Net metering is a billing rule. When your solar makes more power than the house uses, the extra can go back to the grid, and the utility credits you for it.

That rule changes by state, by utility, and over time. It is useful when the grid is up. It does nothing when the grid is down.

What net metering does not cover

An outage turns a grid-tied solar system into a system that may sit idle. Many inverters shut down when the utility is gone, unless the home also has a battery and the right islanding setup.

Even then, the battery has a limit. Battery-only backup averages ~11 hours. Solar can recharge it on a clear day. It cannot be the only assumption behind a long outage.

Where Redde sits in the stack

Redde is not a net-metering product. It does not replace solar, and it does not change how your utility credits exported power.

It sits beside the battery. When the charge starts running low – at night, in a storm, or on a stretch of cloudy days – Redde turns on, tops the battery off, and shuts back down. It runs on propane or natural gas.

Solar can still do the easy days. Net metering can still handle the extra kilowatt-hours when the grid is up. Redde is the piece that keeps the battery from running out when neither of those is available.

How to think about the whole plan

Use solar for generation when the sun is out. Use net metering for the credits, if your utility still offers them. Use the battery for the first hours of an outage. Use Redde for the hours after that.

Energy strategy is not one device. It is knowing which part of the system does which job.