Effective July 1, 2025, all customers who begin a new solar interconnection agreement will be credited for energy exported to the grid at the community solar farm rate for up to a five-year period ending July 1, 2030. After this period, they will be credited at the retail fuel rate.

OUC will continue to credit existing rooftop solar owners (including all customers who submit rooftop solar interconnection requests by June 30, 2025) for a 20-year grandfather period ending June 30, 2045.

TruNet is intended to “true up” the price of solar so net metering rates more accurately reflect the costs associated with maintaining grid infrastructure and storing and transmitting electricity.

The grandfathering period – which covers existing solar customers and those who submit a solar interconnection application by June 30, 2025 – lasts 20 years through June 30, 2045.

Existing rooftop solar customers will be automatically grandfathered. New rooftop solar customers who submit a solar interconnection application by June 30, 2025, will be grandfathered, once approved, at the existing retail rate for a period of 20 years.

Please note that financing, permitting, and installing solar is a time-consuming process, and we recommend planning in advance to meet the upcoming deadline.

If you sell your home and the new homeowner takes possession and establishes an OUC electric account by June 30, 2025, the new homeowner will receive the full retail rate for excess energy sold to OUC through June 30, 2045.

If you sell your home on or after July 1, 2025, the new homeowner will receive the community solar energy rate for excess energy sold to OUC through June 30, 2030.

If you purchase a new home with existing solar, and take possession and establish or transfer an OUC electric account by June 30, 2025, you will receive the full retail rate for excess energy sold to OUC through June 30, 2045.

If you purchase a new home with existing solar, and take possession on or after July 1, 2025, you will receive the community solar energy rate for excess energy sold to OUC through June 30, 2030.

Yes, this will be treated in the same manner as transferring an account to the surviving spouse.

• Current fees are based on the array’s gross power rating, as measured in alternating current (AC), installed on a customer’s premise:
  • Tier 1: 0 – 10 kW – No fee
  • Tier 2:  >10 kW – 100 kW - $340
  • Tier 3:  >100 kW – 2,000 kW (2 MW) - $1,300
• Solar interconnection fees may be paid online through OUC’s credit card portal, Bill2Pay. Credit card payments are typically processed within five (5) business days.  Below are applicable fees assessed for use of OUC’s credit card portal:
  • $5 – Payments under $1,000
  • $10 – Payments over $1,000
• Payments by check may take up to two weeks for processing once received. A $25 fee will be assessed for payments returned due to nonsufficient funds.

Applications for solar or solar plus battery storage must be located at the residence identified in the application. The capacity of the system should not exceed the needed energy requirements for the home.

Yes, a customer will be billed for energy consumed from OUC and credited on that month's bill for energy exported/sold to the grid.

• Before March 2026
  • Yes, a customer will be billed for energy consumed from OUC and credited (as kWh) into the customer’s solar bank in that month's bill for energy exported/sold to the grid.
    
    
• After March 2026
  • No, a customer will be billed for energy consumed from OUC and credited on the current month's bill for energy exported/sold to the grid.

• Before March 2026
  • Yes, a customer will be billed for energy consumed from OUC and credited on that month's bill for energy exported/sold to the grid. OUC will ‘true up’ the solar bank in December 2025 and issue a credit to the customer’s account for any balance remaining in the bank. That credit will remain until the credit is offset by monthly fees and customer consumption. Customers may request payment from OUC of the credit in the form of a check if the annual true-up results in a credit balance.
  • OUC may conduct a second true up in March of 2026 to credit any balance remaining in the solar bank prior to implementing any TruNet billing changes.
    
    
• After March 2026
  • OUC will remove the solar bank from the customer’s account and credit the customer for generation in the month in which the generated energy is received. No additional true ups will be necessary going forward.

Solar applications and supporting documentation must be submitted through OUC’s online rebate portal at https://ouc.smartcmobile.com/portal/login. Mailed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

Solar interconnection payments may be made online. To be eligible for the full retail rate, payment along with the completed solar interconnection application must be received by June 30, 2025.

Required Documents for Submission:

• Passed City/County Permit Inspection or Certificate of Completion
• Proof of Solar System Purchase (itemized invoice signed by customer)
• Electrical One-Line Diagram (must include the seal & signature of a licensed professional engineer)

Download our step-by-step guide to submitting a solar interconnection application.

Download the Guide