*The contents of this blog were updated on May 19, 2026. 

Modeling net energy metering and net billing policies has traditionally required time-consuming manual configuration, especially as utilities introduce increasingly complex tariff structures and export compensation rules. The introduction of the NEM program feature in ETB Developer simplifies this process by providing users with access to pre-built, utility-specific configurations that accurately reflect real-world NEM and net billing structures, eliminating the need for manual setup or interpretation.

Figure 1: A List of Selectable NEM Programs for a Utility 

This update is designed to improve accuracy and efficiency for teams working with energy storage modeling tools, particularly in markets like California, where policies such as NEM 3.0 (Net Billing Tariff) significantly impact project economics. By embedding standardized NEM programs directly into ETB Developer, users can more quickly model solar and storage scenarios, reduce configuration errors, and produce more consistent, policy-aligned financial results.

What This Means for Users Modeling California’s NEM 3.0

ETB Developer users modeling California’s NEM 3.0 know that we had dedicated NEM 3.0 versions of each California Investor-Owned Utility and Community Choice Aggregation. After this new feature release, the NEM 3.0 versions of these utilities are no longer necessary. These NEM 3.0 utilities will be merged with their standard versions and their rate schedules won’t be updated.

Moving forward, users will simply select the standard version of a California utility then select a NBT (Net Billing Tariff) program to model NEM 3.0 scenarios. The NBT program contains export rates based on the Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC) values provided by the California Public Utilities Commission at the time the program is created and will be updated every time the ACC values update as well. 

Figure 2: Select the Standard Version of a California Utility and a NBT Program to Model NEM 3.0 

NEM Programs in ETB Developer vs Manual Configuration

Benefits of ETB-Defined NEM Programs

This new feature is helpful for several reasons. First, you no longer need to spend time setting up the NEM configurations yourself since they are all pre-built and ready to go.

Secondly, now that these NEM programs are maintained by our Utility Rate team, you can expect and rely on the same high level of accuracy that they bring to rate schedules but now for NEM programs too. Lastly, the ease of selecting different NEM Programs simplifies modeling the economics of rate switches and the impact of policy changes, allowing you to contrast different scenarios with fewer inputs.

Here you can find a brief video that further explains this new feature.  

We hope our users find these NEM Programs useful, and if you aren’t a current ETB Developer user, then there has never been a better time to start! Try it out today by signing up for a 14-Day Free Trial and take your solar and energy storage projects to the next level.