Maryland Net Metering Ends July 2027: What It Means If You Go Solar Now

Maryland's current net-metering program does not stay open forever. House Bill 1532, the Utility RELIEF Act, tells the Public Service Commission to approve a successor framework by February 1, 2027. The Commission's notice on Public Conference 78 says the new net energy metering program begins July 1, 2027. Current net metering therefore closes to new customers by that date at the latest. A statutory capacity cap can close it sooner. This is not a promise that your house still qualifies on the day you sign.

What the successor is, and what it is not

The Commission is taking comments on the successor. The statute's stated direction is a program that still pays customer-generators and is intended to cost other ratepayers less than full retail crediting. The cents are not published as a finished rider on this page, because the framework is not approved yet. A proposal that prints a post-2027 export rate as if it were final is ahead of the docket.

BGE, Pepco, Potomac Edison, Delmarva Power, and SMECO will each have to implement whatever the Commission approves. The state law does not make those companies the same tariff today. City pages name the usual utility: Baltimore, Rockville, and Frederick are three different bills.

Brighter Tomorrow credits are a second, moving price

Senate Bill 783, the Brighter Tomorrow Act, lets eligible systems apply for certified SRECs that count at 150 percent for a supplier's renewable-portfolio compliance. The PSC fact sheet limits that path to systems placed in service from July 1, 2024 through January 1, 2028, within megawatt caps, including the first 300 MW of systems at or under 20 kW. There is a certification fee. Certification is an application, not an automatic attachment to a contract.

On November 4, 2026, Flett Exchange listed a sell-now price of $58.50 for the 2025 and 2026 certified vintages. That is a broker quote for that morning. It is not a 15-year wage, and a standard (non-certified) Maryland SREC was a different, lower quote on the same family's pages. If a savings chart needs $58.50 to work, ask for the contract that actually pays it, and ask what happens when the quote moves.

The federal credit is not the Maryland story

The federal residential credit under section 25D ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. The IRS treats the expenditure as made when the original installation is completed. A Maryland proposal that subtracts 30 percent from a 2026 price is using a rule that no longer applies to a new homeowner-owned system. Read the federal tax credit page. This is not tax advice.

Our estimate still uses the 2025 EIA statewide average, 19.53 cents per kWh, and labels the result an estimate. It does not subtract a tax credit and it does not add an SREC. Is solar worth it in Maryland puts the bill, the roof, and the price in one place.

Sources: Maryland PSC notice convening PC 78 on House Bill 1532; PSC fact sheet on Senate Bill 783; Flett Exchange Maryland certified SREC dashboard, checked November 4, 2026; IRS FAQ on Public Law 119-21 (August 21, 2025).