MACC Solar Team10 min read

BILECO Net Metering: How to Apply in Biliran (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

Net metering lets your rooftop solar earn bill credits for power you send to the grid. Here are the 2025–2026 rules, the step-by-step process, real fees, a sample net-metered BILECO bill, and a printable checklist.

Net metering lets your rooftop solar send unused power to the grid and get a peso credit on your bill. It's open to utility customers with systems up to 100 kW (DOE). Under the 2025–2026 rules, the paperwork is down to four items, and approval is supposed to take 10 working days.

For Biliran readers, one honest caveat up front: we found no BILECO net metering page, form or fee list online. Below we explain the national rules that apply to every utility, BILECO included, and exactly what to ask BILECO.

All facts checked 4 October 2026.

What net metering is (and the rules behind it)

  • The law: net metering comes from RA 9513, the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. It requires utilities to enter net-metering agreements with qualified end-users who install renewable energy systems (Lawphil).
  • ERC Resolution No. 15, s. 2025 (issued 27 Aug 2025) adopted the "2025 Amended Rules Enabling the Net-Metering Program" (GMA News; Ocampo & Suralvo). Key points:
    • Credits are banked and rolled over to current and future bills.
    • Credits can transfer to a new owner if you sell the property.
    • REC meters (which measure your total solar output) are now optional.
    • The utility supplies the bidirectional meter. Existing customers pay only the cost difference from their old meter.
    • Utilities must connect you within 20 working days of your letter of interest, once permits are complete.
    • Utilities must post their net-metering process and transformer hosting capacity online every quarter.
  • ERC advisory, 22 Sep 2025 (Power Philippines):
    • Documents are capped at four.
    • Meter replacement is capped at ₱3,000 for homes.
    • Testing and commissioning are free.
    • Credits start from the date of successful commissioning.
  • DOE DC2025-10-0020 (October 2025; DOE PDF):
    • Renewable energy certificates (RECs) from solar you use yourself belong to you. RECs from exported power go to the utility.
    • You can share credits among your own accounts in the same franchise area.
    • ERC still has to issue the rules that put these into practice.
  • JMC No. 001, s. 2026 (DOE, DILG and DPWH): LGUs must issue electrical permits within 3 working days and CFEIs within 7 working days of a complete application. If the LGU doesn't act in time, the application counts as approved (Philstar).
  • DOE advisory, 1 Apr 2026, under EO 110:
    • Utilities and co-ops must finish complete applications within 10 working days (down from 20).
    • LGUs must act on net-metering permits within 3 working days.
    • The advisory lasts as long as the national energy emergency (DOE).

Is the emergency still on? EO 110 (24 March 2026) stays in force for one year from issuance unless the President lifts or extends it (Lawphil). We found no order lifting it as of 4 October 2026. If it ends, the ERC's 20-working-day rule is the fallback.

Who qualifies

  • Size: systems up to 100 kW, or 100 kWp for solar (Meralco FAQ).
  • Account: customers in good credit standing, including new customers (Ocampo & Suralvo). Meralco also requires the account to be in the applicant's name. Expect your co-op to check this too.
  • Grid capacity: each transformer can only take so much solar. In its 1st-quarter 2026 table, LEYECO II lists a 10 kVA transformer at 3 kWac total and a 25 kVA at 7.5 kWac, about 30% of transformer size (LEYECO II). BILECO hasn't published its own figures.

Step-by-step: how to apply

This sequence follows the ERC rules and LEYECO II's published six-phase process. LEYECO II is the closest co-op we found with a full process online. BILECO's steps may differ, so confirm with them.

  1. Pre-qualify. Submit a written request and a valid ID. The co-op checks your account for unpaid balances. LEYECO II also checks for pilferage records (LEYECO II).
  2. Get your LGU permits. You need an electrical permit before installing and a CFEI after. These come from your city or municipality (often the Office of the Building Official). Under JMC 001 the deadlines are 3 and 7 working days. Start early: Meralco warns that LGU processing varies (Meralco checklist).
  3. Submit the application. Under the ERC advisory, the co-op may only require the application form, the CFEI, the amended Net-Metering Agreement and the COC fee. It shouldn't ask for bills of materials or equipment catalogs (MACS Power summary).
  4. Evaluation and inspection. The co-op reviews your documents and inspects the system. It may run a Distribution Impact Study (DIS). If the grid needs upgrades, a Distribution Asset Study (DAS) follows, and Meralco notes that DAS fees can apply (Meralco).
  5. Sign the Net-Metering Agreement. If you skip the REC meter, you also sign an affidavit and waiver. The co-op files your COC application with the ERC and must send the signed agreement within 5 days (Ocampo & Suralvo). LEYECO II's package to the ERC includes the QE-COC Form No. 1, the agreement, its own certificate of acceptance, and a ₱1,500 manager's check payable to the ERC.
  6. Meter swap, testing and commissioning. The co-op installs a bidirectional meter, which records power going both in and out. Then it tests your system for free (ERC advisory).
  7. Start earning credits. Credits count from the commissioning date and show on your first bill after that (ERC advisory).

What gets credited, and at what rate

Solar you use yourself saves the full retail rate: BILECO's posted July 2026 rate was ₱18.3407/kWh (see our BILECO rate tracker). Power you export is credited at the utility's monthly blended generation charge, excluding other adjustments (Ocampo & Suralvo; Meralco FAQ). Leftover credits roll over and, per Meralco, don't expire.

The generation figures for July–September 2026 below come from PRESYO-PH, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities' (ICSC) rate tracker:

  • BILECO's blended generation rate was about ₱9.91 (Jul), ₱9.94 (Aug) and ₱9.50 (Sep) per kWh.
  • PRESYO-PH records the energy LEYECO IV bought from net-metered customers at about ₱9.33/kWh in September, and LEYECO II's at about ₱7.56/kWh.
  • PRESYO-PH's BILECO supply breakdown shows no net-metering line. That doesn't prove BILECO has no net-metered homes, so ask.

Worked example: a net-metered BILECO bill

Example only. These are assumptions, not a quote.

  • Rates: ₱18.3407/kWh retail (BILECO, July 2026). Export credit about ₱9.50/kWh (PRESYO-PH, BILECO September 2026). BILECO's actual credit rate may differ.
  • A home uses 300 kWh a month. Its 3 kWp system makes 315 kWh: 189 kWh is used at home and 126 kWh is exported. These are the same assumptions as in our rate tracker.

Line

Math

Amount

Energy bought from BILECO

111 kWh × ₱18.3407

₱2,035.82

Export credit

126 kWh × ₱9.50

− ₱1,197.00

Net energy charge

₱838.82

Example rollover month. You buy 60 kWh, so 60 × ₱18.3407 = ₱1,100.44. You export 180 kWh, so 180 × ₱9.50 = ₱1,710.00. The credit brings the bill to zero, and ₱609.56 rolls over to next month. That's how Meralco describes it: credits are "deducted to your bill amount until it zeroes out" and the excess is banked.

What you'll pay

  • ERC Certificate of Compliance fee: ₱1,500 (Meralco checklist).
  • Meter cost difference: up to ₱3,000 for homes, only if your meter isn't already bidirectional (ERC advisory).
  • LGU fees for the electrical permit and CFEI, which vary by LGU (Meralco FAQ).
  • Possible extras: DAS-related costs if grid upgrades are needed (Meralco). LEYECO II also lists a "DU assessment fee (including postage)" but doesn't publish the amount.
  • Not chargeable: testing and commissioning (ERC advisory).

Common mistakes and delays

  • Exporting before you're enrolled. An old one-way meter may record your exports as consumption, which raises your bill (Meralco FAQ).
  • Leaving the CFEI to the end. LGU timing is the usual bottleneck. File early and keep your receipts: under JMC 001, a "deemed approved" CFEI can be proven with the acknowledgment and official receipts (Meralco checklist).
  • Unpaid balances, or the account in another name. Fix these first.
  • Adding panels later without telling the co-op. Modifications need a new application (Meralco FAQ).
  • Expecting power during brownouts. Grid-tie systems shut off during outages for lineworker safety. Only a properly isolated battery setup keeps selected loads running (Meralco FAQ).
  • Oversizing. Exports earn about half the retail rate in our example, so size your system mainly for your daytime use.

BILECO specifically: what we found

  • On bileco.net (checked 4 Oct 2026): no net metering page, application form, fee list or hosting-capacity table. Its connection page covers only new service (BILECO). The 2025 ERC rules require utilities to post these online.
  • Elsewhere: no BILECO net metering posts, news or ERC filings turned up in our searches.
  • Nearby co-ops:
    • LEYECO II publishes a six-phase process, a request form and a hosting-capacity table.
    • LEYECO IV doesn't appear to have a process page, but PRESYO-PH shows it buying net-metered energy.

What to ask BILECO. Contact the main office in Brgy. Caraycaray, Naval, at (053) 500-9740 or 0905 255 9119 / 0948 674 9991, or email bileco1973@gmail.com. These are the contacts listed on bileco.net.

  1. Your net metering application form and the office or person handling it.
  2. Your documentary list. Is it limited to the four items in the ERC's 22 Sep 2025 advisory?
  3. Your fees: the meter cost difference (₱3,000 cap for homes), any assessment or study fees, and how to pay the ₱1,500 COC fee.
  4. The hosting capacity of my transformer.
  5. Whether a DIS is needed for my system size.
  6. Your processing time under the DOE's 10-working-day advisory.
  7. How export credits will appear on my bill, and at what rate.

Printable checklist

  • ☐ BILECO account in my name, no unpaid balance
  • ☐ Asked BILECO for its form, fees and hosting capacity
  • ☐ Electrical permit from LGU (target: 3 working days)
  • ☐ CFEI from LGU (target: 7 working days), or AR + OR if deemed approved
  • ☐ Application form submitted
  • ☐ Amended Net-Metering Agreement signed (notarization optional)
  • ☐ REC meter decision, plus affidavit and waiver if skipped
  • ☐ ₱1,500 COC fee paid to the ERC
  • ☐ Meter cost difference paid, if any (max ₱3,000 for homes)
  • ☐ Bidirectional meter installed, and testing and commissioning done (free)
  • ☐ First bill checked for export credits

FAQ

What documents do I need? Four: application form, CFEI, amended Net-Metering Agreement, and the ₱1,500 COC fee (ERC advisory, 22 Sep 2025).

What rate do exports earn? The utility's blended generation charge, about ₱9.50/kWh for BILECO in September 2026 per PRESYO-PH, not the full ₱18-plus retail rate.

How long does approval take? 20 working days under ERC rules, or 10 under the DOE's EO 110 advisory while the emergency lasts.

Does BILECO have an online net metering form? Not that we found. Ask the main office.

What's the size limit? 100 kW, but your transformer's hosting capacity may cap it lower.

Solar Leyte is run by MACC Systems & Energy Solutions Inc., a solar installer in Naval, Biliran.

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Thinking about solar and net metering? Send us your latest BILECO bill. We'll size a system for your daytime use and show you the savings math, with no obligation.

Sources (all checked 4 October 2026)

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