If you are a resident of Connecticut, and if you are interested in getting solar energy for your home, you must be aware of the essential details, such as net metering. You must be aware that net metering is one benefit of going solar, that saves you money, while producing clean electricity. It must be a well-known fact for you that net metering offers you the opportunity to earn credit while you generate electricity that is produced by your solar panels, and the excess electricity that you don’t end up using, goes to the utility company and goes back to the grid. CT has had a sound net metering program for a long time, however, a new tariff plan, also called the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions Program, that started on January 1, 2022, has changed the face of residential solar energy in CT. With this plan, more and more people can now afford to install solar energy. According to the program, which was designed by the CT Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), there are two tariffs that have been offered to the residents, e.g., the Buy-All Tariff and the Netting Tariff. Both of these tariffs require residential solar consumers to send electricity back to the grid. However, there are various key differences that can be noted and a tariff plan can be chosen by a solar consumer.

Key differences

The first one that we tell you about is the “Buy All” Tariff. This tariff allows solar consumers to receive monetary solar credits from Eversource and UI. Every kWh produced by your PV system will receive $.2943 for the first year. Each year, PURA will determine if there will be an increase in compensation for the next year. The homeowner is guaranteed 20 years under the Buy All tariff. On the other hand, the Netting Tariff offers net metering, plus in Eversource territory, you get an additional $.0318 cents per kwh. In simpler terms, the Netting Tariff offers credits to customers that send the extra energy back to the grid. It can be said that net metering is considered a viable and better option than the buy-all tariff, especially for residential customers in CT. The buy-all tariff allows solar customers to export power produced through their PV system back to the grid, without first supplying power to their load. Here, the customer purchases the power supplying their load from their utility.

Apart from these differences, it can be said that both tariffs are efficient, and beneficial, as well as encouraging people in Connecticut to adopt solar energy for their homes. These tariffs were introduced with a primary objective, which is to offer energy credits and make solar energy available, even to people who are from low- or moderate-income groups or are disadvantaged in some way. Both tariffs aim at offering around 10% of the return to their customers. The tariffs are particularly aimed at enriching the lives of people from distressed communities as well as municipalities, so that they can not only save money, but also contribute to saving the environment and do their bit.