The Department of Energy (DOE) is working with regulators, utilities, and local government agencies to clear long-standing bottlenecks in the Net Metering Program, aiming to make it easier for households to lower electricity costs and sell excess power to the grid.

At a meeting on August 14, the DOE gathered the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and Meralco to harmonize procedures and remove redundant requirements. The initiative follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive in his State of the Nation Address to reduce red tape in energy services.

Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said delays in approvals have been undermining the program’s benefits for consumers. “Every day we delay is another day Filipino consumers lose the chance to reduce their electricity bills and earn from their own clean energy production. The President has made it clear: the Net Metering Program must work for the people, not against them,” she said.

Under the program, households and businesses can install up to 100 kilowatts of renewable energy capacity. Any unused electricity is automatically exported to the distribution utility, which issues peso credits for the surplus based on generation costs. As of May 2025, 17,175 end-users had enrolled, with a combined 157 MWp capacity.

Despite this growth, applications in some areas have required as many as 15 documents, with energization delayed by slow local government processing of Certificates of Final Electrical Inspection and electrical permits. While meant for safety compliance, these permits have often been tied up with additional, non-essential requirements.

To address these issues, agencies committed to setting strict timelines for each application stage, standardizing forms, and simplifying documentary requirements. Meralco also pledged to digitize its application process, accredit solar PV installers, and adopt uniform solar equipment standards.

Officials said these measures are meant to encourage wider participation, particularly among consumers served by electric cooperatives, and to position Filipinos as both consumers and producers of clean power.

Will these changes finally make net metering accessible to more households across the country?

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