What South Carolina pays for your exported solar power
Export compensation is the single biggest payback lever in 2026. Here is South Carolina's current rule in plain words, with the official source.
Under South Carolina's export rules, compensation for surplus power decides the payback - which typically runs 10-14 years on unsubsidized 2026 math.
Installed home solar for St. George homeowners averages about $2.58 a watt across the U.S. marketplace - roughly $30,960 for a 12 kW system before incentives.
St. George, South Carolina has about 1,855 residents, and its solar quotes are built from system size, roof complexity and export rules - not the town name.
The honest 2026 answer for St. George: solar pays back slower without the 30% credit - paybacks that ran 7-10 years often now run 10-14 - but electricity rates keep rising and hardware is the cheapest it has ever been. The deciding factor is South Carolina's export compensation, covered in the net metering section.
Beware of any 2026 payback estimate that looks as good as the 2025 ones: with the federal credit gone, a third of the old subsidy math vanished. If a sales projection has not gotten noticeably worse since 2025, it is hiding something - usually an inflated utility-rate escalation assumption.
The 2026 numbers
| System size | Installed price (marketplace avg) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 kW | $15,480 | Small roof / low usage |
| 8 kW | $20,640 | Typical starter system |
| 10 kW | $25,800 | Family home with AC |
| 12 kW | $30,960 | Large home / EV charging |
| Home battery (optional) | $12,000-$16,000 | Backup power + self-consumption |
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South Carolina rules that decide your payback
| Rule | South Carolina status |
|---|---|
| Export compensation (net metering) | Not full retail for new customers — the 1:1 Renewable Net Metering rider (Rider RNM) closed to new participants on June 1, 2021, and new residential solar now takes Solar Choice Metering (Rider RSC, served on a solar time-of-use schedule), while the last full-retail legacy class (applications before May 16, 2019) reached its sunset on December 31, 2025 and moves to Rider NMT or Rider RSC. |
| State incentive | Solar Energy, Small Hydropower System, or Geothermal Machinery and Equipment Credit (S.C. Code Ann. Section 12-6-3587) — 25% of purchase and installation cost, capped at $3,500 per facility or 50% of tax liability per year, whichever is less, with a 10-year carryforward |
| Sales tax on the system | Not exempt - taxed like any purchase |
| Property tax on added home value | Excluded |
South Carolina still has a live 25% state income tax credit — genuinely unusual for this region — but the old full-retail net metering grandfather class expired on December 31, 2025, so a 2026 install earns markedly less for exports than a 2019 install did. Note also that the South Carolina property tax exemption is capped at 20 kW AC: systems above that size do not qualify, though attached battery storage is included within the exemption.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
What this means for St. George roofs
The honest 2026 answer for St. George: solar pays back slower without the 30% credit - paybacks that ran 7-10 years often now run 10-14 - but electricity rates keep rising and hardware is the cheapest it has ever been. The deciding factor is South Carolina's export compensation, covered in the net metering section.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
Getting St. George quotes
Same-day contracts are a red flag in this industry. Legitimate SC installers expect you to compare bids, check licenses, and read the interconnection terms. Anyone pressuring you to sign at the kitchen table is pricing in your haste.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
Common questions
Should I lease, get a PPA, or buy?
Buying keeps all savings and any incentives with you. Leases and PPAs put a company's equipment on your roof for 20-25 years, complicate a home sale, and in 2026 any tax benefits they advertise belong to the company under commercial rules - not to you. Read escalator clauses carefully.
Is solar still worth it without the federal credit?
It depends mostly on your state's export rules and your daytime usage. Paybacks lengthened by roughly a third when the credit ended, but rising electricity rates and record-cheap hardware keep the math workable in states with decent export compensation - and marginal where exports pay avoided cost only.
Does solar raise my property taxes?
It depends on the state - many exempt solar's added home value from property tax, others do not, and some exemptions have expiration dates. This guide's state page lists the verified rule and source for your state.
Do I need a battery with my solar?
Not necessarily. Under full retail net metering, the grid effectively stores your surplus for free. Batteries earn their $12,000-16,000 price where export rates are low, outages are common, or time-of-use rates make evening self-consumption valuable.
What is net metering and why does it decide everything?
It is the rule for how your utility credits electricity you export. Full retail net metering credits exports at the same rate you pay - the grid works like a free battery. Net billing or avoided-cost rules pay far less per exported kWh, which lengthens payback and strengthens the case for a home battery.
Get solar quotes for St. George
These platforms collect bids from licensed installers so you can compare against the same spec. Prices come from installers, not from this site.
Disclosure: this is an independent guide. If you request quotes through a link here, the platform may pay this site a referral fee. That fee never changes your quotes.
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