BC net metering 2026 change: RS 1289 closes, RS 2289 begins

What's actually changing

Under the old system, BC Hydro's RS 1289 netted your solar exports against your imports at the same retail rate — every kWh you pushed to the grid was worth a full retail kWh back. That 1:1 deal is what made BC solar payback as workable as it gets in a province with very cheap hydro.

From July 1, 2026, new BC Hydro customers can no longer enrol in RS 1289. They go on the Self-Generation rate RS 2289 instead. Under RS 2289 the energy you use directly in your home still offsets the full retail rate (~13.1¢/kWh), but the surplus you export is credited at roughly 10¢/kWh — meaningfully below retail.

1:1 versus RS 2289, in one line

Under 1:1, an exported kWh was worth full retail. Under RS 2289 it's worth about 10¢. So the value of your solar now hinges on self-consumption — using your own power as it's generated — rather than on selling surplus to the grid.

Existing customers

If you're already on RS 1289, you're grandfathered for 10 years from your own net-metering start date (with a backstop of June 30, 2036), after which you transfer automatically to RS 2289. The clock runs from your start date, not a flat window — so a system connected in 2026 is protected to roughly 2036, but an older one less. One important catch: if you take a 2026 BC Hydro solar rebate, you're moved to RS 2289 regardless. Confirm your specific terms with BC Hydro.

FortisBC is separate

This is a BC Hydro change. FortisBC runs its own net-metering program and keeps a 1:1 arrangement, unaffected by BC Hydro's RS 1289 closure. If you're in FortisBC territory, the July 1 cutover doesn't apply to you — but verify the current FortisBC terms separately.

A worked example

Take a 6 kW coastal array producing about 6,000 kWh/year. Say 40% (2,400 kWh) is used on-site as it's generated, and the other 3,600 kWh is exported.

• Old 1:1 (RS 1289): all 6,000 kWh offset the full retail rate → about $786/yr in bill offset.
• New RS 2289: the 2,400 kWh self-consumed offset retail, the 3,600 kWh exported earn only ~10¢/kWh → about $674/yr.

That's roughly $110/yr less from the same array — about a 14% haircut on the offset, entirely because the exported majority of the energy is now worth less. The more your system leans on export, the bigger the gap.

What this means for your system

• Don't oversize for export. Under RS 2289 the surplus you sell back is worth ~10¢, so a giant array that exports most of its output earns the worst rate on most of its energy.
• Self-consumption matters more. Right-sizing the array to your daytime usage — and shifting loads into sunny hours — keeps more kWh at the full retail value.
• Batteries get more interesting. Storing surplus to use later (instead of exporting at 10¢ and re-buying at ~13.1¢) is worth more than it was under 1:1.
• The rebate-vs-1:1 trade-off. Only systems already receiving net-metering service by June 30, 2026 keep RS 1289 — and taking a 2026 BC Hydro solar rebate moves you to RS 2289 anyway. For nearly all new buyers, RS 2289 is simply the reality; the rebate is worth more than chasing 1:1.

The honest framing

BC hydro is among the cheapest power in North America, so solar here is already marginal — payback often runs 10–15 years. This change doesn't kill it, but it does make export-heavy economics worse and lengthens payback for systems that send most of their output to the grid. The point of Ballpark is the honest number: a well-matched 6 kW system can still make sense, but "bigger is better" no longer holds the way it did under 1:1.

Bottom line

RS 1289 closes to new BC Hydro customers on July 1, 2026, and RS 2289 pays ~10¢/kWh for exports instead of full retail. That shifts the whole calculation toward self-consumption and batteries, and away from oversized arrays. Confirm the current rates officially, then let the paid kit run your real payback under the new rate.