Regulation, paperwork and institutions
Net metering
Also known as: surplus offsetting, net balance, crédito de energía, energy credit.
Definition
Net metering is the everyday name for the scheme that lets you deduct from your bill the energy your system exports to the grid when it produces more than you consume. In Colombia it is regulated for small-scale self-generators by Resolución CREG 174 de 2021 — which replaced CREG 030 de 2018 — as amended by Resolución CREG 101 072 de 2025, which speaks of bidirectional metering and energy credits rather than net metering.
Sources: Resolución CREG 174 de 2021 (net metering regulation) (opens in a new tab) · Resolución CREG 101 072 de 2025 (amends the net metering regulation) (opens in a new tab)
The mechanism is easiest to grasp through an ordinary day. Between ten in the morning and three in the afternoon your system produces more than you consume: that surplus flows out to the grid and the bidirectional meter records it. At night the opposite happens: you consume from the grid and the meter records it in the other direction. At the end of the period, the retailer settles both flows and bills the result under the rules in force.
What makes that offsetting possible is the regulatory category of small-scale self-generator and the connection process with the grid operator. Without that process there is no bidirectional meter, and without a bidirectional meter the surplus is exported to the grid with nobody accounting for it. It is the most expensive mistake you can make on a grid-connected installation.
Offsetting does not mean swapping kWh for kWh at the same tariff, and article 25 of the regulation says so precisely for a small-scale self-generator of up to 100 kW running on renewable sources. Surplus that does not exceed the energy you imported over the period is swapped against that import: that is the energy credit. Surplus above it is settled hour by hour at the wholesale spot price, a market value.
There is also a detail that decides much of the outcome: even on the swapped kilowatt-hours the retailer charges the commercialisation component of the tariff. Exporting and recovering later is not entirely free, which is why self-consuming on the spot is worth more than exporting. It is still worth asking the installer to explain how your bill will look with your specific retailer.
The essentials of Net metering
- It requires the connection process and a bidirectional meter from the grid operator.
- Framework in force: Resolución CREG 174 de 2021 (successor to CREG 030 de 2018), as amended by Resolución CREG 101 072 de 2025.
- Surplus up to your import for the period is swapped as an energy credit; surplus above it goes to the wholesale spot price.
- It applies to the small-scale self-generator category.
- Without legalizing the system, surplus is exported to the grid with no offsetting.
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Frequently asked questions about Net metering
Does net metering take my bill to zero?
No. It offsets the energy component, but the bill keeps fixed charges and other service items, and on the kilowatt-hours swapped as an energy credit the retailer still charges the commercialisation component. The realistic expectation is a significant reduction in billed consumption, not the disappearance of the bill.
What happens to surplus I never consume?
Surplus that exceeds the energy you imported over the period is not swapped: it is settled hour by hour at the wholesale spot price, a market value that need not resemble your tariff. That is precisely why oversizing a system well above your own consumption is rarely a good economic decision: what pays is matching output to what you actually consume.
Who handles the net metering process?
The application is filed with the grid operator for your area, and in practice the installer usually handles it as part of the project. It is worth confirming in writing that the quote includes that process: it is one of the most frequent omissions in cheap proposals.
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