With the Buy-All Incentive, you will export all power that your system produces to the electric grid instead of directly supplying electricity to your home.

If you choose this option:

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

What is a Tariff Payment Beneficiary? 

A Tariff Payment Beneficiary is an individual or entity that you designate to benefit from your solar generation by receiving Direct Payments (not “on-bill” credits). For the Buy-All Incentive, 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 below.

Tariff Payment Beneficiary Instructions

Meter setup

With the Buy-All Incentive, your power generation and consumption are measured using separate meters installed at your home.

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

If you choose this option:

• Power produced by your system, but not consumed within the month, is "netted" at the same rate you pay UI for electricity.
• Net credits are applied to your bill in dollars and will be used to offset future customer, supply and delivery charges.
• Any excess credits can be carried over each month and paid out if you stop electric service.
• 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 (RECs)? 

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are issued when one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity is generated and delivered to the electricity grid from a renewable energy resource. By participating in the RRES program, the RECs are automatically assigned to UI.

Meter setup

With the Netting Incentive, you'll receive a new meter that measures the electricity you use from the grid and the amount of electricity that your renewable energy system sends back to the grid.

You may be eligible for an additional incentive (“adders”) if your household income is at or below 60% of the state median income or if your solar installation is in an economically distressed community. To review income eligibility guidelines, please visit uinet.com/HelpWithBill.

If you participate in our Winter Protection Program, Bill Forgiveness Program (BFP), Matching Payment Program (MPP), Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR), or the Home Energy Solutions Income Eligible (HES-IE) program, you are eligible for the additional income-based incentive.

• Income Eligible (IE) Adder: If your household income is at or below 60% of State Median Income: you qualify for an additional incentive at a rate set by PURA for the year the system is approved and can be found in the RRES Program Manual. The current year’s rate is listed on the table in Figure 1.
• Environmental Justice/Distressed Municipality (EJ/DM): If you reside in a listed, Environmental Justice Community/Distressed Municipality, you qualify for an additional incentive at a rate set by PURA for the year the system is approved and can be found in the RRES Program Manual. The current year’s rate is listed on the table in Figure 1. More information about Environmental Justice Communities can be found on the Connecticut
  Department of Energy & Environmental Protection website.

You can only receive one additional incentive. If you are eligible for both, the higher of the eligible incentives will be applied to your account.

More information can be found in the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions Program Manual.

There is a lot to consider before deciding to join other homeowner who have gone solar to help meet their energy needs.  The following are the step-by-step process to going solar.

Step 1:  Choose a solar installer - May take 1 to 4 weeks. Determine the installer you want to work with by doing comparison shopping of the offers provided to you by licensed solar installers in Connecticut.  Remember to visit our Customer Solar Information page to help you assess cost saving from going solar.

Step 2: Selecting solar system design - May take up to 8 weeks. Selecting the right systems design for you.  Work with your solar developer to submit your solar application.   After making sure that your roof condition is acceptable to install solar.  Your solar developer will help determine your home’s position to the sun and calculating your electricity needs, (remember to schedule a home energy audit if required).  You may want to consider future electricity needed to account for electric vehicle and, or heat pump requirements.  You will want to consider and evaluate financing options.

Step 3: Solar System Installation – May take up to 2 Months to complete. The installation process starts by obtaining the building permits in your jurisdictions.  The solar installer will build your systems according to the submitted design. This may take 6 to 8 weeks depending on any design changes, resubmission of documents and, or backlog.

Step 4: Final Interconnection process, Systems Inspection and Testing, Approval – May take 1 to 2 months.  After your system has been built the town inspector in your jurisdiction must approve it.  The solar installer will work with UI to complete any required paperwork and, or, required document changes needed to interconnect your solar system to the grid.

UI will install required new meter to measure the production of your solar systems and meter to record energy put on gird and or needed by your home.

The final steps in this process include the solar system testing by your developer and may require UI witness testing of solar system.

Step 5: Approval to Energize – May take 1 to 2 weeks. UI will review the results of the system testing and issue a letter approving your solar systems interconnection to the grid.  This approval allows for your systems solar production and operations for up to 25 years.  You are now a Solar Customer!

Current Residential Tariff Incentive Rates for projects applying for interconnection between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, are indicated in Figure 1 and can be found in the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions Program Manual along with past years’ incentives. Your tariff rate is locked in for a 20-year term once approved by PURA  

Incentive values for projects applying for interconnection between January 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 2025 are provided for each EDC below.

Figure 1:

For Netting Tariff projects, the Currently Applicable Retail Rate for all customers will be calculated using the currently applicable Standard Service rates.

When determining if solar is right for you, we recommend comparing multiple estimates from different solar installers. To help with your comparisons, click the link below for some average costs from applications approved for the Residential Renewal Energy Solutions (RRES) program over the last six months. Compare these costs to those included in your installation estimates and those listed on your Residential Renewable Energy Disclosure document. The average price is in $/kWh and is based on data from the previous six months.

Historical Rates, System Costs, and Program Data

System Sizing

Your solar installer will provide you with a system size recommendation based on your highest average annual consumption over the last 5 years (60 months). More information can be found by clicking the link below.

You may request additional allowance for the standard expected kWh of up to two electric vehicles and a whole-home heat pump system, as listed here:

• Electric Vehicle (per vehicle): 3,285 kWh
• Whole-home air source heat pump: 3,608 kWh
• Whole home ground source heat pump: 2,458 kWh

RRES Sizing Parameters

Additional Solar Generation

If you already have solar and are installing additional generation at your home, the new system will be separately metered.