Getting Started

Residential Renewable Energy Solutions

UI residential customers with solar panels can earn incentives for the clean energy they generate. Through Residential Renewable Energy Solutions, you can sell both the power you generate from your residential solar installation and any renewable energy certificates (RECs) to UI.

How It Works

To get started, you should contact a licensed Connecticut solar installer. The installer will work with you to design your system and submit your application to UI.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Residential Renewable Energy Solutions, you must:

• Be a current or future electric customer of UI
• Live in or own a 1-4 family property
• Not be approved for or already receiving an incentive under the Connecticut Green Bank’s Residential Solar Incentive Program
• Be installing a system sized ≤ 25 kW
  (Systems with battery storage are eligible.)
• Have had or have scheduled a Home Energy Solutions, Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible, other qualifying assessment.

For more information about whether solar is right for you, please visit gosolarCT.com

Energy Storage Solutions Program Information

As you are considering solar for your home, you should also learn about the benefits of adding battery storage to your system. Installing a battery in your home can help you be prepared when extreme weather events are on the horizon. Batteries can provide backup power when the electricity goes out to keep your lights, small appliances, and medical equipment running without the need to run an onsite generator. Plus, batteries work even better when you pair them to a new or existing solar PV system, allowing batteries to recharge with the sun’s energy. There is a program called Energy Storage Solutions designed to help you reduce the cost of installing batteries through upfront and performance-based incentives. Learn more about this program at energystoragect.com.

Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions

UI residential customers > 25 kW and non-residential customers with solar or fuel cell technology can earn incentives for the clean energy they generate. Through Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions, you can sell both the power you generate from your residential solar installation and any renewable energy certificates (RECs) to UI.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions, you must:

• Be a current or future electric customer of UI. (The Customer must be currently, or in the case of New Construction, in the future, the Customer of Record with UI as part of the application).
• Not be approved for or already receiving funding, grants or rebates under the Connecticut Green Bank (“CT Green Bank”) or any of its predecessors, the LREC/ZREC Program, any Shared Clean Energy Facility (“SCEF”) Program, any net metering or virtual net metering Program, any other PA 19-35 tariffs, any other PA 18-50 tariffs, any PA 21-162 tariffs, any other contract or Program of any kind in which UI purchases the Project’s energy, capacity or renewable attributes.
• Certify that the project is not on a Shared Clean Energy Facility site, that the project has not received an agreement under the LREC/ZREC Program or is not currently a Not In-Service LREC/ZREC project, and that the project has not been split to qualify for a different size category.
• Projects not to exceed 2,000 kW Nameplate Capacity for zero emission resources or 2,000 kW nameplate capacity for low emission resources.
• Projects must meet the emission requirements for low emission and zero emission technologies and must qualify as a Class I renewable energy source.
• Each Project must be located at a Project Site in United Illuminating’s service territory and be interconnected at or behind UI’s Delivery Point.
• Projects proposed must seek and gain approval to interconnect to UI’s distribution system to which such system is interconnecting through the standard UI interconnection process and be metered by UI. Projects must meet Distribution Company Guidelines for Interconnection.

If there is an existing Project using the same class of technology at the same Project Site which was selected under this Program, the SCEF Program, or the LREC/ZREC Program with an agreement that was in effect prior to the submission of a Bid under a particular procurement year for this Program, a Bid for a new Project of the same class of technology will only be allowed if the existing Project is in-service or if a one-year calendar period has expired following termination of the existing tariff agreement.

The Bidder must certify site control to UI prior to submitting such Bid.

• The total generation Bid for all awards cannot exceed the highest load over the five years prior to the date of Bid submission (does not include State, Municipal and Agricultural Customers).
• Projects may not be determined by UI to have been “split,” or otherwise divided or arranged, into smaller Bids or separate Projects, to qualify at a smaller size tier, or to allow a Project over 2,000 kW.

Any subdivision of parcels must be recorded on the land records of the municipality in which such parcel is located prior to January 1 of the year of the solicitation. If multiple Bids are received for a parcel of land that was not subdivided before January 1 of the year of the solicitation to which the Bidder is responding, or for which a subdivision was not recorded with the municipality in which such parcel is located prior to January 1 of the year of the solicitation, only the lowest priced Bids, meeting the above requirements, will be eligible and all other Bids will be disqualified.

• Only one Bid may be submitted per revenue meter, in a single solicitation. In other words, an applicant may only submit a bid under either the buy-all or netting tariff.

Projects must be constructed after the solicitation to which the Customer is responding

Additional eligibility details are provided in the Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions Program Rules and RFP documents.

It is important to evaluate and understand how distributed generation can work for you, the technologies available, the benefits and costs associated with installing a generating facility.

Incentive Options

On your application, you'll be able to select from two incentive compensation options: Buy-All or Netting. Each is designed to provide a similar return on investment. You may also qualify for additional income-based incentives.

Buy-All Incentive

With the Buy-All Incentive, you will export all power that your system produces to the electric grid without first suppling power to your home.

If you choose this option:

1. We will purchase power from you at a rate approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA)
2. You'll receive compensation as either an on-bill credit to offset your monthly bill or a cash payment once per quarter. You may specify a percentage of your compensation to be split between the two options. Any quarterly off bill direct payment (ach OR check) must go to a third party that is not the account holder.
3. You will purchase the electricity you need to power your home directly from UI
4. Any on-bill credits not used to offset your bill can be cashed out once annually

Current Residential incentive rate

The 2023 current Buy-All Incentive rate is $0.2943 per kWh. This rate includes the REC value. Once enrolled, your incentive rate is locked in for a 20-year term.

Current Non-Residential Incentive Rate

For the Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions Program, the 2023 current Buy-All price cap is $199.82/MWh. The Small Zero Emission Tariff Rate 2023 is also $199.82/MWh. Your tariff rate is locked in for a 20-year term once approved by PURA.

What is the Buy-All Incentive Tariff Payment Beneficiary?

A Tariff Payment Beneficiary is an individual or entity designated by a System Owner to receive tariff-related Direct Payments (not “on-bill” credits). For the Buy-All Incentive, a a Tariff Payment Beneficiary can be designated to receive a percentage of the total Buy-All incentive. The Buy-All Tariff Payment Beneficiary must be a third party. Additional information about designating a Tariff Payment Beneficiary can be found here.

Meter setup

With the Buy-All Incentive, your power generation and consumption are measured using separate meters installed at your home. There is a fee for the installation of the new production meter required for this incentive. Fees are found on our Application page. Please see the Metering Diagrams and Metering Guidelines for additional details.

Netting Incentive

With the Netting Incentive, you'll first supply power from the system to your home and only export excess power to the electric grid.

Current incentive rate

The Netting Incentive is comprised of 2 components:

1. The current retail rate, which is applied to excess power produced by your system and is applied as a credit on your bill.
2. The Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) incentive rate, which is applied as a quarterly "off bill" direct payment and is set by PURA. UI's 2023 REC incentive rate is $0, therefore the total netting incentive rate for UI customers is the current retail rate.

If you choose this option:

1. Power produced by your system, but not consumed within the month, is "netted" at the same rate you pay UI for electricity
2. Net credits are applied to your bill in dollars and will be used to offset future customer, supply, and delivery charges
3. Any excess credits can be carried over each month and cashed out if you stop electric service
4. Once enrolled, your compensation rate (in dollars per kilowatt hour) for net production will fluctuate with the prevailing retail rate over a 20-year term

What are Renewable Energy Certificates?

A REC is generated for each megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity that your system generates regardless of whether you use the energy, or it is exported to the electric grid.

The Residential incentive rate for projects signing up for the program in 2023 in UI service territory is $0.0/kWh. This rate is set by the state annually and remains the same for an applicant for 20 years.

The Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions program is a competitive bid process. The Buy-All bid cap is $199.82/MWh, for the Netting bid cap, please refer to our NRES website Table 2 - UI Year 3 NRES Program Netting Tariff Rate and Price Caps by Project Size Category, Rate Class, Technology, and Project Type ($/REC).

What is the Netting Incentive Tariff Payment Beneficiary?

A Tariff Payment Beneficiary is an individual or entity designated by a System Owner to receive tariff-related Direct REC Payments, including any incentive Adders. For the Netting Tariff, the Payment Beneficiary may, but is not required to be, the System Owner or the Customer of Record. Additional information about designating a Tariff Payment Beneficiary, as well as the required forms, can be found here.

Meter setup

With the Netting Incentive, you’ll receive a new meter that measures how much energy you consume and how much is exported to the grid. You'll also receive a second meter to measure the energy produced by your solar installation. There is a fee for the installation of the new production meter required for this incentive. Fees are found on the Application page. Please see the Metering Diagrams and Metering Guidelines for additional details.

Additional Income-Based Incentives

You may be eligible for an additional incentive for either the Buy-All or Netting incentive structure if your income is at or below 60% of the state median income (Non-Residential does not use the state median income criteria) or if your solar installation is in an economically-distressed community, or if your project is located on a brownfield or landfill. You can only receive one additional incentive. If either of these adders is selected, the incentive value will be added to the $0 REC incentive, and therefore will be payable as the REC incentive to qualifying applicants.