Solar and Renewables - Residential - New Hampshire Electric - Liberty
How Solar and Renewables Works
Net metering is a program which allows customers to connect renewable power generators, like solar panels and wind turbines to a utility’s power grid. This program gets its name from the type of meter we install to measure both the energy that Liberty Utilities delivers to the home, and the excess energy that the home delivers back to the grid.
Your home or business requires a certain amount of power to run things like your refrigerator, lights, water heater and many other appliances and electronics. Solar panels are a great way to power those items, as long as the sun is shining. However, at night or on rainy days most customers will need to take power from the utility.
For a quick reference guide, click here.
For an animated explanation on How Net Metering Works, check out this short video.
Do you think Net Metering might be right for you? Watch this short video on Getting Started.
Who is Eligible?
Customers with renewable generation systems, such as solar, wind, hydro or as defined in NH Statute RSA 362-A:9.
Connection Requirements
Interconnection requirements for participating in the Solar and Renewables program can be found on page 51 of our Electric Tarrif.
Application for the Solar and Renewables program.
Guidelines from the PUC
Completed forms should be mailed to:
Liberty Utilities, ATTN: Solar and Renewables, 9 Lowell Rd, Salem, NH 03079 or emailed to NHNetmetering@libertyutilities.com
Click here for The Public Utility Commission (PUC) 900 rules that address Solar and Renewables.
For More Information Please Contact:NHNetmetering@libertyutilities.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Installing a renewable power generation system can help reduce your monthly electric bill. Since most of the power is consumed locally, renewable power systems can also help to reduce demand on the utility’s distribution system during peak hours. These systems also help reduce carbon emissions.
No. solar and wind systems do not operate constantly so there will still be a need to be interconnected to the Liberty distribution system. We will continue to operate and maintain our system 24/7.
Yes. You will get a bill each month that will have a fixed customer charge as well as charges for power that you take from our electric distribution system.
When your project is in the planning phase, and before you purchase equipment, please email us at NHNetmetering@libertyutilities.com
Once you are ready to move forward with your project, a completed application package must be submitted to us. We will review the application and explain your obligations to interconnect to Liberty Utilities’ distribution system in accordance with the Interconnection Standards Provision for Distributed Generation.
NOTE: For systems larger than 100KW, contact us for a special application process. It’s very important that you notify us ahead of the installation so we can ensure your system is interconnected without adversely affecting the safety, reliability or power quality of the distribution system that serves you and your neighbors.
A bi-directional meter will be installed that measures both power used from the utility distribution system and power produced by the renewable power generator.
No. In order to prevent billing issues, your system should be left off until a meter has been installed and you receive your Authority to Interconnect letter.
Once you have submitted all of the required completion documents, a Net Meter will be installed in approximately 10 days.
As long as your meter is located on the outside of your home, you do not need to be home.
We will leave a door hanger indicating that the meter has been installed. You can also look for a Solar and Renewables designation on the glass part of the meter.
If you use more power than your generation system can provide, Liberty will supply the additional power that you need without interruption.
Yes, however only Liberty Utilities default service customers are eligible to receive monetary credit for surplus power generated. Customers who purchase power from a third party supplier will not receive credit for energy supply. Group Hosts and participating customers in the group cannot participate in Solar and Renewables if they purchase power from a third party supplier.
A customer-generator may elect to become a group host for the purpose of reducing or otherwise controlling the energy costs of a group of customers who are not customer-generators.
The group of customers must all be Liberty Utilities default service customers. The host shall provide a list of the group members to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (The Commission) and the electric distribution utility shall certify that all members of the group have executed an agreement with the host regarding the utilization of kWh produced by the eligible facility and that the total historic annual load of the group members together with the host exceeds the projected annual output of the host’s facility. The Commission shall verify that these group requirements have been met and shall register the group host. The Commission shall establish the process for registering hosts, including periodic re-registration, and the process by which changes in membership are allowed and administered.
No. Unfortunately customers in the Solar and Renewables program cannot be on Levelized Budget Billing.
Hosting Capacity Map
If you are looking to plan your distributed generation project, you can find optimal locations for interconnections to Liberty’s system using our Hosting Capacity Map. This map illustrates the amount of remaining generation capacity on each three-phase section of our distribution system. Clicking on a section of the system will display more detailed information, including the exact amount of available capacity, the amount of existing distributed generation already connected to that feeder, and the amount of distributed generation in our application queue for that feeder.
This map shows the generation capacity that Liberty’s distribution infrastructure can accommodate, with limited system upgrades, while still reliably and safely delivering electricity to our customers. Please note Liberty’s electric system is dynamic, so the available capacity shown is not a guarantee that new generators can be accommodated at any time and place. All interconnections are subject to Liberty’s review and approval process.
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