If you’re considering solar power, we’re here to help. Many of our members are interested in pursuing home solar installations, and as your local energy partner, we want to work with you to navigate the process. If you are considering home solar, please contact our Advise Guys so we can provide information and installation requirements while making sure the grid stays safe and reliable for all co-op members.

Q. What’s the first step I should take?

We encourage you to thoroughly review the information on our residential solar page (sremc.com), as well as logging into your online account, to gain a deeper understanding of your energy use.

We can provide you with rate information and interconnection requirements so that you can have an informed discussion with solar installers. Solar installers need to know facts and details specific to our co-op, to provide you with an accurate financial overview.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen instances in our community where members have been misled and misinformed because of inaccurate information.

Q. Ground-mounted or rooftop solar?

Ground mounted: can place the array in an optimal location; easy to clean panels and make repairs. Rooftop: most common; doesn't require expansive property and eliminates tampering risk; typically, less expensive than ground arrays; utilizes unused space.

Q. If I add home solar, will I save on my electric bill?

Some solar companies claim that you’ll never have to pay an electric bill again, and we caution this is simply not true. Your home requires electricity even if the sun is shining, which means you'll continue to draw electricity from the grid and be billed monthly based on your energy use and any grid access charges. Members with home solar are still connected to the grid. Being a not-for-profit cooperative energy provider, standard charges that all members pay to ensure the reliability and safety of the electric grid will stay on your bill, no matter how much energy your home produces. Otherwise, grid costs would unintentionally be shifted to members for whom home solar is out of reach.

Q. Can I make money by selling back electricity?

This is a common question often clouded by misinformation. The best thing you can do is contact the Advise Guys who will help you determine if solar is the right fit for meeting your financial goals. We offer net metering. Our meter measures the amount of energy that you send to the grid as well as the amount of energy used from the grid. We bill you for the “net” amount monthly. If you produce more than you use, it will be reflected as a credit on your account. We do not allow cashing out of bill credits so it is important that the solar array isn’t oversized.

Q. Can I calculate potential savings?

Yes! The U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE, has a great tool for providing energy production estimates on home solar installations at pvwatts.nrel.gov.

Q. Does South River EMC support home solar?

Yes, we support energy solutions that are a fit for our members, uphold the safety and reliability of our grid and improve the diversity of our resources while ensuring costs are not shifted to members without home solar. One of the limitations of solar energy is that it must be used as soon as it is produced unless it is coupled with a battery- storage system.

Q. Are there incentives for home solar?

Yes, there's a federal solar tax credit that allows you to deduct 26 percent of the cost of installing solar from your federal taxes. There is no cap on its value, and the average savings is approximately $9,000, according to the Department of Energy.