They are allowing the installers to attach the new inverter cabling between the meter and the main breaker, so the meter does see the solar output going to the grid. But the horror to me is the connection method being allowed which is an insulation displacement / piercing connector that is starting to make news here due to fires that it causes. This helps retrofit installations, but it is dangerous in my opinion as seasoned a power electronics guy.
It's quite different in the UK to the US. We have NEVER had "net metering". In fact "net metering" is 100% illegal with up to 5 years in prison. "Backing, slowing, or rewinding a meter is a criminal offence." That includes generating power on your consumer side with a generator or solar system.
In the US, as I understand it, until regulations have begun to tighten, "net billing" and even "meter back winding" and "negative" bills where the most common. If you consumed 1MWh and generated 2MWh the electric retailer ended up paying you. I believe the first punch in the fight came from retailers leveing "standard rate charges" on people.
In the UK to legally "push" to the grid you need a proper feed tariff meter that will record both incoming and outgoing separately. So the solar power you use up locally is invisible to it, however if you start pushing current outward overall, it will record this on a separate register.
The bill is then assessed on what you consumed at the tariff rate and what you produced at the "feed in tariff rate". The two are combined to get your net bill. Standard chargers etc are then added.
Without a fancy tarif and a lot of hunting a typical setup here might be that "I pay 23p per kwh consumed.", "I am paid 7p per kwh I produce".
Some people rage over this. I don't as I have worked on the layer between retailer and distribution where the "per kwh figure" is broken down into what it constitutes. The actual cost of the electric and it's generation is a small fraction of that figure. A large part is in "Distribution and transmission costs" and other fees and levies. This makes sense if you consider from the generation, transmission, distribution point of view, once that is in place, the generator is running, the running costs of fuel per kwh is tiny. Getting it up and running, keeping it running and keeping it responsive to the demand is the largest part of the cost. Of course the retailer is paying 40% of what they are charging you, however, retail isn't a 'free to operate business' call centres are expensive etc.
It should be fairly obvious that more financial tom foolery happens. After I get paid 7p per kwh those kwh are aggregated by the retailer into what is known as a ROC, which IIRC is a MWh of renewable energy. So when they collect enough generated kwh they can "sell" that ROC on the market. Which market depends, but I believe the UK still has access to the wider european energy markets which ROCs are traded like comodities with Buy side and Sell side... and prospectors in the middle. The thing that strikes me is that a "Buy side" company in this case might be another retailer who will then sell those kwh to customers are "Green energy" at a higher tarif rate. What is odd about it is, the energy generated, has been generated and consumed LONG ago, days ago, maybe weeks before it's "sold" to someone else to use as if it were "Green". Like a consumer with a smart meter might be told on a grey, damp, calm winter morning that it's "Big green tick" "Green renewables available", while absolutely none are being generated.
EDIT. A point that might be worth raising is that the UK originally had state operated power. It was split up in the 90s I believe into layers with the generation, transmission, billing, retailing all being separated out to encourage competition and of course privatise most of it.
The downside for consumers is that now there is not one organisation trying to stick the arm in to get profit while cutting service, you have a chain of 3 or 4 all adding their own little part of the pie for themeslves all paid for by the consumers. A right little gravy train. When I worked in the billing side I followed the money down to the "core wholesale cost per kwh" which was 0.12p. Consumers were being charged 15p.
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