Solar FAQs
Do Net-Metering Credits Expire, and What Happens When I Move?
Separate ongoing bill-credit treatment from account closure or transfer before relying on a growing export balance.
For an active Meralco net-metering account, its current FAQ says unused credits carry forward and do not expire. That does not answer every question about closing an account, changing its name or moving house. Obtain written utility guidance for those events before treating accumulated credit as cash or assuming it follows you to a different property. [1]
Read the balance as an account record
Keep the monthly credit opening balance, new credit, amount applied and closing balance in a simple log. If your bill uses different labels, ask the utility to explain them. Compare consecutive bills so you can see how the balance moves rather than trying to infer everything from one month.
A credit balance is useful information about billing, but it is not a measure of battery capacity or household energy independence. Avoid turning it into a marketing claim that the grid is storing your electricity for free. The physical energy flow and the accounting balance are different subjects.
Ask about the event you are actually planning
Moving to a different address, transferring an existing service to a buyer and correcting a misspelled name are distinct transactions. Tell the utility which one applies. Ask whether credits remain with the service, are settled, or receive another treatment under your agreement; do not assume an answer from ordinary monthly rollover.
Request the relevant clause or written response and keep it with your sale or lease paperwork. If a transaction is imminent, coordinate the timing with the buyer, landlord or incoming account holder. An unresolved credit question is easier to handle before the final account reading than after everyone has moved.
Treat account-name changes as a separate process
Meralco publishes different document requirements for correcting contract details and completely changing the account name. [2] Confirm the current process and any deposit implications directly for your case.
Do not send a solar installer someone else’s identity documents casually. Agree who is authorised to submit information and use the utility’s official channels. Keep the solar equipment ownership, electricity account ownership and property ownership clearly documented. They may belong to the same person, but that should be established rather than guessed from whose phone has the monitoring app.
Use a hypothetical sale to expose the questions
Imagine a family selling a house with an existing solar array and an unused export-credit balance. The buyer wants the panels, the monitoring login and a clear first electricity bill. The seller wants to know what happens to the balance. None of those questions is resolved by writing “solar included” in a property listing.
Make a checklist covering equipment title, warranties, final meter readings, utility agreement, account transfer and app access. Record who will obtain each confirmation. This is an organisational example, not a statement that any particular transfer treatment is guaranteed by a Philippine utility.
Avoid buying extra panels just to build credit
A growing balance should trigger a review of your actual objective. Are you planning future loads, using the home seasonally or simply generating more than the household needs? Ask whether a smaller system, different load schedule or another design would meet the objective with less capital tied up.
Compare scenarios over a defined period and include likely household changes. Do not invent a future use solely to justify an oversized proposal. If a move is possible within a few years, include that fact in the decision. The cheapest electricity is not automatically the project with the largest unused billing balance.
Keep a clean transfer pack
Save the most recent bills, approved system description, commissioning documents, service references and manufacturer records. Before sharing, remove unrelated personal information and passwords. Provide incoming owners with a proper account invitation or ownership-transfer process rather than handing over your entire personal email account.
Lightning Energy Philippines can help organise the technical handover questions and identify which ones must go to the utility. Ask for written answers on credit treatment before making a sale or relocation decision. A clear record protects expectations on both sides and prevents ordinary monthly rollover rules being stretched into promises they do not make.
Sources & further reading
Sources used for this guide. Policy and product details should be checked for your particular installation.
- Meralco — Net-Metering Billing FAQsAccessed 27 September 2026
- Meralco — Modify a ServiceAccessed 27 September 2026
