Most rooftop solar projects are connected to the larger electricity grid. Logistically, connecting your rooftop solar to the power lines already feeding your home is the most straight-forward way to power your home with rooftop solar. This also ensures that when the sun isn’t shining, you can get power from your utility. Lastly, any unused solar flows back into the grid, bringing more clean energy to our electricity system, benefiting you, your neighbors and the community!
How homes are compensated for their excess solar
Electricity generated from rooftop solar first serves your home’s onsite electricity demand. If your home’s solar system generates more electricity than you use during a given billing cycle, you will receive some type of credit for the electricity you send to the grid.
What type and how much credit you receive depends on your utility. If you are a Rocky Mountain Power customer, keep on reading. If you are served by a local municipal utility, scroll to the end of this page to get the details on additional interconnection policies.
Solar export credit details for Rocky Mountain Power Customers
The Utah Public Service Commission approved a new Export Credit Rate for rooftop solar customers in October 2020. The current Export Credit Rate is approximately 5 cents per kilowatt-hour exported to the grid. To put that into perspective, residential Rocky Mountain Power customers pay an average of 10.2 cents for every kilowatt-hour of electricity used.
This rate applies to all NEW solar installations. Here is a breakdown of all existing solar rates based on when you installed your solar project.
Solar Rates Comparison
| Schedule 137 “Net Billing Service” | Schedule 136 “Transition Program” | Schedule 135 “Net Metering” | |
| Applies To: | solar customers who filed an interconnection agreement starting October 31, 2020 | solar customers who filed an interconnection agreement after November 14, 2017 and before October 31, 2020 | solar customers who filed an interconnection agreement before November 15, 2017 |
| Exported kWh valued at: | 4.462 ¢/kWh (winter) or 5.160 ¢/kWh (summer) | 90-92.5% of retail rate (9.2 ¢ kWh for residential customers) | retail rate (varies for different customer types) |
| Export rate is updated: | annually on March 1 | n/a | n/a |
| Exported kilowatt-hours are netted with energy purchased from the utility: | instantaneously | on a 15-minute basis | on a monthly basis |
| Expires: | no expiration date | January 1 2033 | January 1 2036 |
Schedule 135: Net Metering
The net metering program is closed and no longer available to new customers. Solar customers who filed an interconnection agreement before November 15, 2017 are grandfathered into the Net Metering Program until January 1, 2036. Net Metering customers receive a kilowatt-hour credit for each kilowatt-hour of energy exported to the grid. Credits accrued by all solar customers roll over from month to month until March, when they expire. For Net Metering customers, the value of expired bill credits is applied to support the low-income bill assistance program, the Home Energy Lifeline Program (HELP). For Transition and Net Billing customers, the value of the expired kilowatt-hours is credited to the Energy Balancing Account, reducing costs for all utility customers.
Schedule 136: The Transition Program
Solar customers who filed an interconnection agreement between November 15, 2017 and October 30, 2020 are grandfathered into the Transition Program until January 1, 2033. The Transition Program provides a credit for each kilowatt-hour exported to the grid that equals 90 – 92.5% of a customers’ average retail rate for electricity. Exported energy is netted against energy purchased from the utility on a 15-minute basis. Table 1 provides specific export credit values for each type of utility customer. Net metering is no longer available to new customers.
Table 1: Export Credit Values for Transition Program Customers
| Schedule | Export Credit for solar (¢/kWh) | Average Electricity Price from RMP (¢/kWh) |
| Residential (1, 2, 3) | 9.2 cents | 10.2 cents |
| Medium Commercial (6) | 3.4 cents | 3.7 cents |
| Medium Commercial Energy Time of Day (6A) | 6.6 cents | 7.1 cents |
| Medium Commercial Demand Time of Day (6B) | 3.4 cents | 3.7 cents |
| Large Commercial (8) | 3.5 cents | 3.8 cents |
| Metered Outdoor Nighttime Lighting (15) | 4.9 cents | 5.3 cents |
| Traffic and Other Signal Systems (15) | 7.8 cents | 8.4 cents |
| Irrigation (10) | 5.6 cents | 6.1 cents |
| Small Commercial (23) | 8.2 cents | 8.9 cents |
Not a Rocky Mountain Power Customer
Many municipal utilities offer a 1:1 credit for solar kilowatt-hours exported to the grid, a policy known as net metering. Review your municipal utility’s solar policy to learn more. Always contact your municipal utility before installing solar to ensure you have up-to-date information on their solar policy and are in compliance with your utility’s specific requirements.
Bountiful
Bountiful City has implemented a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) for new solar customers. Also known as a “buy-all, sell-all” arrangement, a FIT requires rooftop solar customers to sell all of the electricity they produce to the utility. In this case, Bountiful solar residents must purchase electricity from the utility at the retail rate, and sell the solar energy produced by their system at a reduced rate. The FIT took effect on June 1, 2017.
- The rates are as follows
- Midnight – noon: 4 cents / kWh
- Noon – 4PM: 6 cents / kWh
- 4PM – Midnight: retail rate (9.25 cents / kWh)
Lehi
Lehi City allows net metering for solar projects less than 10 kilowatts. On May 9, 2017, the Lehi City Council approved a new, additional solar policy that allows City customers to sell solar power to the City at a fixed price through a Feed-in Tariff. Smaller solar installations (less than 10 kW) receive 5 cents per kilowatt-hour for the power they generate, and larger solar installations (10 kW – 1,000 kW) receive 4 cents per kilowatt-hour. The new policy also allows the City Council to adjust the price up or down in the future.
Provo
Provo Power offers a solar export credit. Provo Power residential customers purchase energy for 8.7 – 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, depending on how much energy is used, and solar customers are compensated 6.7 cents for each kilowatt-hour exported to the grid.
Kaysville
The Kaysville Power Commission provides a solar export credit for new rooftop solar customers. Customers are charged a tiered rate for their electricity depending on how much energy they use and a fixed solar export rate. Customers using less than 1,000 kWh per month pay 8.6 cents per kilowatt. Customers using over this amount pay 9.7 cents per kilowatt of energy. Solar customers receive a credit of 6.6 cents per kilowatt they send to the grid.
This results in a decrease of $3.93/month for the average customer versus today’s solar rate design. The Power Board recommends no changes for current customers until 2033.
Heber
Heber Light and Power offers net metering for rooftop solar customers and a Feed-in Tariff option for larger solar projects. The net metering policy is a standard 1:1 credit, meaning that for every kilowatt of solar you send to the grid, you receive a kilowatt credit on your next bill.
Light & Power’s Net Metering Policy allows for any excess electricity that is generated by the customer to be banked as a credit towards their future energy usage until the end of the calendar year. At the close of each calendar year, the Company will pay for any unused kilowatt-hours at the customer’s retail rate.
Heber Light & Power expanded its existing Net Metering program to include small commercial customers. Net metering was previously only available to residential customers, but now Small General Service Customers may install up to 25 kilowatts of solar (or enough capacity to offset 90% of their energy usage, whichever is lower).
Customers looking to go bigger than 25 kilowatts can take advantage of the new Solar Power Sales Pilot Program, which allows customers to build solar installations of up to 250 kilowatts and sign a long-term contract to sell electricity to the utility at a base rate of 6 cents per kilowatt-hour. Learn more.
Payson
Payson City uses a solar export credit and compensates solar customers for the energy they export to the grid. at a reduced rate, compared to the retail price of electricity. Learn more.
Salem
Salem City offers a 1:1 net metering credit, meaning that for every kilowatt of solar you send to the grid, you receive a kilowatt credit on your next bill. However, they also charge solar customers a fee of $3.10/kW per month, based on the size of their solar installation.
Springville
Springville residents who installed solar before December 2017 are grandfathered into net metering until January 1, 2033. New solar customers are part of the “customer-owned generation program,” which compensates solar customers for their exported solar at a rate of 4 cents / kWh. Learn more.
Santa Clara
Santa Clara uses a solar export credit and compensates solar customers for the energy they export to the grid at a reduced rate, compared to the retail price of electricity, and charges a fixed monthly fee that is based on the size of the solar installation. Their export credit rates are fairly detailed, dive into their net metering agreement here (rates are found in “Exhibit B” on page 8). Learn more.
St. George
St. George offers a 1:1 net metering program, meaning that for every kilowatt of solar you send to the grid, you receive a kilowatt credit on your next bill. Solar customers are charged a monthly fee based on the kWh produced by the solar system, regardless of how much solar generation is used onsite versus exported to the grid. Read more.
Logan
Logan City Power & Light offers a solar export credit. The value of the residential rate is equivalent to the residential retail rate, 9.8 cents per kWh. The residential rate will begin to step down when 2,500 kilowatts of solar have been installed. The commercial rate is currently 6.9 cents per kWh. As of February 2022, solar installations in Logan are about halfway towards the 2,500 MW cap that will result in a lower rate. Learn more.
Murray
Murray Power is in the process of revising its Pilot Net Metering Program. Please note that the rates and policies of the existing program are subject to change.
Net Metering Interconnect Agreement (PDF)
For additional information, questions, or to submit a Net Metering Interconnect Agreement, please email Matt Youngs.
Washington
Washington City offers solar export credit of 4 cents per kilowatt-hour. Learn more