How to Apply for Net Metering in the Philippines (2026 Guide)

The meter swap is the last step, not the first. By the time the co-op's lineman arrives, the permit, the final electrical inspection and the co-op's own inspection are already done. Illustrative photo.

Short answer: you qualify if you're a utility or co-op customer in good credit standing putting an on-grid solar system of up to 100 kW on your own premises. The order is: electrical permit from the LGU (single line diagram signed and sealed by an electrical engineer), install, Certificate of Final Electrical Inspection, then the utility's application, its technical evaluation and site inspection, the Net-Metering Agreement and the bidirectional meter. Under JMC No. 001, s. 2026, signed in January 2026, the LGU has 3 working days for the permit and 7 for the final inspection certificate, or they're deemed approved. Since April 2026 the DOE has ordered utilities to finish in 10 working days, and LGUs to act on every net-metering permit in 3, while the EO 110 energy emergency lasts. The money part most people miss: an exported kWh is credited at the utility's generation charge, not your full rate. With our calculator defaults, a 2 kWp system on a 339 kWh a month house takes a ₱4,998 bill to about ₱3,229 without net metering and ₱2,064 with it.

The checker below scores how ready your paperwork is and estimates your bill with and without net metering. After it: who qualifies, each step and its clock, the documents, what you pay, what the credit is worth, and how it works with NORECO II and NORECO I in Negros Oriental.

1. The Rules, and Which Version Applies

Net metering comes from Section 10 of RA 9513, the Renewable Energy Act of 2008: "subject to technical considerations and without discrimination and upon request," distribution utilities must enter into net-metering agreements with qualified end-users installing a renewable energy system, and the ERC sets the interconnection standards and pricing. The same section gives the utility the Renewable Energy Certificate from your system. Four layers now sit on top of that law:

One more thing is moving. In July 2026 Power Philippines reported an ERC draft overhaul of the net-metering and distributed-energy rules (electronic signatures, no notarization, deemed approval if the meter isn't installed on time). That's a proposal as far as we could find, not a rule. Ask your utility which version it's applying on the day you file, because the utility's current list is the one that counts.

2. Who Qualifies

• A customer in good credit standing. "All end-users who are in good credit standing in the payment of their electric bills to the DU are qualified" (Section 5, 2013 rules). NORECO II asks for a Certificate of Good Credit Standing from existing customers. Settle any arrears first.
• Up to 100 kW per account. The interconnection standards let the utility connect "RE facilities with a maximum capacity of 100 kW ... per QE account" (Annex A-1, 4.3), matching the 100 kW distributed-generation limit in RA 9513 Section 4(j). The DOE's April 2026 advisory repeats the 100 kW limit. Some solar websites say the cap was raised to 1 MW in 2026. The DOE's own release says 100 kW. The 1 MW figure belongs to a separate distributed-energy-resources (DER) program, and the July 2026 ERC draft proposes removing that DER cap; it doesn't raise the net-metering limit.
• On your own premises, on-grid. The system is "embedded in the QE's premises" (Section 9), and the rules apply to on-grid systems only (Section 3). Solar, wind and biomass qualify (Section 6); the DOE's primer adds "with or without battery energy storage," so a hybrid system can be net-metered. An off-grid system can't. Our hybrid vs grid-tie vs off-grid guide explains the difference.
• A building permit. JMC 001 covers installations on existing residential, commercial and industrial buildings "with a previously issued valid Building Permit for the Renewable Energy (RE) Facilities adhered or incorporated in the main structure" (Sections 5.1 and 6). Where an RE facility was built "without being previously issued a building permit therefor," the owner must first secure one under JMC No. 2021-01 before the installation can be applied for under JMC 001. The text doesn't make clear whether your house's original permit is enough or the solar needs its own, so ask your Building Official before you file. A house with no building permit at all has a problem either way.

3. The Steps, in Order

This is the sequence as the rules and NORECO II's published process lay it out. Your installer does much of the legwork, but the application is in your name and the agreement is signed by you.

1. Size the system from your bill, not from the roof. The payback calculator converts your bill to kWh and a kWp size. For net metering, the key question is how much of the output you'll use while the sun is up (section 7).
2. Get the design signed. A single line diagram "from service entrance to main circuit breaker only, showing solar panel connection diagram," signed and sealed by a professional or registered electrical engineer (JMC 001, 6.1.1.1). NORECO II also asks for the RE facility interconnection set-up signed and sealed by a Professional Electrical Engineer. Have the roof checked too: our rooftop mounting guide covers the dead load and wind uplift.
3. Electrical permit from the LGU. Three copies of the Net-Metering Application Form (JMC Annex 1) and three sets of the signed single line diagram. Four steps only: submit, receive the order of payment, pay, claim. The Building Official signs.
4. Install. The system must comply with the Philippine Electrical Code, the Philippine Distribution Code, the ERC's Distribution Services and Open Access Rules and the interconnection standards (Section 8), and the protective and control devices must be of the utility's standards (Annex A-1, 4.5).
5. Certificate of Final Electrical Inspection (CFEI). One copy of the Certificate of Completion (JMC Annex 2) to the Building Official. The inspection checks the installation against the approved plans and the Philippine Electrical Code.
6. Apply to the utility. Letter of intent and the utility's own document list (section 5). Under the 2013 standards the utility acknowledges receipt and says whether the application is complete within 10 business days (5.4); while the EO 110 energy emergency lasts, the DOE advisory gives the utility 10 working days for the whole process.
7. Technical evaluation. The utility decides whether a Distribution Impact Study is needed (5.5) and, if the line or transformer must be upgraded, a Distribution Asset Study. It gives you the results and any cost estimate (5.6).
8. Site inspection and commissioning. Before signing, the utility and you "inspect the RE facility onsite and check its conformance"; any non-conformance is corrected first (5.7). The commissioning test includes response to abnormal voltage and frequency, synchronization, and the unintentional-islanding and cease-to-energize tests (Annex A-1, Section 10).
9. Net-Metering Agreement and Certificate of Compliance. You sign the agreement; the utility submits it to the ERC, DOE and NREB within five days, and it is "deemed approved and effective upon submission" to the ERC (Section 11, 2013 rules). NORECO II also collects ERC Forms 1 and 2 and the ₱1,500 Certificate of Compliance fee (section 6).
10. Meter swap and energization. The utility installs the bidirectional meter (or two one-way meters, whichever is more economical, Section 9) and you start exporting.

4. Deadlines: What the 2026 Rules Changed

For years the complaint was that applications sat for months. Two 2026 issuances put numbers on each office:

When the LGU clock starts. Only on "receipt of the Application with complete documentary requirements and payment of fees and charges" (JMC 001, 6.4.1). An incomplete set doesn't start anything.

Deemed approved. If the LGU doesn't act in time, the application is "deemed approved" under Section 10 of RA 11032 (6.4.2). Your acknowledgment receipt and official receipt then serve as the basis for the utility and the ERC to proceed, and "Distribution Utilities shall not require LGU-issued permits or documents beyond those recognized under this JMC" (6.4.3). The LGU also "shall not impose additional documentary requirements" (7.4.3). If a permit is refused, suspended or revoked, you can appeal to the DPWH Secretary within 15 days (Section 9).

Is the 10-day utility deadline still on? The DOE says its April 2026 advisory "shall remain in force for the duration of the declared State of National Energy Emergency, unless sooner revoked." Ask your utility when you file. If the emergency has been lifted, the utility is back to the pre-EO 110 period of 20 working days the DOE mentions.

None of these clocks covers your installer. Getting the diagram signed, the equipment delivered and the fixes from the site inspection done is where real projects lose weeks.

5. The Documents

For the LGU (JMC 001 fixes the list):

• Electrical permit: three copies of the Net-Metering Application Form (Annex 1) and three sets of the single line diagram signed and sealed by a professional or registered electrical engineer.
• CFEI: one copy of the Certificate of Completion (Annex 2).

For the utility, each has its own list. NORECO II's, read on its site in September 2026, as an example:

Who may sign the electrical plans is set by RA 7920; our RA 7920 license-tier guide explains PEE, REE and RME. And if your system needs a panel-board or service upgrade, the electrical service sizing guide covers how the main breaker and service are sized.

6. What You Pay

• LGU filing and permit fees. JMC 001 lets the LGU "collect filing fee to cover the cost incurred in assessing the application," set under DILG-DOF JMC No. 2019-01 (6.3). Amounts vary by LGU.
• A utility processing fee, if it charges one. The 2013 interconnection standards have the application filed with "a fee (if required) for processing the application" (Annex A-1, 5.3). Ask your utility.
• The meter. Under the amended Net-Metering Agreement form, the utility furnishes and installs the bidirectional meter, and an end-user installing an RE facility pays "the difference in cost between the old meter and the new bi-directional meter." Where an REC meter is installed, the utility pays for it and you pay the wiring to it. News reports of the 2025 amendment say the REC meter is now voluntary.
• The impact study. "There will be no additional charges imposed on the QE for the conduct of the DIS" (agreement form, Section 6). But if the study shows an upgrade, you may pay for it: NORECO II says the upgrade fees "will depend on the asset study conducted."
• The Certificate of Compliance. ₱1,500 to the ERC, per NORECO II's list.
• Monthly net-metering charges. Section 14 of the 2013 rules set a net-metering charge equal to the utility's approved supply and metering charges per customer per month, plus its metering rate per kWh on exports, until the ERC approves a different charge on the utility's application. Ask your utility what it bills now; the checker has a field for it.
• Notarization of the agreement, and your installer's and engineer's fees.

7. What an Exported kWh Is Worth

This is the part that decides whether net metering pays. Section 12 of the 2013 rules: "the DU's monthly generation charge, which is based on its blended generation cost, shall be used as the preliminary reference price in net-metering agreements." The amended agreement form says the same: "the DU's monthly generation charge, which is based on its blended generation cost, excluding other generation adjustments." The DOE's primer agrees. If you read somewhere that exports earn the full retail rate, that isn't what the rule text says, so we go with the rule as written and you should confirm the credit rate with your utility.

The generation charge is only one line of your bill. Transmission, system loss, distribution, supply, metering, taxes and subsidies sit on top of it. So:

• A kWh you use as it's produced never goes through the meter. It saves the whole per-kWh rate.
• A kWh you export earns only the generation charge.

Our default numbers. The import rate is Meralco's September 2026 overall residential rate, ₱14.7424/kWh, the same default as our payback guide. For the export credit we used Meralco's own advisories, because they give the generation charge: ₱9.2504 in July 2026, then up ₱0.0296 in August and up ₱0.4232 in September, which gives ₱9.7032/kWh. That's our arithmetic from three advisories, not a published September figure, and a billed generation charge can include adjustments the net-metering price excludes. So treat it as a close estimate and type your own utility's figure. With those two numbers an exported kWh is worth about 66% of a kWh you use yourself.

How the netting works. The net amount is your import subtotal minus the export subtotal and minus last month's credit, if any. Positive, you pay. Negative, it's "credited ... in the immediately succeeding billing period" (Section 15). The amended agreement form adds that "All the Net-Metering credits shall be banked, rolled-over and credited" to current and succeeding billing periods, and that credits transfer to a new owner if the property and system are sold, subject to the utility's requirements, possibly a new agreement and a conforme letter from the original owner. The form only credits bills; it doesn't provide a cash payout.

The design lesson: size for what you use in daytime and treat exports as a bonus. In the checker's default, halving the self-consumed share from 50% to 25% raises the net-metered bill from ₱2,064 to ₱2,367, even though the panels produce exactly the same kWh. Shifting laundry, pumping and aircon pre-cooling into the sunny hours is worth more than adding panels. Our quote comparison checklist shows how to catch an oversized quote.

Lifeline and senior-citizen discounts: the agreement form has the utility derive your actual consumption from the meters to decide lifeline-rate eligibility and the senior citizen subsidy, so eligibility follows what you actually consume, not only what the meter imports.

8. Negros Oriental: NORECO II and NORECO I

Your application goes to whichever co-op sends your bill.

Two things stand out in NORECO II's list. It asks for the electrical plan signed by a Professional Electrical Engineer, stricter than the "professional or registered" wording JMC 001 uses for the LGU's single line diagram. And it cites the testing and commissioning data under Resolution 6-2019. Both are the co-op's requirements, not LGU-issued documents, so as we read it the JMC's "no additional requirements" rule doesn't reach them. Plan for them.

We don't use NORECO rates as calculator defaults, because neither co-op's pages we read gave both a dated retail rate and the generation charge. NORECO II posts monthly generation charges on its site as images. Read your own bill: the generation charge line is your export credit.

For the local picture (cost ranges, typhoon exposure, how an installation runs here), see solar panel installation in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental.

9. Where Applications Get Stuck

• No building permit. JMC 001 only streamlines permits where a valid building permit exists. Without one, you're into the full construction-permit process first. Ask the Building Official before signing an installer.
• Installing before the electrical permit. The permit comes before the work; the CFEI certifies the work against the approved plans.
• A diagram the co-op won't accept. The LGU wants a PEE or REE seal on the single line diagram; NORECO II wants a PEE on the plan and the interconnection set-up. A PEE seal meets both wordings.
• No commissioning records. NORECO II asks for the testing and commissioning data, and the standards list anti-islanding and cease-to-energize tests. Ask the installer for the test sheet at handover, not later.
• Arrears on the account. Good credit standing is the first qualification.
• Changing the system later without telling the utility. The agreement form says any modification requires "the same process as that of a new customer, including the execution of a new Net-Metering Agreement." Adding panels or a battery counts.
• Expecting power in a brownout. "In the event there is no power from the DU, the RE facility should automatically disconnect" (Annex A-1, 8.3). A net-metered grid-tie system goes dark in a brownout; that's a battery question, covered in the hybrid guide and, for a genset, the backup generator sizing guide.

Frequently Asked Questions