How do I Save Money with Community Solar? 

Subscribing to a community solar project saves you money on electricity compared to what your electric utility charges you.

Once your community solar subscription is active, you will receive credits on your electric bill that reduce what you owe to your utility. The number of credits you receive on your bill is determined by the electricity generated by your portion of the community solar project during that month.

These credits will reduce your electric bill, but they will not completely eliminate it. You will still need to pay your electric utility for certain items, including the following:

  • Any additional electricity you use that is not offset by your community solar bill credits or by any other credits, such as LIHEAP credits, that you may receive
  • The transmission costs for electricity to be delivered to your home
  • Taxes & fees

You will then receive a second bill from your community solar provider for the electricity generated by your portion of the community solar project. Even though you are now paying two bills, most customers still save money after enrolling in community solar.

Follow these steps to make sure you save money:

  1. Check your electric bill to see if you are enrolled in any programs such as budget billing, or Time of Day/ Time of Use pricing.
    1. Utility programs that change your electric rate throughout the day can impact how much you save with community solar because you will still receive community solar credits at the flat rate for electricity.
    2. If you're on budget billing, ask your utility whether you can subscribe to community solar while remaining on budget billing.
  2. Make sure you understand any fees, such as cancellation fees, that your community solar provider may charge.
  3. Compare multiple community solar offers. Community solar providers offer different levels of savings. Some providers may offer different sign-on incentives.