Answer: Meralco net metering lets eligible customers use renewable electricity on site and receive bill credits for recorded exports. Its public guidance sets a 100 kW limit, or 100 kWp for solar PV. Applying involves technical assessment, phase-specific documents, inspection, metering and successful commissioning. Export credits use the monthly generation component, rather than the full retail electricity rate.
Confirm eligibility before designing the application
Check the distribution utility on the actual electricity account. A location in or near Metro Manila is not sufficient evidence that a service belongs to Meralco. Meralco’s eligibility FAQ requires the applicant and account holder to match and the account to have good credit standing. It specifies systems up to 100 kW, or 100 kWp for PV; the previous 1 MW claim on this page was incorrect.
Treat program eligibility and network suitability as separate checks. Meralco assesses the connection through a distribution impact study and, where upgrades are required, a distribution asset study. Its published single-phase transformer hosting figures concern aggregate connected renewable capacity on that transformer. They are not a guaranteed allowance for every individual customer. Obtain the assessment for the actual service before promising an export capacity.
For wider jurisdictional context, start with the Philippines solar-compliance hub.
Application sequence and document responsibilities
The current application process proceeds through application, technical evaluation, inspection, metering, and testing and commissioning. A meter replacement by itself does not complete enrollment.
Confirm account and service eligibility
Check the account holder, account standing, proposed capacity and actual distribution utility. Ask Meralco which technical assessment and current application documents apply to your service.
Submit the current application package
Use Meralco’s current application form and phase-specific checklist. Include the appropriate authorization and representative identification when another person applies for the account holder.
Complete assessment and inspection requirements
Resolve the distribution impact study and any required asset study, inspection findings and local-government requirements. Obtain the CFEI or the specifically permitted receipt evidence under the applicable procedure.
Complete agreements, metering and commissioning
Sign the utility-provided agreement, settle applicable documented fees, and complete meter arrangements, testing and commissioning. Record the enrollment reading and check the first credited bill.
The June 2026 documentary checklist separates initial authorization from completion documents. Representative authority varies by applicant type: a residential authorization is different from a corporation’s board or secretary documentation. Use the current form and utility checklist rather than an invented online-portal menu or a universal document bundle.
| Record | Responsibility and practical check |
|---|---|
| Authorization and representative ID, when applicable | Confirm the authorized applicant and agreement signatory at the start. |
| Certificate of Final Electrical Inspection (CFEI) | Issued by the relevant LGU; coordinate its process early. |
| Net-Metering Agreement | Provided by Meralco. Its current checklist allows electronic signatures and does not require notarization of this agreement. |
| ERC COC application fee evidence | Follow the ERC statement of account and payment instructions. This is distinct from the LGU inspection certificate and an engineer’s design documents. |
| REC-meter waiver, if applicable | The checklist calls for a notarized affidavit and waiver when declining that optional meter. Do not confuse this with the agreement’s notarization rule. |
The checklist permits specific acknowledgment and official receipts where a CFEI is deemed approved under the cited 2026 joint circular, with the actual certificate to follow. That is a defined documentary route, not permission to energize solely because paperwork is delayed. Confirm applicability with the utility and LGU. See the separate Philippines CFEI guide for the inspection-document context.
Fees: separate the application from other costs
Meralco’s fee FAQ states that the application fee is zero. Other costs may still apply:
- The published ERC COC application fee is PHP 1,500.
- The listed meter-cost difference applies when the existing meter requires replacement with a bidirectional meter. The residential limit is PHP 3,000; ask whether the charge applies to this account.
- LGU fees vary. Installation, electrical works and any assessed network work need their own written scope and quotation.
Do not describe the whole process as free or apply the residential meter-cost ceiling to every non-residential account. Keep payment requests, recipient details and receipts with the application record.
How export credits differ from self-consumption
Meralco’s billing FAQ explains that exports receive the monthly blended generation charge, excluding other generation adjustments. Transmission, distribution and other retail components are not all paid back on an exported unit. Unused credits carry forward and do not expire under that guidance. It does not establish the previously claimed annual cash payout.
A bidirectional meter records imports and exports. It does not, by itself, measure total PV production or all electricity consumed behind the meter. The optional REC meter serves a separate generation-recording purpose. Verify the applicable waiver or generation-estimation method if declining it.
A hypothetical energy ledger
Suppose one month has 500 kWh of PV generation, 350 kWh used directly on site and 150 kWh exported. If site consumption is 800 kWh, imports are 450 kWh. Generation equals self-consumption plus exports; consumption equals self-consumption plus imports. These balances avoid crediting the same solar unit twice.
Use the actual billing month’s export rate for the 150 kWh, and identify which consumption-dependent charges the 350 kWh genuinely avoided. Fixed charges and tax treatment need separate handling. This example is an accounting illustration, not a production forecast, tariff quotation or payback estimate. When evaluating a solar financial-modeling workflow, test these separate inputs against an actual bill.
What the April 2026 processing advisory means
The DOE release dated April 1, 2026 describes a ten-working-day distribution-utility processing period, including technical rectifications, and three working days for covered LGU permits. It explicitly ties the emergency advisory to the national energy-emergency period unless revoked earlier.
That release does not support an unconditional permanent ten-day promise, a separate guaranteed meter appointment, or the claim that requests for corrections automatically pause its clock. Confirm the currently applicable advisory and submission requirements in writing. The continuing applicability of the emergency period has not been independently established for a specific application by this guide.
Commissioning and the first credited bill
Meralco’s billing FAQ places credit eligibility at successful testing and commissioning after required metering and other conditions are completed. Keep the commissioning date and starting readings. On the next bill, check recorded export units, the applicable generation-based credit and any carried balance. Investigate a discrepancy using those records rather than assuming gross generation must equal exports.
A grid-connected PV system’s ordinary export enrollment does not establish backup operation during an outage. If a battery or separate zero-export control is proposed, assess its operating mode and utility requirements separately.
Questions applicants commonly need answered
What is the Meralco net-metering capacity limit?
Meralco’s public eligibility guidance specifies renewable-energy systems up to 100 kW, or 100 kWp for solar PV. Connection suitability still depends on the service and network assessment; the program limit does not guarantee that a particular transformer can accept your proposed system.
Is the net-metering application free?
Meralco lists no application fee. Its checklist separately lists a PHP 1,500 ERC COC application fee, possible local-government fees and a conditional meter-cost difference. For residential customers requiring that meter replacement, the listed difference must not exceed PHP 3,000.
How are exported units credited?
Meralco credits recorded exports using its monthly blended generation charge, excluding other generation adjustments. This differs from the full retail electricity charge. Unused bill credits roll over to subsequent billing periods and, according to Meralco’s current billing FAQ, do not expire.
When do net-metering credits begin?
Credits begin from successful testing and commissioning after the necessary metering and applicable requirements are completed. Meralco establishes the starting meter reading at commissioning; the next bill reflects eligible exports recorded from that date.
Source review: September 30, 2026. This guide explains published procedures; project-specific eligibility, electrical design, applicable controlled rules and permission to operate require confirmation with the utility and responsible professionals.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Meralco net-metering capacity limit?
Meralco’s public eligibility guidance specifies renewable-energy systems up to 100 kW, or 100 kWp for solar PV. Connection suitability still depends on the service and network assessment; the program limit does not guarantee that a particular transformer can accept your proposed system.
Is the net-metering application free?
Meralco lists no application fee. Its checklist separately lists a PHP 1,500 ERC COC application fee, possible local-government fees and a conditional meter-cost difference. For residential customers requiring that meter replacement, the listed difference must not exceed PHP 3,000.
How are exported units credited?
Meralco credits recorded exports using its monthly blended generation charge, excluding other generation adjustments. This differs from the full retail electricity charge. Unused bill credits roll over to subsequent billing periods and, according to Meralco’s current billing FAQ, do not expire.
When do net-metering credits begin?
Credits begin from successful testing and commissioning after the necessary metering and applicable requirements are completed. Meralco establishes the starting meter reading at commissioning; the next bill reflects eligible exports recorded from that date.
