LH launches first solar net-metering program for apartment complexes; monthly maintenance fees to fall by an additional 8,000 won

[Financial News] Surplus electricity generated by solar panels at apartment complexes is expected to further reduce rental housing residents’ monthly maintenance fees by around 8,000 won.
According to Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) on the 3rd, net metering is a system under which customers with solar power generation facilities send the electricity they produce but do not use to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), and that amount is deducted from the electricity they draw from KEPCO. The system makes it possible to use solar power more efficiently and return the economic value of surplus electricity to residents through lower maintenance fees. LH expects that, once the effects of net metering are added to the electricity costs already saved through self-consumption, households at Sanul Maeul Complex 4 will save an additional average of about 8,000 won per month.
The first complex to apply the system, Sanul Maeul Complex 4 in Block M1 of Sejong City’s 6-3 living zone, is public rental housing comprising 238 Happy Housing units. It is the first complex built by LH to receive ZEB Grade 3 certification. Solar power generation facilities with a total capacity of 246 kW have been installed throughout the complex, and installed capacity per household is 1,035 W—about 70% higher than at complexes rated ZEB Grade 5. Average monthly solar power generation reaches 49.1% of average monthly electricity consumption, meaning the complex generates around half the electricity it uses.
The initiative is drawing attention as ZEB certification standards become more stringent. Public apartment complexes have been required to obtain ZEB Grade 5 certification since 2023. Private apartment complexes, too, must meet the energy performance level of ZEB Grade 5 if they apply for approval of their project plans after June 30, 2025. As more complexes install solar facilities, how they convert power generation into lower maintenance fees could become a factor in determining the benefits residents receive.
In consultation with KEPCO, LH is identifying complexes rated ZEB Grade 5 or higher where net metering is feasible and considering incorporating the necessary facilities. It plans to continue expanding the program to more complexes after assessing the conditions and operational results at each site.
Park Hyeon-geun, head of LH’s Public Housing Division, said, “We will use electricity generated by solar power efficiently to reduce residents’ maintenance-fee burden and help them experience the benefits of energy savings in their daily lives,” adding, “We will continue to pursue related projects to contribute to the government’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and advance the transition to decarbonization.”

[email protected] Jeong Gyeong-su Reporter