Here in Oklahoma, "solar buyback" is one of the most misunderstood parts of going solar. We hear it all the time: "I'll just make extra power and the utility will pay me for it." The reality is a bit more nuanced — and knowing it upfront will help you size your system correctly and set realistic expectations for your bill.
What net metering actually is
When your solar panels produce more power than your home is using at that moment, the surplus flows out through your meter and onto the grid. Net metering is the policy that makes sure you get credit for that contribution rather than giving it away.
Think of it like a balance sheet. During the day, when the sun is shining and panels are running strong, you run the meter backward (or add a credit). At night, or on cloudy days, you draw from the grid and the meter runs forward. At the end of the billing cycle, the utility nets the two out — hence "net" metering.
The key word is credits. Not cash. The utility offsets what you owe; it doesn't write you a check.
The Oklahoma rule (and who it covers)
Oklahoma's net metering requirement comes from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC). Under OCC rules, investor-owned utilities — OG&E and PSO — and most regulated electric cooperatives are required to offer net metering to residential solar customers.
There are two important carve-outs to know about:
- Municipal utilities (cities that run their own electric system) are not covered by the OCC mandate. They set their own policies. Some offer net metering voluntarily; some don't. If you're served by a municipal system, call them directly.
- Unregulated rural electric cooperatives also fall outside the OCC requirement. Their programs vary — and a few have minimal or no buyback policy at all.
So before you assume net metering applies to you, confirm with your specific utility. If you're on OG&E or PSO, you're covered. Everyone else should verify first.
On system size: OCC rules cap net-metered systems at 300 kW (well above what any home needs) and limit the system to 125% of the service location's peak load. In practice, a correctly sized residential system sits well inside those limits.
The catch: your buyback rate is below retail
Here's the part that surprises most homeowners. The credits you earn for exported power are calculated at the utility's avoided-cost rate — roughly the wholesale price of power — not the retail rate you pay on your bill.
To put that in plain terms: you might pay OG&E something in the neighborhood of 10–12 cents per kilowatt-hour for the power you buy. But when your panels send a kilowatt-hour back, you earn a credit that's a fraction of that — commonly in the range of a few cents — because that's what the utility calculates it costs them to produce or procure power from other sources. The exact rate varies by utility and changes over time, so confirm yours directly with OG&E or PSO.
The practical takeaway: every kilowatt-hour your panels make and your home uses right now is worth the full retail rate to you (you're not buying it). Every kilowatt-hour your panels make and export to the grid is worth much less. That gap is why smart system design matters.
No, the power company won't send you a check
This is the myth we bust most often. We've had homeowners come in expecting quarterly checks from OG&E because a salesperson made it sound like they'd be "selling power back." That's not how it works in Oklahoma.
What you get is a bill credit that rolls forward indefinitely. If you produce more than you consume in a given month, that credit sits on your account and gets applied to future months when you need to draw more from the grid (think winter heating season, or a stretch of cloudy weeks). Credits accumulate — they don't disappear — but they also don't become cash.
If you end a year with a large surplus of credits, most of them will simply roll into the next year. You won't get a check. The utility effectively benefits from that excess production. Which brings us to the next point.
Why you shouldn't oversize your system
Because the export rate is so much lower than the retail rate, producing significantly more than you use is a poor strategy. Those extra kilowatt-hours earn credits worth a few cents each, when the cost of the additional panels that produced them was priced at retail.
The practical target is a system sized to cover close to 100% of your annual usage — not 150%, not 200%. A common rule of thumb here is to stay at or below about 115% of your usage. Beyond that, you're paying for capacity that's earning you a low return. And at the extreme end, oversizing can raise classification or insurance questions that add hassle you don't want.
This is one reason a good solar advisor actually looks at 12 months of your bills before recommending a system size — not just the peak summer month.
How net metering fits your real savings
Net metering is a real benefit — don't let the fine print discourage you. The ability to roll credits forward means you can bank summer overproduction and draw it down in winter. Your bill reflects your net consumption over time, which keeps it meaningfully lower than it would be without solar.
The bigger levers, though, are the ones net metering alone doesn't give you: locking your rate against future utility increases, and owning your power rather than renting it indefinitely. Here in Oklahoma, where utilities have been raising rates steadily in part to support the data-center buildout happening across the state, rate lock has real long-term value that doesn't show up in a simple buyback calculation.
If you qualify, our SunCheck program layers a one-time cashback check on top of the bill savings — typically a check between $5,000 and sometimes over $10,000 depending on system size — from a commercial-entity partner. That's not a government program or a tax credit; it's real money after install that changes how the overall economics look.
Want to see what the numbers look like on your actual bill?
Run the SunCheck in about 60 seconds. A local Oklahoma advisor will walk through your specific utility, your usage, and whether the math works — no pressure, no guesswork.
Frequently asked questions
Does OG&E pay you for solar power?
Not with a check. Under Oklahoma net metering, OG&E credits your account for the excess power your panels send back to the grid — but those credits are applied to future bills, not paid out as cash. The utility keeps the credits rolling forward against what you owe.
What is the OG&E / PSO solar buyback rate?
The buyback rate is the utility's avoided-cost rate — roughly the wholesale price of power — which is well below the retail rate you pay per kilowatt-hour. The exact figure varies by utility and changes periodically, so confirm the current rate directly with OG&E or PSO before sizing your system.
Should I build a bigger solar system to sell more power?
No. Because the buyback rate is far below retail, producing more than you use doesn't earn you proportionally more value. The credits you'd pile up are worth much less per kilowatt-hour than the power you consume. Size your system to cover close to 100% of your usage — not significantly more.
Is net metering available with my electric co-op?
It depends. Oklahoma's net metering mandate from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) covers investor-owned utilities like OG&E and PSO, and regulated electric cooperatives. Municipal utilities and unregulated rural cooperatives set their own policies and are not required to offer net metering. Call your co-op or municipal provider directly to confirm what program, if any, they offer.