs
Indiana ended net metering for new systems in 2022; exports are now bought at roughly 125% of wholesale, well under the retail rate.
- OhioDuke Energy Ohio · 15.5¢ / kWh · 4.1 sun hrs
Ohio nets consumption and generation monthly but pays only the generation portion of the rate for exports, and the state's SREC prices are low.
- South CarolinaDuke Energy Progress · 14.5¢ / kWh · 4.8 sun hrs
South Carolina replaced legacy net metering with the Solar Choice tariff, which adds time-of-use pricing and a small monthly charge.
Duke operates under several corporate names — Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Duke Energy Florida, Duke Energy Indiana, Duke Energy Ohio — and the terms that bind you are the ones in the tariff your specific account sits on. The name printed on your bill is the one to quote when you ask.
What to do with that
Ignore the utility’s brand and go and find two numbers: your retail rate per kWh, and what your tariff credits an exported kWh at. The ratio between them tells you almost everything about how to size a system.
Where the two are close, size to your annual usage and stop thinking about it. Where the export credit is well below retail, the array should be sized closer to what you actually consume while the sun is up, and every kWh you can move into daylight hours is worth more than a kWh you sell. Where the tariff varies by time of day, when you use power matters as much as how much.
The state pages linked above carry the modelled cost, rate and payback for each of these territories, with no federal homeowner credit in the arithmetic, because there is not one.
Common questions
Does Duke Energy offer net metering?
It offers whatever its state commission requires, which is a different arrangement in each state. Duke customers in Florida are credited for exports at the retail rate; Duke customers in North Carolina are on a time-of-use net billing structure; Duke customers in Indiana are bought out at a rate tied to wholesale. There is no single Duke answer.
What does Duke Energy pay for exported solar power?
It depends entirely on which state you are in and which tariff you are placed under. That is not evasion — the rate is set by the state commission, not by the utility's preference, and the difference between the best and worst of Duke's territories is very large.
Why does Duke pay more for solar in one state than another?
Because rooftop solar export rates are decided by state regulators. Every state has run its own proceeding, reached its own conclusion about what an exported kWh is worth, and set its own tariff. The utility name on the bill is the same; the regulation is not.
Should I still install solar as a Duke Energy customer?
Work it out from your own rate and your own export terms rather than from the utility name. In a Duke territory with retail crediting and a decent rate, the case is strong. In a territory where exports are bought near wholesale, the value comes almost entirely from the power you consume yourself, which means a smaller array and honest arithmetic about your daytime usage.