Nevada net metering (Tier 4)

How net metering credits work in Nevada

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada states that net metering lets customers use energy from their leased or purchased solar system to offset their monthly bill, and that excess energy is pushed back onto the grid for other customers. Credits for that excess are recorded on the bill and automatically applied in the next period in which the customer consumes more than they produced, per the PUCN page.

The PUCN states that, effective June 15, 2017, Nevadans who net meter fall under a rate structure set by the Legislature in Assembly Bill 405, for systems of not more than 25 kilowatts, typical of a home or small business rooftop system. Net metering customers stay in the same customer class as other customers, cannot be charged a different fee, and pay the same basic service charge, per the PUCN.

The four tiers, and how a tier fills and closes

Per the PUCN page, the tiers are signup tranches, not usage bands. A tier stays open until combined applied for and installed capacity at that tier equals 80 megawatts, then the rate steps down. The PUCN lists Tier 1 at 95 percent of the retail rate from June 15, 2017, reaching 80 megawatts in August 2018, Tier 2 at 88 percent, opened August 2018 and closed June 2019, and Tier 3 at 81 percent, opened June 2019 and closed June 2020.

The PUCN defines the retail rate as the Base Tariff General Rate, the Base Tariff Energy Rate, and the Deferred Energy Accounting Adjustment Rate combined. The percentage can stay fixed while its cents value moves with those retail rates.

• Tier 1: 95 percent of retail, closed. Tier 2: 88 percent, closed, per the PUCN.
• Tier 3: 81 percent, closed. Tier 4: 75 percent, open, per the PUCN.

Tier 4 today: 75 percent of retail, with no capacity limit

The PUCN states that the rate fell to 75 percent of retail after Tier 3 capacity equaled 80 megawatts, that there is no capacity limit for Tier 4, and that the rate will remain 75 percent unless modified by legislative action. Tier 4 does not close at a benchmark, so a new customer signs up under Tier 4 without a tranche deadline.

The PUCN capacity table, last updated October 15, 2026 per the page, lists Tier 4 as open with 3.400 megawatts applied and 760.476 megawatts installed, a total of 763.876 megawatts, and notes that figures fluctuate as applications change. For a new quote, use the 75 percent percentage on current retail components, not a cents figure from an older proposal.

The 20 year rate lock at the installed location

The PUCN states for each tier that customers keep their signup rate for 20 years at the location where the system was originally installed, and repeats that term for Tier 4. The lock attaches to the location and tier, not to a statewide rate that resets yearly.

A home that signed up under an earlier, higher tier carries that percentage for its 20 year term, while a new installation elsewhere starts at Tier 4. When comparing Nevada homes with solar, ask for the tier, signup date, and remaining years for that address, and confirm them against the interconnection record.