Solar panels do not remove every charge. You still buy electricity from the grid at night and on cloudy days, and fixed charges continue. Union Power does not offer net metering: under the Small Qualifying Facilities rider, energy you deliver to the system earns a credit of $0.042500 per kWh, while the electricity you buy is billed at your normal rate. The credit does not offset your purchased power one for one.
The rider covers generating facilities selling no more than 25 kW, and the meter is set so it cannot run backward. Interconnection requires a one-time, non-refundable $250 application charge, a bi-directional meter after the final city or county inspection, and the member pays the cost of any facilities installed solely to connect the system. Figures are from the rate schedule effective April 1, 2024.
- Read purchased energy, export credits and fixed charges as three separate lines.
- The rider carries a $7.00 monthly basic facilities charge for the interconnection in addition to the monthly basic facilities charge of $35, for a total of $42.
- Power used when your system is not generating is billed on your applicable residential schedule.
- Expect a bill in every month, including months with strong production.
Read about solar interconnection
Supporting information: Electric rate schedules; Solar and battery interconnection
Union Power Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative headquartered in Monroe, Union County, North Carolina. We provide electric service to members in portions of Union, Stanly, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, and Rowan counties in North Carolina. Founded in 1939, Union Power Cooperative’s official website is union-power.com.