UI More than Quadruples Residential Clean Energy Capacity in 2023

More than 2,500 newly energized residential solar installations add more than 18 Megawatts of clean energy capacity to electric grid


Company also approved nearly 20 Megawatts of clean energy capacity for commercial sites 



ORANGE, Conn. — February 6, 2024 — United Illuminating (UI), a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), today announced that in 2023, the company energized new residential solar installations with a capacity of more than 18 Megawatts (MW) of clean solar energy for Connecticut’s electric grid through the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES) program. Clean energy capacity through the RRES program increased by 4.7 times in 2023 compared to 2022, which was the first year of the program. The company also approved more than doubled the clean energy capacity of commercial clean energy through the Non-Residential Energy Solutions (NRES) year-over-year: in 2023, the company approved 19.6 MW of capacity, compared to 8.6 MW in 2022.

“I am pleased to see such a dramatic increase in the number of UI customers who opted into our renewable energy solutions for their homes and businesses in 2023,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of United Illuminating. “These renewable energy programs offer customers another tool in their toolbox to reduce their carbon footprint, save money, and move the state closer to its sustainability goals. I look forward to the year ahead as more people enroll in these important programs, and I encourage interested customers to visit our website and learn more about how they can participate.”

RRES, which began in 2022 to replace the former net-metering program, provides a path for Connecticut electricity consumers to sell the power they generate from their residential solar installations to their electric utility company. In 2023, UI energized nearly 2,600 residential solar projects totaling 18.4 MW. By comparison, in 2022, the company energized 3.9 MW of clean energy through the RRES program, representing a 4.7-fold increase in clean energy capacity.

NRES, a statewide program administered by Connecticut’s electric distribution companies, was launched in 2022 as a six-year program to replace the Low- and Zero-Emission Renewable Energy Credit Program (“LREC/ZREC”). The program incentivizes low- and zero-emission projects, such as commercial solar and fuel cell technology, by either providing payments for the production of energy (“buy-all”) or offsetting the energy usage by the facility and crediting it for any additional energy produced (“netting tariff”) over 20-year agreements. In 2023, the company approved 57 commercial-scale clean energy projects through the Non-Residential Energy Solutions (NRES) program, totaling 19.6 MW in clean energy capacity.

“We’re honored to serve our Connecticut customers as we help them lead the way in the state’s transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” said Erik Robie, Director of Customer Programs & Products at UI. “Residential and non-residential clean energy projects provide solutions to our climate challenges while incentivizing customers to install solar projects that will bring down their monthly electric bills. I encourage homeowners and business-owners to consider participating in the RRES or NRES programs for their financial benefit and the advancement of clean energy throughout Connecticut.”

To be eligible for the RRES program, participants must be a current or future electric customers of UI; live in or own a single-family home, a multi-family property of up to four families, or a multi-family affordable housing facility; and have had or have scheduled a Home Energy Solutions assessment, Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible assessment, or other qualifying energy efficiency assessment. Additional eligibility requirements can be found at Getting Started - UI (uinet.com). If a customer meets eligibility requirements, they can work with a licensed Connecticut solar installer, who will begin the designing phase and submit an application to UI. Additional questions can be sent to res.renewableenergysolutions@uinet.com.

NRES opens two competitive solicitation periods per year: one on February 1 and a second on August 1. For the first competitive solicitation of 2024, Bid Forms are due on March 14, 2024 by 1 p.m. More information on the NRES program is on the UI website, and customers can email specific questions to NRES@uinet.com.

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