Net Metering for Rate D or DM customer-generators – Option I
A customer-generator is a Hydro‑Québec customer who produces electricity using equipment they own and operate to meet part or all of their energy needs.
If you’re a customer-generator and if you generate electricity from a renewable energy source, Net Metering Option I may be of interest to you. It allows you to inject your surplus power into the Hydro‑Québec grid in exchange for credits in kilowatthours (kWh) applied to your bill. Inversely, if the power you generate is not enough to meet your needs, you can draw power from the Hydro‑Québec grid and enjoy reliable, high-quality service.
Your electricity bill will show your consumption in kilowatthours, detailing how much electricity was supplied by Hydro‑Québec and how much you injected into the grid. If you generate more than you use, the surplus will earn banked credits that will be deducted from your future bills.
Managing your surplus bank
Under Net Metering Option I, if you feed in more electricity than you draw out, the surplus is put into a bank in the form of credits.
These credits cannot be exchanged for money or transferred to another electrical service contract. They will expire after a certain period of time.
Your surplus bank will be initially reset to zero at the start of the consumption period beginning on or after March 31 following your initial sign-up. After that, it will be reset to zero every 24 months. In other words, you have two years to use your credits, apart from those accumulated during the first months.
You may make arrangements with Hydro‑Québec for a later reset date, as long as it falls within the 24 months following your sign-up. Your bank will then be reset to zero at the start of the consumption period beginning after the selected date, and every 24 months thereafter. Since the first reset is scheduled for March 31 after you sign up for this option, be sure to contact us before then.
Example
Consumption period 1
- Kilowatthours supplied by Hydro‑Québec 1,300 kWh
- Kilowatthours injected into Hydro‑Québec grid 300 kWh
- Kilowatthours billed 1,000 kWh
Consumption period 2
- Kilowatthours supplied by Hydro‑Québec 800 kWh
- Kilowatthours injected into Hydro‑Québec grid 1,000 kWh
- Kilowatthours billed 0 kWh
- Kilowatthours credited and applied to balance of future bill 200 kWh
Who can sign up for Net Metering Option I?
Residential and farm customers billed at Rate D and DM and small-power business customers billed at Rate G whose maximum power demand never exceeded 50 kilowatts (kW) at least once during the last 12 monthly periods and who are able to generate electricity from a renewable energy source. The eligible renewable energy sources are:
- wind power
- photovoltaic power
- hydroelectric power
- geothermal power (for electricity generation only)
- bioenergy (forest biomass or biogas)
The electricity must be self-generated at a facility that is located at the same delivery point as the electricity service contract.
Customers are responsible for the costs of purchasing, installing, maintaining and inspecting the equipment.
Equipment compliance
Your generating equipment must be compliant with current regulations in Québec and with all conditions stipulated by Hydro‑Québec, in particular Hydro‑Québec standards E.12‑05 and E.12‑07.
The maximum generating capacity of the equipment must not exceed the lesser of the following:
- the estimated capacity required to meet all or part of your energy needs, or
- 20 kilowatts (kW) for single-phase delivery or 50 kW for three-phase delivery.
Want to sign up for Net Metering Option I or find out more about it?
How to request electricity service
Consumption period
Period during which electricity is delivered to the customer and which extends between the two dates used by Hydro-Québec for calculation of the bill.
Customer-generator
A customer-generator is a Hydro-Québec customer who produces electricity using equipment they own and operate to meet part or all of their energy needs.
Maximum power demand
Maximum power measured during a consumption period. It is the higher of the following two values: real power in kilowatts (kW), or a percentage (90% for domestic rates and small- and medium-power rates, or 95% for large-power rates) of the apparent power in kilovoltamperes (kVA).
Monthly periods
Period of 30 days, which may begin on any day of the month, established by Hydro‑Québec for billing purposes.
Energy
Power used by electrical equipment over a given period of time. Expressed in kilowatthours (kWh), energy is calculated as power, expressed in kilowatts (kW), multiplied by the time during which the power is used, expressed in hours (h).
The formula for energy is as follows: energy (in kilowatthours) is equal to power (in kilowatts) multiplied by duration of use (in hours).
Energy (kWh) = power (kW) x time used (h).