What replaces Maryland net metering after July 2027?

Maryland’s successor to net metering is set to start July 1, 2027, the latest date the existing program can take new customers.¹ The law directs the Public Service Commission (PSC) to approve its framework by February 1, 2027, and the General Assembly says it intends smaller incentives than today’s.^2,3 The Act sets no export credit. That number is still to come.²

What is the schedule for the successor program?

Four dates frame the work, running from a working-group draft this month to the program’s July 1, 2027 start. The Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act set three of them, and the PSC’s May 14, 2026 notice set the fourth.

1. 1October 27, 2026Working group's draft report and framework due at the PSC
2. 2December 15, 2026PSC reports on the proceeding to the Governor and General Assembly
3. 3February 1, 2027PSC approves the successor framework, by order or regulation
4. 4July 1, 2027Successor program is set to begin

The Act also asks the PSC to flag administrative problems that could delay the July 1, 2027 start.⁵ A statewide schedule says nothing about when any one project gets approved. On October 25, 2026, the PSC’s PC 78 docket listed only the May 14 notice, and nothing in it changed these dates.⁶

Who writes the successor rules?

The PSC opened Public Conference 78 (PC 78) and set up a Net Energy Metering Successor Program Working Group. The Act requires the PSC to take input from utilities, owners and developers of net metered projects, solar industry experts, consumer advocates and other stakeholders.^4,5

Two documents matter, and they carry different weight. The working group’s draft is a recommendation. The framework the PSC approves sets the rules. A headline that says “Maryland proposes a new solar rate” could be describing either one, so check which.

What the Act tells the PSC to build

The Act states the General Assembly’s intent for the successor: lower electric-system costs, fair compensation to customers who generate power, progress toward state clean energy goals, and incentives for distributed generation that are less than the existing program’s.³ Its directions to the PSC are narrower. The framework has to provide incentives for distributed generation, minimize ratepayer costs in the short and long term, and balance fair pay for exports and the value of a customer’s reduced grid load against grid needs, ratepayer costs and effects on customers who don’t participate.⁷

The 6,000 megawatt figure counts the existing program’s capacity too.⁸ Capacity already built under the old program uses up part of it.

Existing program and successor, side by side

Where they differ is on the terms that decide a bill.

What hasn’t been decided yet?

Three things that matter to a household bill don’t appear in the successor section of the Act: the export price, how long a credit lasts, and any customer-specific charges.² Without them, nobody can calculate a successor-era bill. Those would come through the framework the PSC approves.^2,4

So “lower incentives” sets a direction, not a rate. Any savings forecast that assumes a specific export price is guessing until a tariff is adopted.

One piece of text hints at how the PSC may treat today’s customers who lose their protected status. Staff’s proposed regulation .01F in docket RM 56 says a customer who loses eligibility under the existing program “shall be eligible to apply to” the successor.¹¹ That’s proposed wording that hasn’t been published as a rule. The Maryland Register’s tables, dated October 15, 2026, don’t show it as proposed or adopted.¹²

What if you already have solar?

Maryland law says a customer under a net metering contract or tariff on July 1, 2027 “shall remain eligible” until the earlier of four events: decommissioning; a modification that raises net power flow into the grid by adding modules, or that raises alternating current output capacity; a new interconnection agreement; or repowering.¹³

Staff’s RM 56 proposal would let a customer who reaches one of those events apply to the successor program.¹¹ Our guide to the Maryland net metering deadline and cap walks through each trigger and the three competing tests for who counts as “under” a contract.

Does a battery change the math?

It could, but nobody can price it yet. The Department of Energy says storage helps solar contribute to the electricity supply even when the sun isn’t shining.¹⁴ What it’s worth under the successor depends on the tariff the PSC adopts and on when your household uses power.

Picture a hypothetical home that exports solar power at midday while everyone is out, then buys electricity after sunset. If export credits end up lower than the price of the evening electricity the home buys, shifting some of that midday power to the evening might be worth something. If credits stay close to retail, it might not. That’s a comparison to run against a real tariff, not a forecast of one.

Storage also loses energy. The Department of Energy notes that using storage is never 100 percent efficient, because some energy is lost in converting it and retrieving it.¹⁴ Installed cost, usable capacity and operating settings belong in the math too. For the equipment side of adding storage, see adding a battery to existing solar.

Backup power is a separate decision. The Department of Energy says solar panels alone don’t make a home resilient, because solar systems generally depend on the grid and are designed to shut down for safety when grid power cuts out. It describes homes with solar and battery storage that detect an outage and switch to an islanded mode to keep power on.¹⁵ If backup matters to you, read our whole-home battery backup guide, and keep that choice apart from the unresolved bill-credit math. Soleil’s battery storage page lists the service options.

Does a place in the interconnection queue help?

It depends on which test the PSC adopts, so a flat yes or no would be a guess. The successor section of the Act gives queued applicants priority review, but it doesn’t say a queue position preserves the old tariff, and the competing tests in docket RM 56 give different answers.^9,11 Here is where each piece stands:

• The Act says the PSC “shall prioritize the review and approval” of applications for the successor program from people who were in the utility’s net metering interconnection queue at the time the program was implemented.⁹ That’s a place in line for the new program.
• Whether a filed application also keeps you in the old program is still open in the RM 56 docket. Under Version 1 of Staff’s options, a filed application counts. Under Versions 2 and 3, it doesn’t, and Staff’s fallback would move an applicant without a signed agreement to the successor program.¹¹
• Community solar has its own rule, with a queue position, a deposit, a service date and capacity conditions. The statute writes it for community solar systems, not household rooftop systems.¹⁶

Priority review sets the order of review. Nothing in the successor section says it carries the old program’s terms along.⁹

What should you do before you buy?

Four steps keep you from buying on a guess.

1. Watch for the PSC’s order or regulation approving the framework, due by February 1, 2027. Until it exists, any quoted export credit is a provisional guess.
2. Price every proposal on the same tariff assumption, once for solar alone and once for solar plus storage, so the quotes compare.
3. Leave undecided export credits out of any promised savings figure.
4. If a quote leans on a federal credit, our explainer on the federal solar tax credit covers where that credit stands.

Want a second look at a proposal? Soleil’s residential solar process explains assessment and utility coordination, and you can book a free consultation or call (301) 953-4140.

Solar savings and incentive eligibility depend on your roof, your usage, your utility, and your tax situation. Incentive programs change and some have limited funding. We are not tax advisors — we will review your bill with you and tell you what you may qualify for. Confirm any tax credit with a qualified tax professional.

Sources (16)

1. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Public Utilities Article 7-306(d)(1), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Maryland General Assembly, Utility RELIEF Act, HB 1532 (enrolled; approved by the Governor May 12, 2026 as Chapter 353), Public Utilities Article 7-306.4(c), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; bill history page https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1532?ys=2026RS ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

3. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Public Utilities Article 7-306.4(b), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Maryland Public Service Commission, Notice Convening a Public Conference, Administrative Docket PC 78, May 14, 2026, https://psc.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Notice_Convening-a-PC-PC-78.pdf ; PSC news page for PC 78, https://psc.maryland.gov/news/2026/net-energy-metering-successor-program-pc-78/ ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Section 9(b)-(d), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Maryland Public Service Commission, PC 78 docket index (one entry: Notice Convening a Public Conference, May 14, 2026), https://webpscxb.pscmaryland.com/DMS/pc/pc78 ; read October 25, 2026. ↩

7. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Public Utilities Article 7-306.4(c)(1)-(3), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

8. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Public Utilities Article 7-306.4(e), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Public Utilities Article 7-306.4(d), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. Maryland General Assembly, Public Utilities Article 7-306(e), current online statute text (undated page; it does not yet show Chapter 353’s changes to subsection (d)), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gpu&section=7-306&enactments=false ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

11. Maryland Public Service Commission, Proposed Regulations, Administrative Docket RM 56, proposed COMAR 20.50.10.01(D) and 20.50.10.01(F), June 2026, https://psc.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Proposed-Regulations-RM-56.pdf ; Notice of Opportunity to Comment and Rulemaking Session, June 25, 2026, https://psc.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Notice_CommentOpp-RM-Session-RM56.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. Maryland Division of State Documents, Table of Pending Proposals and Cumulative Table of COMAR Regulations Adopted, Amended, or Repealed (both PDF files created October 15, 2026, covering the Maryland Register through its October 16, 2026 issue), https://dsd.maryland.gov/PDF/ProposalTable.pdf ; https://dsd.maryland.gov/PDF/CumulativeTable.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩

13. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Public Utilities Article 7-306(d)(5), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩

14. U.S. Department of Energy, Solar Integration: Solar Energy and Storage Basics, current page (undated), https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/solar-integration-solar-energy-and-storage-basics ; read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

15. U.S. Department of Energy, Solar and Resilience Basics, current page (undated), https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/solar-and-resilience-basics ; read October 25, 2026. ↩

16. Maryland General Assembly, HB 1532 (enrolled, approved May 12, 2026), Public Utilities Article 7-306(d)(2)-(4), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1532E.pdf ; read October 25, 2026. ↩