The short answer
If you charge an EV with solar, one rule matters more than almost anything else: how your utility pays you for the solar you send to the grid. In states with full 1:1 net metering, the grid works like a free battery. In states without it, the same panels can save you far less.
Roughly 20 states still give new home solar customers full retail credit in 2026. The exact number depends on how you count. Below, we explain what 1:1 really means, show where some of the biggest solar states stand, and show what it means for your charging bill.
What 1:1 net metering means, in plain words
Picture a normal workday. You leave for work at 8 AM, and your car goes with you. Your roof then makes most of its power while nobody's home, so the extra flows out to the grid.
With 1:1 net metering, every kWh you send out earns a credit worth the same as a kWh you buy. When you get home at 7 PM and plug in, those credits pay for the power your car uses. The grid has basically stored your solar for you, for free.
With net billing, your utility pays you a low rate for your midday solar, often around 4 to 5 cents per kWh. Then it charges you the full price, 20 cents or more, when you charge at night. You sell cheap and buy back expensive.
That's why people in 1:1 states usually don't need a home battery to save money on EV charging. A battery can still be handy for backup during power outages, but the grid already does the storing.
Where some of the biggest solar states stand
These are the rules for new home solar customers of each state's main utilities, as of October 2026. Co-ops and city-owned utilities often have their own rules. Based on DSIRE, state regulators, utility pages and the other sources listed below. Rules change often, so check with your utility before you buy.
| State | How exported solar is credited | Worth knowing | Good for solar EV charging? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 1:1 net metering | Full credit for home systems up to about 10 kW; credits roll over month to month | Excellent |
| New Jersey | 1:1 net metering | Regulators are studying a successor; leftover credits are paid out at a low rate once a year | Excellent, but watch for changes |
| Pennsylvania | 1:1 net metering | Leftover credits are paid out at a much lower rate once a year | Excellent |
| Colorado (Xcel Energy) | 1:1 net metering | System size limits apply (state law allows up to 120% of your yearly use) | Excellent |
| Florida | 1:1 net metering | Florida's biggest utility has asked regulators for changes; outcome uncertain | Excellent, but watch for changes |
| North Carolina (Duke Energy) | Temporary "bridge rate" or time-of-use plan | Monthly minimum bill of $22–$28; everyone moves to time-of-use from October 2027 | Mixed: charge off-peak |
| Michigan (DTE) | Inflow/outflow billing | Export credit about 45% lower than under the old rules | Weak without a battery |
| California | Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0) | Exports earn only a few cents per kWh; often described as about 75% less than before | Poor without a battery |
| Texas | No statewide net metering | Depends on your electricity plan or utility | Depends on your plan |
Why the count is "about 20"
Some states credit you the full retail price, while others credit only part of your bill, such as the supply charge. Lists from different sources don't always agree. The most reliable way to know is to check your own utility's solar tariff or the DSIRE database (dsireusa.org).
The list is getting shorter
Many utilities argue that paying full retail price for rooftop solar shifts costs onto customers who don't have solar. Regulators in more and more states are listening. California replaced net metering with its Net Billing Tariff in 2023, and Michigan's DTE moved to inflow/outflow billing in 2019.
The changes keep coming. The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center counted 53 state actions on net metering in just the second quarter of 2026. In that quarter alone, Connecticut and Maryland lawmakers called for successor programs, and Virginia regulators ruled on Dominion Energy's replacement.
If your state still has 1:1 net metering and you're planning solar anyway, it can make sense not to wait too long.
When "net metering" isn't really 1:1
Time-of-use rates: in North Carolina, Duke Energy's new solar customers can pick a temporary "bridge rate" (open only while its capacity limit lasts) or a time-of-use plan, and from October 2027 everyone moves to time-of-use. If you export at noon when power is cheap and charge at 6 PM when it's expensive, your credits may not cover it. Charging late at night usually helps.
Minimum bills and fixed fees: Duke's newer solar plans in North Carolina include a monthly minimum bill of $22 or $28, depending on which Duke company serves you. Solar can't take your bill below that.
Size limits: many states cap how big your system can be, either in kilowatts (about 10 kW for full credit on a Massachusetts home) or as a share of your past use (Colorado law allows up to 120%). If you're buying an EV next year, ask your installer whether you can size the system for it now.
Year-end payouts: credits usually roll over month to month, but many states settle up once a year. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, credits left over at that point are paid out at a much lower rate. So there's no point making far more power than you use.
Same truck, same panels, very different bills
Here's what this means in real life. Mark and Steve drive the same truck, a 2024 Rivian R1T, about 40 miles a day. It uses about 44 kWh per 100 miles (EPA), so each truck needs about 17.6 kWh a day, or roughly 528 kWh a month. Both men put a 10 kW solar system on their roof, with no battery. Both charge overnight, because they're at work during the day.
Mark lives in New Jersey and gets his power from PSE&G, which gives him full 1:1 credit, about 27 cents per kWh. Steve lives in California on PG&E's EV2-A plan under NEM 3.0. His exports earn about 5 cents per kWh, and overnight power costs about 23 cents.
Mark's charging is covered as long as, over the year, his panels make at least as much power as his home and truck use. Mark and Steve are examples, not real customers.
| Each month, for the truck | Mark (New Jersey, 1:1) | Steve (California, NEM 3.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy the truck uses | about 528 kWh | about 528 kWh |
| What each kWh of exported solar earns | about 27¢ (full retail credit) | about 5¢ |
| Credit for 528 kWh of exported solar | about $143 | about $26 |
| Cost to charge overnight from the grid | about $143, covered by his credits | about $121 (at 23¢) |
| What charging the truck really costs him | about $0 | about $95 |
What the numbers mean
Same panels, same truck, but Steve pays about $95 a month to charge, while Mark pays roughly nothing. And if Steve charged during PG&E's 4–9 PM peak instead (about 45 cents averaged over the year), he'd pay about $238 a month before his small solar credit.
Steve could add a home battery to store his midday solar for the evening. But a Tesla Powerwall 3 costs about $13,500 installed, so it would take many years to pay for itself from charging savings alone. Our home battery guide runs those numbers in detail.