Key takeaway: New rooftop solar customers on Oʻahu, Maui County and Hawaiʻi Island can’t sign up for net metering. Under Hawaiian Electric’s Smart Renewable Energy (SRE) Export program, power sent to the grid earns 13.5¢ to 32.9¢ per kWh on Oʻahu, 6.6¢ to 18.2¢ on Maui and 10.6¢ to 23.1¢ on Hawaiʻi Island, depending on the time of day (2024–2026 rates). Rates reset every three years, so systems connecting in 2027 or later may get different rates. Hawaiʻi’s state tax credit still pays 35% of a home system’s cost, up to $5,000, but the 30% federal credit is gone for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS). Last checked November 2026.
Can you still get net metering in Hawaiʻi?
No, not for a new system. The Public Utilities Commission capped net energy metering (NEM) at existing levels in a decision dated October 12, 2015; homes that applied by that date kept it (Hawaiʻi PUC, Docket 2014-0192). The programs that replaced it on Hawaiian Electric’s islands (Customer Grid-Supply, Customer Grid-Supply Plus and Smart Export) closed to new applications after March 29, 2024. Since April 1, 2024, new systems on Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island go into the SRE program, as either Export or Non-Export (Hawaiian Electric SRE flyer, updated Feb 1, 2025).
Homes already on Customer Grid-Supply, Grid-Supply Plus or Smart Export move to SRE Export seven years after their contract start, with a six-month grace period. Kauaʻi is served by a co-op, KIUC, which runs its own program (below).
What does the grid pay for your extra solar power, by island?
| Time of day | Oʻahu | Maui | Molokaʻi | Lānaʻi | Hawaiʻi Island | Kauaʻi (KIUC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime, 9 am–5 pm | 13.5¢ | 6.6¢ | 17.9¢ | 26.7¢ | 10.6¢ | Schedule Q rate, set monthly (all hours) |
| Evening peak, 5–9 pm | 32.9¢ | 18.2¢ | 27.2¢ | 40.8¢ | 23.1¢ | |
| Overnight, 9 pm–9 am | 18.9¢ | 13.1¢ | 17.4¢ | 25.9¢ | 14.8¢ |
Credit per kWh exported. Hawaiian Electric islands: SRE Export credit rates for 2024–2026 (Hawaiian Electric). Kauaʻi: KIUC rooftop solar.
How the SRE Export credits work, per Hawaiian Electric:
- The rates are reset every three years, but a new system keeps the rates in effect when it connects for its first seven years.
- Credits are trued up once a year, and leftover credits expire at the end of the year.
- You need an advanced meter, and the program is for residential (Schedule R) and small commercial (G and J) accounts, including their time-of-use versions.
The daytime credit is far below what you pay for grid power. Hawaiian Electric’s residential rates run in the mid-40s to about 60¢ per kWh depending on the island (see electricity rates by island), while a daytime export on Maui earns 6.6¢. So a system pays off mainly through the power your home uses directly, and a battery that shifts daytime solar into the 5–9 pm peak is often worth more than extra panels.
What about Kauaʻi?
KIUC pays members for excess power under Schedule Q, at a rate that changes monthly. Systems up to 100 kW qualify. Most residential systems up to 10 kW pay no application fee; larger systems pay a $100 nonrefundable processing fee. To avoid needing a curtailment meter, KIUC limits system size by how much power the home uses, from 2.5 kW for homes using up to 500 kWh a month to 5.25 kW for homes using more than 1,200 kWh (KIUC). KIUC’s 2025 Schedule Q filing lists average incremental costs, which set the rate, from about 17.1¢ (March) to 20.1¢ (October) per kWh (KIUC 2025 Schedule Q).
Do you still pay an electric bill with solar?
Yes. On Hawaiian Electric’s islands, export credits can lower a bill only down to the minimum charge for your rate schedule, plus any surcharges that apply (Rule 32). For a single-phase home on Schedule R, that minimum is $30.22 a month on Oʻahu, $29.44 in Maui County and $28.56 on Hawaiʻi Island, effective November 1, 2026 (Hawaiian Electric effective rate summary, Nov 2026).
If you don’t want to send power to the grid at all, SRE Non-Export, which earlier Customer Self-Supply customers can switch to, has no program capacity limit and is eligible for expedited review (Hawaiian Electric).
How much does Hawaiian Electric pay for a home battery?
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Plus pays $400 per kilowatt of battery capacity you commit, up front, with another $400 per kW for qualifying low- and moderate-income customers. Customers also get a monthly credit; Hawaiian Electric’s example is a 5 kW, 2-hour commitment earning about $52 a month on average. Customers still on NEM or NEM Plus get no monthly credit (Hawaiian Electric BYOD Plus). For the 5 kW example, Hawaiian Electric puts the upfront payment at $2,000 (5 × $400).
What tax credits are left for solar in Hawaiʻi?
| Credit | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaiʻi renewable energy technologies credit (HRS §235-12.5), solar PV on a single-family home | 35% of cost, up to $5,000 per system | Available. From tax years starting after Dec 31, 2026: no credit above $175,000 AGI for single filers or $350,000 for joint filers and a $40 million statewide yearly cap for 2027–2030; credit ends for tax years starting after Dec 31, 2029 (Act 24 of 2026) |
| Hawaiʻi credit, solar water heater | 35% of cost, up to $2,250 | Available, same Act 24 limits |
| Federal residential clean energy credit (IRC §25D) | Was 30% of cost | Not available for property placed in service after Dec 31, 2025 |
Sources: Hawaiʻi Dept. of Taxation, Form N-342 instructions; SB 3125 CD2 (Act 24); Hawaiʻi State Energy Office; IRS.
The state credit can be taken as a refund instead of against tax owed, but then it is cut by 30%, unless your Hawaiʻi adjusted gross income is $20,000 or less ($40,000 or less on a joint return) (N-342 instructions). The State Energy Office says an executive order effectively preserves the credit for 2026, with Act 24’s changes starting in tax years after December 31, 2026 (HSEO).
Worked example (our calculation): a $31,000 home system on Oʻahu, roughly EnergySage’s statewide estimate for a 9 kW system (cited on our electricity guide). 35% of $31,000 is $10,850, so the $5,000 cap applies: the state credit is $5,000 and the net cost is $26,000. Taken as a refund by a household above the income limits, the credit drops to $3,500 ($5,000 less 30%). There is no federal credit for a system placed in service in 2026.
How many Hawaiʻi homes have rooftop solar?
Hawaiian Electric estimated that, as of the end of September 2025, 49% of single-family homes on Oʻahu had rooftop solar, 47% in Maui County and 30% on Hawaiʻi Island, or 45% across its service area, with 118,841 grid-connected systems (Hawaiian Electric, Nov 25, 2025). If you’re buying a house, ask whether its system is on NEM, an older export program or SRE: the program decides what its exports are worth.
Options for renters and lower-income households
GEM$ loans: the Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Authority finances solar, batteries and water heaters for Hawaiian Electric residential customers with incomes below 140% of area median income, at a fixed 5.5% for up to 25 years, repaid on the electric bill. Renters need the landlord’s approval (GEM$).
Community solar (CBRE): Hawaiian Electric says no Phase 1 capacity is currently available. Phase 1 subscribers earn bill credits of 15¢ per kWh on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island, 16.5¢ on Maui, 22.5¢ on Molokaʻi and 26¢ on Lānaʻi (Hawaiian Electric CBRE Phase 1).
Frequently asked questions
Does Hawaiʻi still have net metering?
Only for homes that applied by October 12, 2015, when the PUC capped NEM. New systems on Hawaiian Electric’s islands go into the Smart Renewable Energy program (since April 1, 2024); Kauaʻi members use KIUC’s Schedule Q.
How much does Hawaiian Electric pay for exported solar power on Oʻahu?
Under SRE Export (2024–2026 rates): 13.5¢ per kWh from 9 am to 5 pm, 32.9¢ from 5 to 9 pm and 18.9¢ from 9 pm to 9 am, locked for a new system’s first seven years.
Is there still a federal tax credit for solar in 2026?
No. The IRS says the 30% residential clean energy credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
How much is Hawaiʻi’s solar tax credit?
35% of the system’s cost, up to $5,000 for solar PV on a single-family home (HRS §235-12.5). Act 24 of 2026 adds income limits of $175,000 (single) and $350,000 (joint) and a $40 million yearly statewide cap from tax years starting after December 31, 2026.
What is the minimum electric bill with solar in Hawaiʻi?
Export credits can’t reduce a Hawaiian Electric bill below the rate schedule’s minimum charge plus applicable surcharges: for a single-phase home on Schedule R, $30.22 a month on Oʻahu, $29.44 in Maui County and $28.56 on Hawaiʻi Island (effective November 1, 2026).
Related guides
- Electricity rates by island
- Utility deposits and connection fees by island
- Water and sewer bills by county
- Closing costs and HOA fees when buying a home
- Hawaiʻi income tax brackets, 2026
- How much you need to make to live in Hawaiʻi
Sources
- Hawaiʻi PUC: DER Phase 1 decision summary (Oct 2015)
- Hawaiian Electric: SRE program flyer (updated Feb 1, 2025)
- Hawaiian Electric: SRE Export credit rates
- Hawaiian Electric: SRE Non-Export
- Hawaiian Electric: Rule 32
- Hawaiian Electric: effective rate summary, November 2026
- Hawaiian Electric: Bring Your Own Device Plus
- Hawaiian Electric: rooftop solar share, Nov 25, 2025
- Hawaiian Electric: CBRE Phase 1
- KIUC: rooftop solar
- KIUC: 2025 Schedule Q filing
- Hawaiʻi Dept. of Taxation: Form N-342 instructions
- Hawaiʻi Legislature: SB 3125 CD2 (Act 24 of 2026)
- Hawaiʻi State Energy Office: renewable energy tax credit
- IRS: residential clean energy credit
- Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Authority: GEM$