Up to 100 kW
Net metering
Exports are credited at the utility’s generation charge, banked month to month with no expiry and no cash-out. Most small and mid-sized businesses fit here. More in our net metering guide.
Solar for businesses · Cebu
Commercial solar installation in Cebu: lower operating costs while the sun is up.
For offices, shops, restaurants, clinics, schools, workshops, hotels and resorts. Model your own building’s numbers, see how your load lines up with the sun, and know what a proposal involves before you share any contact details.
- Numbers before contact details
- Sized to your daytime load
- Pricing confirmed in a custom proposal
A business day on solarMidday, grid connected
- Solar energy
- Grid supply
The short answer
Yes, for most businesses that use a lot of power in daylight. Every solar kWh you use on site avoids the energy rate on your bill: about ₱14.1–₱14.3 per kWh for low-voltage business accounts in CEBECO I and III areas (Sep–Oct 2026). VECO’s and MECO’s business rates aren’t published in a form we could verify; their household rates were VECO ₱14.89 and MECO ₱15.98 (Sep 2026), so use the energy rate on your own bill. Exports earn only the generation charge, roughly 55–65% of the rate. Offices, clinics, schools, workshops and daytime shops can use most of what a right-sized roof makes.
Recent national estimates put commercial rooftop payback at roughly 2–3 years (Ember, May 2026; PSSEA, Oct 2026). Yours depends on daytime load, tariff, demand charges, roof and supply, and a custom proposal confirms the price. Hotels and resorts with heavy night loads save less per peso of bill; there, batteries buy continuity more than savings.
The first thing to know
Solar pays fastest
when you use it as it’s made.
A business that runs aircon, machines and lights through the afternoon is the best possible customer for its own roof.
Rooftop solar cuts operating costs in two ways. Power you use on site while the panels are producing never shows up on your bill, so each kWh saves your full rate. Power you export under net metering is credited at your utility’s generation charge, which was about 54–67% of the all-in rate across Cebu’s utilities in September and October 2026. Our estimates assume a cautious 55%.
That gap is why commercial solar is sized to your daytime load, not your whole bill. In Cebu a kWp of panels makes about 113 kWh in an average month (PVGIS shows a little more; we use 1,350 kWh a year). Used on site, that’s worth about ₱1,605 a month on a ₱14.27 business tariff; exported, about ₱883.
Three things decide your return
- When you use power. The more of it falls between about 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., the more of the solar you keep. One Philippine office study found aircon was 63% of consumption, and it runs hardest on sunny afternoons.
- What you pay per kWh, and how. Low-voltage business accounts in CEBECO I and III areas paid about ₱14.1–₱14.3 per kWh in Sep–Oct 2026. Higher-voltage accounts pay less per kWh plus a demand charge per kW, which solar alone may not reduce.
- Your roof and supply. Area, structure, shading and whether the building is single- or three-phase set what can be installed and how it’s wired.
For context, not a promise
2.3 yrsCommercial payback, EmberNational estimate, 28 May 2026 (Meralco tariffs)
3.0 yrsCommercial payback, PSSEANational estimate (PSSEA/APVIA via Daily Tribune), 5 Oct 2026
≈3 yrsCebu City Hall’s expectationMayor Archival on the city’s ₱12M rooftop project (SunStar, 4 Jun 2026)
Not every site pays back this fast. For cautious and hopeful cases side by side, see is solar worth it in Cebu.
Want this worked out for your own building and bill?
See my business numbersCommercial energy load profiles
Seven kinds of business,
seven different days.
Each chart is an open day: the building’s load (navy line), a solar curve making the same energy as the daytime load, and what overlaps.
Office
Strong fitMon–Fri, about 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Used 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 82%
- Day’s load covered*
- 71%
Aircon and computers run through the sunniest hours; weekends export unless you net-meter.
Retail store
Good fitDaily, about 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
- Used 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 68%
- Day’s load covered*
- 56%
Afternoon aircon peak lines up with solar; the evening tail runs on the grid or a battery.
Restaurant / café
Partial fitLunch and dinner service
- Used 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 58%
- Day’s load covered*
- 49%
Lunch service and all-day refrigeration use solar; the dinner peak comes after sunset.
Hotel / resort
Good fit24 hours, evening peak
- Used 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 45%
- Day’s load covered*
- 34%
Good for the steady daytime base (pumps, laundry, kitchens, common areas); guest-room aircon peaks at night, so solar covers only part of the day.
Clinic
Strong fitMon–Sat, about 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Used 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 84%
- Day’s load covered*
- 76%
Clinic hours sit almost entirely inside the solar day; fridges need power around the clock.
Warehouse / workshop
Strong fitMon–Sat, about 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Used 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 89%
- Day’s load covered*
- 75%
Machines and lighting run a flat daytime load, the closest match to the solar curve.
School
Strong fitMon–Fri, about 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Used 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 90%
- Day’s load covered*
- 81%
Classes run in daylight, but weekends and school breaks export; net metering matters here. Long breaks aren’t modelled, so treat the savings as an upper estimate.
How to read these
The cream band is roughly 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Green is solar the business uses as it’s made; gold is surplus that would be exported. The flatter and fuller the navy line inside the band, the better the fit.
- Building load
- Solar used on site
- Solar exported
*Share of an open day’s whole load that a solar array making the same energy as the daytime load would cover as it’s made. Shapes are engineering generalisations for planning, not measurements; your bills, opening hours and meter data decide the real profile.
Solar for hotels and resorts in CebuHotels and resorts run around the clock: pumps, laundry, kitchens and common-area aircon make a steady daytime base that suits solar, while guest-room aircon peaks after dark. A roof array sized to that daytime base is used almost entirely on site, but it covers only part of the day, so savings per peso of bill are lower than an office’s. Batteries on a critical-loads panel (front desk, Wi-Fi, pumps, cold storage, safety lighting) mainly buy continuity through brownouts. Engineering generalisation, not a measured profile.
Your numbers
Model your business
in pesos.
Pick your type of business, enter your average bill and tariff, and see a suggested system, savings, payback range and how your day lines up with the sun.
Financial impact dashboard
Estimates · planning allowance · not a quoteYour bill and hours
Average of your last 12 bills if you have them.
Share of an open day's use. Typical for this type: 80%. Aircon, machines and lighting during opening hours count as daytime.
Your tariff and roof
Default: VECO residential average, ₱14.89 (Sep 2026); business rate not verified: use the one on your bill. Type the energy rate from your own bill for a business figure.
Leave blank to size to your load. We assume about 70% of it can take panels.
Suggested system 45.9 kWp. Estimated savings ₱68,400 a month. Payback about 2.1 to 2.7 years.
Suggested system
45.9 kWp
74 × 620 W panels · about 286 m² of roof
Sized to what you use between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., never more.
- Monthly savings
- ₱68,400
- 68% of your bill, year 1
- Annual savings
- ₱821,000
- before tariff changes
- Estimated payback
- 2.1–2.7 yrs
- across the allowance range; cautious case 3.2 yrs
- Daytime load covered
- 75%
- 58% of all kWh on the bill
At ₱14.89 per kWh: VECO residential average, Sep 2026. Use the energy rate on your own bill for a business figure.
- Daylight, 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Building load
- Solar used on site
- Solar exported
76% of the solar is used on site; the rest is exported and credited at about 55% of your rate under net metering. Shape is a generalisation for this type of business.
- Planning allowance
- ₱1.75M – ₱2.28M
- Net after 10 years
- ₱6.91M – ₱7.44M
- Net after 25 years, before replacements
- ₱25.7M – ₱26.2M
- CO₂ avoided
- about 43 t a year
Cautious case (top of the range, no export credit at all): payback about 3.2 years. Allowance: from ₱38,226 per kWp (our itemised rate for a 16-panel system) up to 30% more for three-phase switchgear, structural and engineering work. Net figures leave out inverter and battery replacement. Your price is confirmed in a custom proposal.
- Three-phase territory. Our listed Deye inverters are single-phase; the largest (SUN-10K) takes about 16 kWp of panels. A system this size, on the three-phase supply most businesses have, needs a custom design: your proposal confirms the equipment, whether we can supply it, and the price.
Request my business proposal
Too large for the instant calculator: a proposal starts from your bills and a site survey.
Estimates for planning, not a quote. Systems within our single-phase range are priced from our itemised component prices; larger ones use a planning allowance. Yield 1,350 kWh per kWp a year; exports credited at 55% of your rate (none above 100 kW); tariffs +3% a year; panel output −0.5% a year. Not included: maintenance, inverter or battery replacement, financing, VAT treatment and any change to demand charges.
Numbers look promising? A proposal replaces these estimates with your bills, a roof and switchboard survey, and an itemised price.
System sizing and roof considerations
What sets the size:
load, roof, supply and demand.
The dashboard sizes to your daytime load. On site, four checks decide what is actually installed.
620 W panels, about 6.2 m² of roof per kWp once setbacks, walkways and vents are allowed for (70% usable).
- 10 kWp16 panels · ≈60 m²
- 30 kWp48 panels · ≈190 m²
- 50 kWp81 panels · ≈310 m²
- 100 kWp161 panels · ≈620 m²
Almost any roof face works at Cebu’s latitude: in PVGIS, an east-facing 15° slope loses about 2% and a flat roof about 1% against the best angle.
Roof area and layout
Panels stay about a metre back from edges, ridges and corners unless the engineer’s calculation allows otherwise. Aircon condensers, water tanks and skylights take space; the site survey measures the real usable area.
Structure and typhoons
Clamps and fasteners fail before panels do, so the array is fixed through to the purlins and designed to the NSCP wind speed for your address. Re-roof first if the roof is near the end of its life. See our typhoon-ready installation guide and roof checklist.
Single- or three-phase supply
Most commercial services are three-phase; some are delta services with no neutral. Our listed Deye hybrids are single-phase (5–10 kW; the largest, the SUN-10K, takes about 16 kWp of panels). Larger and three-phase sites need a custom design: your proposal confirms the equipment, whether we can supply it, and the price.
Demand and peaks
Higher-voltage accounts pay ₱421–₱942 per kW of monthly peak demand in CEBECO I and III areas (Sep–Oct 2026). Solar lowers the kWh you buy, but one cloudy afternoon at your peak can still set the billed kW. Battery peak-shaving is modelled only from interval meter data.
Resorts on the coastSalt air shortens the life of connectors and frames. One major panel maker’s manual asks for at least 50 m from the shoreline, with extra connector protection from 50 to 500 m; we check the manual of the exact modules in your proposal before designing near the sea.
How much the grid can takeVECO and MECO guide tables allow about 30% of a transformer’s kVA in solar, CEBECO I about 40%. VECO’s October 2026 feeder table lists 11 of 65 feeders with no remaining capacity, so the utility’s free impact study decides what can be connected and exported at your address.
Financial return scenarios
Five illustrative businesses,
same maths as the dashboard.
Illustrations, not client projects. They use CEBECO tariffs because VECO’s business schedules are published only as images we couldn’t verify and MECO doesn’t publish one online; for Metro Cebu, use your own bill in the dashboard.
| Scenario | Office Carcar | Restaurant Moalboal | Beach resort southern Cebu | Workshop Toledo | Manufacturer Toledo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tariff assumed | CEBECO I low voltage, ₱14.27 | CEBECO I low voltage, ₱14.27 | CEBECO I low voltage, ₱14.27 | CEBECO III low voltage, about ₱14.11 | CEBECO III higher voltage, about ₱12.79 + ₱421/kW |
| Monthly bill | ₱80,000 | ₱120,000 | ₱350,000 | ₱150,000 | ₱900,000 |
| Opening pattern | 5 days a week, 80% by day | 7 days a week, 60% by day | 7 days a week, 45% by day | 6 days a week, 90% by day | 6 days a week, 90% by day |
| Suggested system | 38.4 kWp ≈240 m² of roof | 44.6 kWp ≈280 m² of roof | 88 kWp ≈550 m² of roof | 83.7 kWp ≈520 m² of roof | 473 kWp ≈2940 m² of roof |
| Planning allowance | ₱1.47M – ₱1.91M | ₱1.71M – ₱2.22M | ₱3.37M – ₱4.38M | ₱3.20M – ₱4.16M | ₱18.08M – ₱23.51M |
| Savings, year 1 | ₱659,000 69% of the bill | ₱803,000 56% of the bill | ₱1.55M 37% of the bill | ₱1.45M 80% of the bill | ₱6.46M 60% of the bill |
| Estimated payback | 2.2–2.8 years | 2.1–2.7 years | 2.1–2.8 years | 2.2–2.8 years | 2.7–3.5 years |
| Cautious case* | 3.3 years | 3.0 years | 3.1 years | 3.2 years | 3.5 years |
| Net after 25 years, before replacements | ₱20.56M – ₱21.00M | ₱25.16M – ₱25.67M | ₱48.31M – ₱49.32M | ₱45.11M – ₱46.07M | ₱196.64M – ₱202.06M |
*Top of the price range with no export credit at all (zero export, net metering not yet approved, or above 100 kW). The manufacturer scenario is over 100 kW, so its main case already credits no exports, and 15% of its bill is set aside as demand charges that solar is not assumed to reduce. Planning allowance: from ₱38,226 per kWp (our itemised rate for a 16-panel system) up to 30% more for three-phase switchgear, structural and engineering work. Payback includes 3% a year tariff growth and 0.5% a year panel degradation. Not included: maintenance, inverter or battery replacement, financing, VAT treatment.
With a battery for critical loads, the restaurant’s allowance rises to ₱1.91M – ₱2.43M and payback to 2.3–2.9 years: backup buys continuity, not savings.
Your utility
Metro Cebu businesses are mostly on VECO; Lapu-Lapu and Cordova, including Mactan’s resorts, are on MECO; Moalboal, Oslob and the south are CEBECO I; Danao, Bogo and the north are CEBECO II; Toledo and Balamban are CEBECO III. More in our solar guides.
See a version of this table built from your own bills, roof and supply.
Request a proposal for my buildingBattery backup for business continuity
Keep the till, the chillers
and the lights on.
Cebu’s brownouts land in business hours and the evening rush, with little warning. A battery protects the loads that cost you money when they stop.
During a rotational brownoutEvening, grid down
- Battery backup
- Generator (standby)
30Red alerts, 1 Jan–3 Sep 2026Plus 93 yellow alerts on the Visayas grid (NGCP via Daily Tribune, 3 Sep 2026); red alerts are when rotational brownouts are most likely
≈1 hrPer area, per rotationRed-alert windows ran 3–9 hours, mostly late afternoon and evening (BusinessMirror, SunStar, May–Sep 2026)
30 minTypical warningNGCP’s notice to utilities before manual load dropping (SunStar, 19 May 2026)
In May 2026, during VECO’s Interruptible Load Program, large users such as SM and Gaisano Country Mall ran on their own generators (SunStar, 14 May 2026). Typhoons are longer: five days after Tino in November 2025, about 7.4% of VECO customers were still without power. A Cebu energy summit in October 2026 heard that shortages are likely to continue through 2027, as SunStar reported it; Energy Secretary Garin said the solution “will be a 2028”.
Solar on its own does not help: a grid-tied inverter must shut down when the grid fails. A hybrid inverter with batteries keeps a separate critical-loads panel running from its backup output, while the rest of the building drops. For a 3 kW panel of essentials, two hours needs about 6 kWh, or 2 of our 5.12 kWh batteries (planning basis: about 3.69 kWh delivered each, and about 2.6 kW each for a typical 50 A module; the exact power rating is confirmed in your proposal). Read more in our battery backup guide and our battery vs generator comparison.
POS, network and CCTV
Small loads that stop sales and security when they drop. Desktop PCs still want a small UPS for the switchover.
Refrigeration and cold rooms
Chillers, freezers and vaccine fridges: the stock you lose in a long outage. Compressors need power headroom, not just energy.
Lighting and safety
Shop floor, corridors, exits and signage, so you stay open and safe through a rotation.
Pumps and generator start
Water pumps for hotels and resorts. For long outages, the inverter’s generator input can start a generator that has remote or automatic start; existing generators and transfer switches are checked in the survey.
Keep backup honestAircon on the backup circuit needs more battery modules for power, not just energy, and whole-building backup is rarely economic. Batteries in our dashboard are held in reserve for outages, so they add cost and continuity but no savings. Runtimes use 3.69 kWh delivered per 5.12 kWh battery until the exact battery model is confirmed in your proposal.
Procurement and implementation
From twelve months of bills
to switch-on.
What happens, in order, and who does what. Durations depend on your documents, the utility’s impact study and permits, and are confirmed in your proposal.
A commercial solar project, step by step
01 / 05Your buildingA visual guide
- Solar energy
- Grid supply
Chapter 01
Step 1 · Your bills
Start with how the building really uses power.
Twelve months of bills show your kWh, seasonal swings and any billed demand. Interval data from the meter is even better: it shows the daytime base load the array is sized to.
- We take care of
- Reading the bills, estimating your load profile and a first sizing.
- Your part
- Bills or meter data, opening hours, and the loads that must stay on in a brownout.
A first estimate of size, savings and payback
Chapter 02
Step 2 · Roof and switchboard
Check the roof, the structure and the supply.
We look at roof area, age, purlins and shading, the supply type (single- or three-phase, wye or delta), switchboard space, transformer details and any generator already on site.
- We take care of
- The roof and electrical survey, measurements and photos.
- Your part
- Access to the roof, the switchboard and the meter.
A design that fits the building
Chapter 03
Step 3 · Engineering
A custom proposal, sized to your daytime load.
The proposal sets out the array, the inverters (for a three-phase site, whether we can supply the equipment), any batteries and the critical-loads panel, the production and savings estimate with its assumptions, and an itemised price. Warranty terms are confirmed in the proposal.
- We take care of
- Design, layout, mounting and electrical plans, itemised pricing.
- Your part
- Choose the scope: savings only, or savings plus backup.
A price you can compare line by line
Chapter 04
Step 4 · LGU and utility
Permits, net metering and the impact study.
Plans signed and sealed by a Professional Electrical Engineer go to the city or municipality for the electrical permit and certificate of final inspection. The utility then runs its free impact study and processes net metering for systems up to 100 kW.
- We take care of
- The permit and net-metering paperwork included in the estimate.
- Your part
- Signatures and business documents the utility asks for.
Approval to connect and export
Chapter 05
Step 5 · Install and handover
Installation, testing and after-sales support.
Installation, configuration and testing, then handover: how the system behaves day, night and in a brownout, and what to check. After-sales support follows handover.
- We take care of
- Installation, configuration, testing and after-sales support.
- Your part
- Agree a work schedule that keeps your business running.
Solar supplying your daytime load
At your pace. Select any chapter.
Ways to pay
Buy it, borrow for it,
or buy the power instead.
Three common commercial models, described neutrally. Compare each against the cash price of the same system.
| Question | Outright purchase | Bank or equipment loan | Solar PPA (third-party owned) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns the system | Your business | Your business (the lender may hold security) | The developer, on your roof |
| Upfront cost | The full price | A down payment, if any | Usually none |
| What you pay over time | Nothing, apart from upkeep | Loan repayments with interest | A price per kWh for the solar you use, for the contract term |
| Who keeps the savings | All of them | All of them, less interest | The gap between your grid rate and the PPA rate |
| Maintenance and insurance | You arrange it | You arrange it | Usually the developer, per the contract |
| What to check | Itemised price, warranties, after-sales terms | Effective interest rate, term, fees and security; terms vary by lender | Rate and escalation, term, buy-out and roof clauses; PPA prices are not published |
Our proposals price outright purchase, so you always have a cash figure to compare a loan or PPA against. The GSIS solar loan reported in 2026 is for government employees, not businesses.
Comparing proposals from several installers? Line them up item by item.
How to compare solar quotesPermits and net metering
The paperwork,
and the 100 kW line.
Rules current as of 16 October 2026. Legal maximum times, not promises: real timing depends on complete documents and the impact study.
- Electrical permitFrom the city or municipality, on plans sealed by a Professional Electrical Engineer. Within 3 working days under JMC 001 s. 2026, with deemed approval if late.
- Certificate of final inspectionAfter installation, within 7 working days under JMC 001 s. 2026.
- Utility applicationThe ERC’s September 2025 advisory limits the core requirements to the application form, the certificate of final inspection, the amended net-metering agreement and the ₱1,500 ERC certificate fee. CEBECO I also lists business documents and, if applicable, a building permit for commercial applicants. We prepare the technical pack the utility needs for its impact study.
- Impact study, testing and meterThe impact study and testing are free of charge. You pay any difference between your old and new (bidirectional) meter: at most ₱3,000 for homes, while the utility confirms the figure for business accounts. Processing within 10 working days while the national energy emergency (EO 110) remains in force, 20 under the standing rule.
Above 100 kW
Self-consumption first
Net metering doesn’t apply. ERC’s distributed-energy-resource rules (reported in 2022) cover larger systems; July 2026 proposals to change them are not in force. Many sites design for zero export. Large users can also contract renewable supply under the Green Energy Option (RA 9513 §9).
Custom engineering assessment
What we check
before we price it.
Every commercial site is different. This is what the assessment covers, and what you should expect to see in writing.
Load
- 12 months of kWh and any billed demand
- Interval or logger data, where available
- Opening hours, closed days and seasonal peaks
- Critical loads for backup
Roof
- Usable area, orientation and shading
- Roof age, sheeting and purlins
- Access, walkways and setbacks
- Coastal and wind exposure
Electrical
- Single- or three-phase; wye or delta
- Main switchboard space and protection
- Transformer size and ownership
- Existing generator and transfer switch
Utility
- Net metering (≤100 kW) or self-consumption
- Hosting capacity on your transformer and feeder
- Impact study requirements
- Tariff class and demand charges
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Questions business
owners often ask.
Short answers to common objections. Every figure is dated; where something is an estimate, it says so.
01Is commercial solar worth it for a business in Cebu?
For most businesses that use much of their power in daylight, yes. Solar you use on site avoids the energy rate on your bill: about ₱14.1–₱14.3 per kWh for low-voltage business accounts in CEBECO I and III areas (Sep–Oct 2026). VECO’s and MECO’s business rates aren’t published in a form we could verify; their household rates were VECO ₱14.89 and MECO ₱15.98 (Sep 2026), so use the energy rate on your own bill. Exported solar is credited at the utility’s generation charge, roughly 55–65% of the rate. Offices, clinics, schools, workshops and daytime shops usually use most of what a right-sized roof makes.
Recent national estimates put commercial rooftop payback at about 2.3 years (Ember, May 2026) to 3 years (PSSEA, October 2026). Your own figure depends on your daytime load, tariff, demand charges, roof and supply, so treat any payback as an estimate until a proposal is built from your bills.
02How much does a commercial solar system cost?
It depends on size, supply and site. Up to about 16 kWp on a single-phase supply, our dashboard prices the system from our itemised component prices (panels, Deye hybrid inverter, mounting, installation, permits and net-metering paperwork), shown ±8%. Larger and three-phase systems get a planning allowance instead: from ₱38,226 per kWp, our itemised rate for a 16-panel system, up to 30% more for three-phase switchgear, structural and engineering work. On that basis a 30 kWp system’s planning allowance (not a quote) is about ₱1.15M – ₱1.49M.
Long cable runs, structural work and batteries all change the figure, so the price you approve comes from a custom proposal after a site survey. Ask every installer, us included, to state exactly what is included and how VAT is treated.
03Will solar reduce our demand charges?
Don’t count on it. Higher-voltage business accounts pay a monthly charge for each kW of peak demand: ₱942 per kW at CEBECO I (Sep 2026) and about ₱421 per kW at CEBECO III (Oct 2026). One cloudy interval during your peak can set the month’s billed kW, so solar alone may not lower it.
Batteries can be programmed to shave peaks, but that should only be modelled from your interval meter data. Our dashboard sets demand charges aside and counts energy savings only.
04Can solar keep our business open during brownouts?
Only with a hybrid inverter and batteries. A grid-tied solar system must switch off when the grid fails (anti-islanding protection), even at noon. With a hybrid inverter, the circuits wired to its backup output, usually a separate critical-loads panel for POS, network, refrigeration and lighting, keep running from the battery while the rest of the building goes dark.
For long outages, such as the days after a typhoon, a generator can be connected to the inverter’s generator input and, if it has remote or automatic start, started by the inverter. Existing generators and transfer switches are checked in the site survey.
05What happens if our system is bigger than 100 kW?
Net metering in the Philippines covers renewable systems up to 100 kW (RA 9513; ERC Resolution No. 15, 2025). Above that, exports are not credited under net metering. ERC’s distributed-energy-resource rules, reported in 2022, cover larger systems, and proposals published in July 2026 to change the rules are not yet in force.
Many larger sites size for self-consumption or zero export instead. We look at the route and the utility’s impact study early in the proposal, and our dashboard credits no exports above 100 kW.
06Do we need three-phase equipment?
Most commercial supplies are three-phase, and some are delta services with no neutral; the site survey records which you have. Our listed Deye hybrids are single-phase (5 to 10 kW), which suits smaller shops and offices on a single-phase supply.
Deye also makes three-phase hybrids: low-voltage models up to 20 kW and high-voltage models from 5 to 125 kW per unit (the high-voltage models use high-voltage batteries, not our 5.12 kWh 48 V modules). Larger and three-phase sites need a custom design: your proposal confirms the equipment, whether we can supply it, and the price.
07What do you need from us for a proposal?
Twelve months of electricity bills (with kWh, and kW demand if it’s billed), or interval data from your meter if you have it; your opening hours and days; the loads that must stay on during brownouts; roof photos or plans; and whether you already have a generator.
We then survey the roof structure, shading, supply type and switchboard before we price anything.
08Our roof is old, or we’re near the sea. Can we still go solar?
Often, but check first. If the roof will need replacing within a few years, replace it before the panels go on, because removing and refitting an array costs money. Panels must be fixed through to the purlins, not just the roof sheet, and designed to the NSCP wind speed for your site.
Near the coast, module makers set limits: one major manufacturer’s manual asks for at least 50 m from the shoreline, with extra connector protection up to 500 m. Our typhoon-ready installation guide covers mounting in detail.
THREE WAYS TO MOVE FORWARD
Your building,
your numbers.
Request a proposal built from your own bills, run the instant calculator if you’re a smaller single-phase site, or ask a question first. No obligation either way.
Route B
Request a commercial solar proposal
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Tell us about your business and your average bill. If you have them, 12 months of bills or meter data let us size the system to your real daytime load before the site survey.
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ROUTE A · INSTANT ESTIMATE
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Let’s start with your electricity bill.
Choose your usual monthly bill. An estimate is all you need.
Using VECO at ₱14.89/kWh · Sep 2026. You can change your provider later.
About 30 seconds · No obligation
Sources & assumptions
Reviewed 16 October 2026 · Estimates use our own prices and constants from the site calculator
Sources & assumptions
Reviewed 16 October 2026 · Estimates use our own prices and constants from the site calculator
- ERC Resolution No. 15, s. 2025: Amended Net-Metering Rules (copy hosted by Visayan Electric) (opens in a new tab)
Issued 27 Aug 2025. 100 kW cap (§4(c)); exports priced at the generation charge (§13); impact study at no charge (§17).
- Republic Act No. 9513, Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (opens in a new tab)
§4(j) net metering up to 100 kW; §9 Green Energy Option.
- CEBECO I, “Other Customer Class” rates, September 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Low voltage ₱14.2733/kWh + ₱88.32/month; higher voltage ₱12.0067/kWh + ₱942.23/kW. VAT inclusion not stated.
- CEBECO III rate schedule, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Posted 9 Oct 2026. Low-voltage all-in about ₱14.05–₱14.19/kWh and higher-voltage about ₱12.79/kWh + ₱420.71/kW are our sums of the published line items.
- Visayan Electric newsroom (residential rate, September 2026) (opens in a new tab)
₱14.89/kWh at 200 kWh. Business schedules are published only as images; we did not use them.
- MECO rates (residential average, September 2026) (opens in a new tab)
₱15.98/kWh, posted 1 Oct 2026. No commercial schedule published online.
- Ember: How the Philippines’ rooftop solar surge can flip the energy emergency script (opens in a new tab)
28 May 2026. Commercial payback 2.3 years (Meralco tariffs).
- Daily Tribune: High power costs shorten solar payback (opens in a new tab)
5 Oct 2026. PSSEA/APVIA: commercial 3.0, industrial 3.1, residential 4.0 years.
- SunStar: Solar project aims to cut CH power costs by P150M (opens in a new tab)
4 Jun 2026. Cebu City Hall rooftop project (not a Cheap Solar Cebu project).
- Chan et al., office energy audit, ASEAN Engineering Journal 11(1) (opens in a new tab)
16 Mar 2021. Air-conditioning 63% of consumption across eight offices in one building.
- Deye hybrid inverter catalogue (opens in a new tab)
Accessed 16 Oct 2026. Single-phase SG04LP1/SG05LP1; three-phase LV SG05LP3 up to 20 kW; HV SG01HP3/SG02HP3 5–125 kW.
- Deye SUN-3–6K-SG04LP1 user manual (opens in a new tab)
27 Apr 2026. Backup (LOAD) output, GEN port with generator start signal, peak-shaving settings.
- Daily Tribune: Visayas grid logs 123 alerts as supply falters (opens in a new tab)
3 Sep 2026. 93 yellow and 30 red alerts since 1 Jan 2026 (NGCP).
- BusinessMirror: Cebu rotational brownouts on 3rd day (opens in a new tab)
15 May 2026. About one hour per area; red alert 5–9 p.m.
- SunStar: Rolling blackouts hit parts of Cebu (opens in a new tab)
14 May 2026. Large users ran their own generators under VECO’s Interruptible Load Program.
- SunStar: Visayas power grid teeters on ‘very slim’ reserves (opens in a new tab)
19 May 2026. About 30 minutes’ warning before manual load dropping.
- SunStar: Power risks persist (Cebu Energy Summit) (opens in a new tab)
12 Oct 2026. Shortages likely through 2027 (SunStar’s report); Sec. Garin: “it will be a 2028”.
- SunStar: Visayan Electric, 93% of Metro Cebu now back on power (opens in a new tab)
9 Nov 2025. About 7.4% of customers still without power five days after Typhoon Tino.
- DOE fast-tracks net metering under EO 110 (opens in a new tab)
1 Apr 2026. 10 working days for utilities while the emergency lasts; 3 for LGU permits.
- DOE–DILG–DPWH Joint Memorandum Circular on net-metering permits (opens in a new tab)
JMC 001 s. 2026: electrical permit within 3 working days, CFEI within 7, deemed approval if late.
- CEBECO II posting of the ERC advisory to on-grid utilities (opens in a new tab)
22 Sep 2025. Four documents only; ₱1,500 COC fee.
- CEBECO I: What is the Net-Metering Program (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
16 Sep 2025. Hosting capacity 40% of transformer kVA; commercial applicants add business documents and a building permit if applicable.
- Visayan Electric: hosting capacity per substation and feeder (opens in a new tab)
Table dated 15 Oct 2026: 11 of 65 feeders listed at 0.00 MW.
- pv magazine: Philippines raises size limit for renewables to 1 MW (DER rules) (opens in a new tab)
29 Nov 2022. Reported terms; no resolution number given.
- pv magazine: Philippines proposes updates to net-metering (opens in a new tab)
13 Jul 2026. Proposals only.
- PVGIS 5.3, Cebu City (opens in a new tab)
Run 16 Oct 2026: about 1,420 kWh per kWp a year; we use a cautious 1,350.
- DOE National Grid Emission Factor (opens in a new tab)
Reviewed 10 Sep 2026. Luzon-Visayas 2022–2024: 0.73–0.74 t CO₂/MWh; we use 0.7.
- JinkoSolar installation manual for PV modules (opens in a new tab)
v23.12.10. At least 50 m from the shore; extra connector protection 50–500 m.
- Republic Act No. 7920, Electrical Engineering Law (opens in a new tab)
Electrical plans must be signed and sealed by a Professional Electrical Engineer.
Your next step
Start with twelve
months of bills.
Send your average bill now and the bills or meter data when you have them. We’ll come back with a proposal sized to your daytime load, with the assumptions shown.
YOUR NEXT QUESTION
Keep planning
Each guide answers one question properly, with the numbers and sources behind it.