Rhode Island Solar: Check the Net Metering or REG Choice in Your Contract

When a Rhode Island solar proposal lists several incentives, do not assume every line can be added together. Start by identifying whether the project is enrolled in net metering or Rhode Island Energy's Renewable Energy Growth program, usually called REG.

The state Office of Energy Resources describes these as alternative arrangements for a project. Its Renewable Energy Fund grant guidance also separates net-metered projects from REG projects. A proposal that combines benefits from different paths deserves an explanation before its savings total is accepted.

This discussion of REG concerns Rhode Island Energy service. Customers of other utilities should confirm their own available programs rather than assume that an RI Energy tariff applies statewide.

Identify the benefit before counting it

Ask for the program application and, for REG, the Certificate of Eligibility. Match the project name, equipment size, recipient and service location to the contract you signed. If the installer handled enrollment, request copies of the submitted and approved documents rather than relying on a line in the sales presentation.

Then ask the company to trace each claimed benefit from its source to the person who receives it. Does it reduce your utility bill, become a payment to another party, or reduce the installer price? The financial forecast should reflect the benefit you actually receive, not simply the total value associated with the project.

This matters particularly when the homeowner, equipment owner and applicant are different people. A lease or power-purchase proposal should explain the homeowner's payment obligation separately from program compensation assigned elsewhere.

A REG bill credit is not a second net-metering benefit

The residential REG tariff prohibits receiving net-metering compensation for the same project during its REG term. REG itself has a performance-payment and bill-credit structure. Seeing a credit on the utility bill does not establish that the project is receiving both programs.

Ask for one worked month that starts with measured production and ends with the homeowner's remaining utility bill, any payment received, and the solar payment due. Each dollar of benefit should appear once. If the estimate first subtracts a credit from the utility bill and then counts the same credit again as cash income, ask for the duplicate to be removed.

Use the same exercise for a net-metering proposal. A grant listed as reducing the installed price should not silently appear again as money available to make future loan payments.

Match the term to the enrollment year and class

Rhode Island Energy's 2026 enrollment table, effective April 1, 2026, lists a 15-year tariff for Small-Scale Solar I and a 20-year tariff for Small-Scale Solar II. A blanket statement that every residential REG project has the same term is inadequate.

For an existing project, check its own enrollment-year supplement rather than replacing it with today's new-project terms. Ask the installer to show where payments end in the long-term forecast and what obligations remain after that point. A financing schedule can continue beyond a program's payment period.

If the projection includes tax benefits, ask a qualified tax professional to assess your situation. Program participation is not proof of an individual's eligibility for a tax credit or of the tax treatment of a payment.

Switching is a contract question

The current REG tariff requires company consent and qualifying conditions for early termination. It expressly bars terminating a Certificate solely to switch to net metering before the tariff term ends. A later move to net metering must also satisfy that program's requirements.

If a salesperson says switching is easy, request the exact provision and written confirmation for your project. If you are preparing to sell the home, gather the program documents alongside the lease, loan or power-purchase agreement so the separate obligations can be reviewed together.

For Solar Exit document review, include the incentive calculation, enrollment documents and payment schedule. Explain any mismatch through utility-billing review or submit your situation. This is general consumer information, not legal or tax advice. No particular cancellation right, tax outcome or savings result is guaranteed.