Rebates

Note: The Illinois Power Agency's proposed 2016 procurement includes one-year SREC procurements of 34,207 SRECs for Ameren, 69,866 SRECs for ComEd, and 13,225 SRECs for MidAmerican. It also includes separate five-year distributed generation (DG) REC procurements of 7,767 DG RECs for Ameren,16,294 DG RECs for ComEd, 2,204 DG RECs for MidAmerican. See the IPA website and Docket 15-0541 for more information on procurement plans.

In August 2007, Illinois enacted legislation (Public Act 095-0481) that created the Illinois Power Agency (IPA). The agency’s purpose is to develop electricity procurement plans for investor-owned electric utilities (EUs) supplying over 100,000 Illinois customers to

Note: In August 2014, the City Council of Austin, Texas, enacted Resolution No. 20140828, which directed program changes to the Value of Solar Tariff as follows:

• allow excess credits to be rolled over from year to year (instead of being reset at zero at the start of a calendar year),
• allow solar energy systems of any size to be eligible for the Residential Solar Tariff by removing the existing 20 kW cap,
• set an annual price floor equal to the residential electric rates of a “tier 3 customer” (i.e., $0.091 per kilowatt-hour for the rate schedule approved September 2013),
• allow

Note: H.B. 15 of 2025 repealed the SREC program by prohibiting retail electric suppliers from collecting funds for solar credits. Remaining funds in the solar generation fund are to be transferred to the school energy performance contracting loan fund.

Compliance goals were revised by House Bill 6 in 2019 that reduced the renewable portfolio requirements of all electric distribution utilities in the state. House Bill 6 eliminated the solar carve-out in Ohio's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS). House Bill 6 also created a Renewable Generation Fund to provide fixed payments for energy generated by certain renewable facilities; this was changed

Note: As of June 2025, Xcel Energy and Minnesota Power have not adopted the VOST.

Enacted in 2013, H.F. 729 required the Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC) to develop a distributed solar value methodology. Minnesota investor-owned utilities are permitted to use the approved methodology in applications for a Value of Solar Tariff (VOST) that would be used in lieu of a net metering billing mechanism. Under a VOST, customers are billed for all electricity usage under their existing applicable tariff and are credited for the solar electricity they produce under the approved VOST.

Methodology

The DOC was required to consult

All investor-owned utilities and publicly-owned utilities with 75,000 or more customers must make a standard Renewable Market Adjusting Tariff (ReMAT) available to their customers. As the ReMAT is meant to help the utilities meet California's renewable portfolio standard (RPS), all green attributes associated with the energy, including renewable energy credits (RECs), transfer to the utility with the sale. Any customer-generator who sells power to the utility under this tariff may not participate in other state incentive programs. The tariffs will be available until the combined statewide cumulative capacity of eligible generation installed equals 750 megawatts (MW) for the general ReMAT

The City of Ashland Conservation Division offers incentives to residential customers for buying and installing energy efficient appliances, insulation and equipment. Customers can also choose to receive a zero-interest loan to purchase equipment in lieu of a rebate. Detailed rebate information is available on rebate applications or by contacting the Conservation Division. 

NorthWestern Energy offers incentives to residential customers in South Dakota through their Efficiency Plus (E+) program. Incentives are offered for installing energy efficient equipment in eligible homes. Rebates are available for NorthWestern Energy existing residential electric heating customers. Rebate categories include high efficiency lighting, air conditioning equipment, insulation, appliances, and more specialized measures.

All installments must meet certain energy efficiency standards to qualify. Receipts must be turned in with the program application in order to qualify for the rebate.  Visit the program web site for more information and specific equipment requirements.

NorthWestern Energy offers incentives to Residential customers in South Dakota through their Efficiency Plus (E+) program. Incentives are offered for installing energy efficient equipment in eligible homes, and are available for NorthWestern Energy existing residential gas heating customers. Rebate categories include high efficiency heating equipment and insulation

All installments must meet certain energy efficiency standards to qualify. Receipts must be turned in with the program application in order to qualify for the rebate.  Other rebates for new construction are available. Visit the program web site for more information and specific equipment requirements.

Bear Valley Electric Service is providing an incentive for their residential customers to install photovoltaic (PV) systems. Systems must be sized to provide no more than 90% of the calculated or estimated annual energy consumption of the property. Incentives will step down overtime as participation milestones are met. Individual incentives will be adjusted from the base incentive rate based on expected performance. See website above for more information.  

Washington's State Building Code sets requirements for the installation, inspection, maintenance and repair of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. Local jurisdictions have the authority to issue building permits, or exempt systems from building permit requirements. Through an emergency rulemaking procedure, the State Building Council adopted revisions to the residential building code effective July 1, 2014. These amendments specify that installations meeting standard requirements are exempt from the roof covering specifications in the code, meaning they do not require an engineering report or stamped drawings. 

Jurisdictions still have authority over the permitting process for rooftop solar installations, but the rule change