New Hampshire Solar Credits: The March $100 Cash-Out Rule and the Quarterly Option

Seeing a solar credit on a New Hampshire electric bill does not necessarily mean a check is on the way. The account may carry the credit forward unless you elect an available payment option.

For homeowners relying on solar to help cover another monthly payment, that timing matters. First identify whether the account uses standard or alternative net metering, then look at the applicable credit and payment rules. A statement about one program should not be applied to the other.

The statute provides more than an annual option

RSA 362-A:9, V-a allows eligible customers under the alternative net-metering tariff to elect annual payment when the accrued monetary balance exceeds $100 at the end of the March billing period, or quarterly payment when it exceeds $25 at the end of the most recent billing period before that quarterly payment. The March threshold is not the only payment route.

Do not assume that making one request enrolls you permanently in recurring payments. Ask the utility to confirm the election procedure, the amount payable and whether a new request is required for later periods. Keep the confirmation rather than relying on an informal description from the installer.

March is a measurement point, not an automatic mailing date

The current Department of Energy rules, En 900 effective April 27, 2026, require notice by June 1 to alternative-tariff customers whose March billing-cycle monetary credits reach $100 or more. The notice must explain the balance and payment-election process, including the possible quarterly election. Credits otherwise continue forward.

Notice eligibility uses “$100 or more”; the statute's annual-payment language uses a balance that “exceeds $100.” At the exact boundary, ask for the utility's written application of the rule rather than treating those phrases as identical.

The date of the billing cycle also matters. Pull the actual March statement rather than relying on a calendar-month production report or a balance viewed later in an online account.

Unitil illustrates the account-level treatment

Unitil's posted New Hampshire Schedule QF gives an annual cash-payment option for monetary balances exceeding $100 as of March 31 and provides payment of the full monetary balance when service is discontinued. The schedule distinguishes the alternative arrangement from earlier net-metering treatment.

That tariff's annual-payment paragraph does not describe the newer statutory quarterly option. The statute and current En 900 should therefore be part of any request for quarterly payment, rather than treating an annual-only tariff paragraph as the complete statement of available options.

Unitil's customer explanation also distinguishes monetary credits under the alternative tariff from banked energy under the standard tariff. Do not apply the dollar threshold to an older kilowatt-hour balance without checking its separate settlement rules.

Check supply service as well as delivery service

The current rules allow competitive suppliers and municipal or county aggregators to determine their own supply and purchase terms within the statutory framework. A customer's supplier can therefore matter to the compensation review.

Ask who is supplying your electricity and which entity is responsible for each part of the credit. A delivery-utility statement and a supplier agreement may answer different questions. Preserve both when comparing the actual result with the sales estimate.

Make the request traceable

Save the March bill, later credits, payment request and utility response. Identify whether you are asking for a missing credit calculation, a cash-payment election or clarification of the tariff. Those are different issues and should not be combined into a vague complaint that solar failed to save money.

Solar Exit's billing review and document review can help organize the records. Payment timing does not change the separate terms of a solar financing or lease agreement automatically.

General consumer information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Eligibility and payment treatment depend on the applicable program and account.