In one sentence
With net billing you pay only for the energy you take from the grid when your own is not enough, and you are credited in euros for any surplus, at the same moment.
What changed from net metering
Under the old net metering scheme, offsetting was done in kilowatt-hours at the end of the year, as if the grid were a free battery. Since September 2024 (Law 5106/2024), new installations are connected under net billing: offsetting happens in the same hour, and the surplus is paid at a lower price than the one you pay when you buy electricity.
An example with numbers
A 6 kWp solar system produces about 9,000 kWh a year. If you use 35% of it immediately, the benefit is about €855. If you raise self-consumption to 60%, with a battery, a heat pump or daytime car charging, it reaches about €1,080.
Assumptions used in the examples: electricity price 0.16 €/kWh, surplus payment 0.06 €/kWh, heating oil 1.15 €/litre, Athens. Figures are indicative. Our study works out your own numbers.
How to gain more
- Run washing machines, dishwashers and the water heater during the day.
- A heat pump that runs while the sun is shining, ideally PV direct.
- Charge your car at midday from the surplus.
- A battery for the evening.
The other two connection options
Zero feed-in sends nothing to the grid and suits businesses with a steady daytime load, or places where the grid does not accept exported energy. Virtual net billing allows the solar system to be located somewhere other than the supply point. An installation is connected under one option only.
I already have net metering
Your contract continues as normal under its own terms. Before any expansion or battery addition, we check whether it would be affected.