LH launches first net-metering program at public housing complex, saving residents 8,000 won a month

Korea Land and Housing Corporation announced Tuesday it will introduce net-metering — a system that offsets electricity bills using surplus solar power — at Sanul Maeul Complex 4 in Sejong's 6-3 residential zone, Block M1. It is the first time the state housing developer has applied the scheme at any of its apartment complexes.

Surplus power refers to electricity generated by solar panels that remains after a complex's own consumption needs are met.

Sanul Maeul Complex 4 is a public rental housing development of 238 Happy Housing units and the first complex in LH's portfolio to achieve Zero Energy Building (ZEB) Grade 3 certification. The complex is equipped with 246 kilowatts of solar generation capacity — about 70 percent more per unit, at 1,035 watts, than a ZEB Grade 5 complex. Monthly solar output covers roughly half of the complex's average electricity consumption, at about 49.1 percent.

Under the net-metering system, customers with solar installations supply any power left over after self-consumption to Korea Electric Power Corporation, which then offsets that surplus against the electricity it supplies back to the complex. The arrangement raises the utilization rate of solar-generated power and translates the economic value of surplus electricity into lower maintenance fees for residents.

Combined with existing savings from self-consumption, the net-metering scheme is expected to cut each household's monthly maintenance fees by an additional average of about 8,000 won ($6).

LH is working with Korea Electric Power Corporation to identify ZEB Grade 5 or higher complexes eligible for net-metering and to incorporate the necessary equipment. The corporation plans to review operating results at each site and gradually expand the program to more complexes.

"We will make efficient use of solar-generated electricity to ease the maintenance fee burden on residents and let them feel the benefits of energy savings in their daily lives," said Park Hyeon-geun, head of LH's public housing division. "We will continue to push forward related projects to contribute to the government's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and the transition away from carbon."

Meanwhile, LH has been pursuing a range of eco-friendly and ESG (environmental, social and governance) initiatives under its goal of "achieving 2050 carbon neutrality through the creation of eco-friendly residential spaces."