FY2026 Renewable Energy Surcharge Set at JPY 4.18 per kWh, Applied from May 2026 ReadingsThe "renewable energy surcharge" in your electricity bill is now 4.18 yen
On March 19, 2026, METI announced that the FY2026 renewable energy surcharge is JPY 4.18 per kWh. It applies to electricity bills from the May 2026 meter reading through the April 2027 reading. For a model customer using 400 kWh a month, the burden is JPY 1,672 a month, or JPY 20,064 a year.
- Usage
- 400 kWh/month
- x Surcharge rate
- JPY 4.18/kWh
- Monthly guide
- JPY 1,672 (JPY 20,064 a year)
Key points
- The rate is set in light of renewable energy deployment and wholesale power market prices: JPY 4.18 per kWh for FY2026
- It applies to bills from the May 2026 meter reading through the April 2027 reading
- Assumptions used: purchase costs JPY 4.8507 trillion, avoidable costs JPY 1.6495 trillion, electricity sales 766.5 billion kWh (FY2025 assumptions: JPY 4.8540 trillion, JPY 1.7906 trillion, 770.8 billion kWh)
- For the model customer (400 kWh a month, a typical household based on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications household survey), the burden is JPY 1,672 a month and JPY 20,064 a year
What to do in practice
- Check on your electricity bill that the surcharge rate from the May 2026 reading onward is JPY 4.18 per kWh
- Estimate the annual surcharge by multiplying monthly usage by JPY 4.18 and include it in the electricity budget
The money used to buy electricity made by solar and similar sources is collected little by little from everyone's electricity bills. This is the "renewable energy surcharge". For FY2026 it is JPY 4.18 per kWh, used from the May 2026 bill through the April 2027 bill.
Points
- JPY 4.18 is charged for every kWh of electricity used
- For a typical household (400 kWh a month), that is JPY 1,672 a month
- The amount stays the same from the May 2026 reading to the April 2027 reading
What the words mean
- Renewable energy surcharge
- Money that everyone who uses electricity shares to pay for buying power from solar, wind and similar sources
- Meter reading
- Checking how much electricity was used
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) / Agency for Natural Resources and Energy: METI: FIT/FIP purchase prices from FY2026 and the FY2026 surcharge rate set (March 19, 2026)
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