Another credit in Vermont

For those of you that live in Vermont and purchase your power from Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (CVPS), you are eligible for an additional credit for power you generate with solar renewable energy. CVPS has recently started a Gross Solar Generation Credit program, where they will give you a credit of $0.06 per kilowatt-hour for energy you generate, regardless of who uses it. This program requires installation of a second electrical meter (currently $60 for the meter, plus the cost of installation of the meter socket by a qualified electrician) that measures the amount of power generated by your PV system before the power goes to your service panel.

If you have a 2,000 watt (2 kW) PV system, in a typical year, you generate about 2300 kW hours per year. With this program, you would get a credit of around $138 in the first year. The electrician we work with, Paul Judd of Charlestown, NH, can install a meter socket for around $150 to $200, depending on site conditions, leaving a total cost for this meter of around $260 or less. With these costs, the payback for this program is less than two years. After this, the credit makes your investment in PV increase with every sunny day.

Please let us know if we can help you with this or any other renewable energy issue. We look forward to hearing from you.