Regulation, paperwork and institutions
Bidirectional meter
Also known as: two-way meter, net meter.
Definition
A bidirectional meter records both the energy you draw from the grid and the energy you export to it. Your grid operator installs it when the system is legalized and it is the piece that makes net metering of your surplus possible.
Sources: Resolución CREG 174 de 2021 (net metering regulation) (opens in a new tab)
A conventional meter counts in one direction only. With a connected solar system, that limitation is a problem: the energy you export either goes unrecorded or — on older equipment — could be wrongly recorded as consumption. The bidirectional meter resolves this by keeping two independent records, import and export, which the retailer nets off when billing.
Its installation is not something the installer resolves on their own: it falls to the grid operator, and it is carried out as part of the connection legalization process, once the design is approved. That meter change is, in practice, the milestone marking the formal start of net metering.
Until the meter is installed, an already-mounted system may be producing and exporting surplus that nobody accounts for. So it is worth aligning the installation schedule with the process schedule, and not treating the project as finished until the new meter is operational and verified.
The essentials of Bidirectional meter
- It records imported and exported energy separately.
- It is installed by the grid operator, not by the installer.
- It is changed within the connection legalization process.
- Without it there is no surplus offsetting, even if the system is already producing.
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Frequently asked questions about Bidirectional meter
Who pays for the bidirectional meter?
The cost and terms of the meter change depend on the grid operator and on what the applicable regulation establishes. It is a line item that should appear explicitly in the quote, alongside the rest of the connection process; if it does not appear, ask who is covering it.
Can I use my current meter with solar panels?
Not for net metering purposes. A conventional meter does not distinguish the energy you export to the grid, so the surplus would go unrecorded. The change is part of the legalization process and is a requirement, not an optional upgrade.
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