Georgia Power Instantaneous Netting: Why Solar Exports Do Not Cancel Later Purchases

Your Georgia Power bill arrives monthly, but that does not mean every solar kilowatt-hour exported during the month cancels a kilowatt-hour purchased later. Under RNR-Instantaneous Netting, exports receive dollar credits under a separate calculation.

That distinction can change the meaning of a sales promise to “offset your usage.” This article concerns Georgia Power's program. An electric membership corporation or municipal utility has its own rules and should not be evaluated using this tariff.

Find the program name in the agreement

Georgia Power's RNR-11 tariff distinguishes instantaneous netting from its existing monthly-netting pilot. The pilot is closed to additional participants. A sales example drawn from that older group does not show what a new instantaneous-netting customer should expect.

Ask for the executed RNR service agreement and permission-to-operate letter. Confirm whether the proposal used the same program. If the documents say only “net metering,” request the specific tariff name and billing method in writing.

Do not treat an installer-prepared application as evidence that Georgia Power approved the final arrangement. Keep the completed utility documents with the sales agreement, especially if the system or account holder changed after installation.

A monthly credit total is not monthly energy netting

Under RNR-Instantaneous Netting, exported renewable energy receives a solar avoided-energy-cost credit plus a renewable-generation adder. RNR-11 sets the adder at four cents per kWh, effective with January 2023 bills. The avoided-cost component is updated annually. The tariff adds the credit amounts for the month and applies them to the bill; it does not give every export a retail-value offset against later consumption.

Georgia Power's current FAQ lists the solar avoided-cost component as 3.2188 cents per kWh for 2026, in addition to the adder. That figure is a dated program value, not a promise for the term of a solar loan.

For illustration, consider electricity exported at midday followed by electricity purchased that evening. Even if the quantities match, the two dollar amounts need not match. A savings model should apply the import price to purchased energy and the program's export calculation to delivered energy.

Reconcile the app with the bill

The solar app's production total includes electricity used onsite as well as electricity exported. Georgia Power explains that the bill's “kWh Rec” entry shows the excess delivered to the grid. Comparing the app total directly with that one line can create a false impression that generation disappeared.

Use the app to examine production and the utility records to examine billed exchanges. Align their reporting dates before comparing them. Then ask the installer to reconcile the two records if the quantities still do not make sense.

A separate question is whether the correct credit was applied. Identify the exported quantity and each credit component on the bill. Ask Georgia Power for the supporting calculation if the total differs from the applicable dated schedule.

Review the sales promise without assuming the remedy

Find where the proposal separates onsite consumption, exports and imported electricity. Does it assume all generated electricity has retail value? Does it compare your system with a customer in the closed pilot? Does it retain the basic service charge and other applicable fees?

Preserve the version presented before signing. If the installer supplies a corrected model, ask it to identify the changed assumptions. This creates a clearer record than replacing the original estimate with a new total and losing the explanation.

Avoid committing to more equipment merely because the first savings estimate failed. A battery or expansion should have a separate cost analysis and utility review where required. No billing explanation alone proves that the additional purchase is appropriate.

Use Solar Exit's utility-billing review to organize the app records and bills. Include the sales proposal and signed agreement in a document review if the promised economics differ from the program you received.

General consumer information, not legal, tax or electrical advice. No cancellation, savings or equipment outcome is guaranteed.