What does Chugach pay for power sent back to the grid?

Avoided cost, about a third of retail. Per the utility’s own tariff.

Do I need a battery with Chugach?

Yes, and we treat it as mandatory. Because Chugach does not credit exports one for one, the return has to come from using your own production rather than selling it, which after dark means storage and usually a larger array than a one for one utility would need. The other half is backup: panels alone shut off in an outage, so a battery is what keeps the house running in a storm. We do not refer panels-only systems in Chugach territory. This is our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement.

How do I find my Chugach bill?

Sign in at chugachelectric.com. Open My Account, then Billing. Open the latest bill and save the PDF. Or screenshot the summary page. If you cannot get to it, a rough guess at your average monthly amount is enough to start.

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Chugach Electric Association

Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. The largest electric utility in Alaska, member-owned, and part of the Railbelt system.

Type: Cooperative
Accounts: 113K

What they credit you

Avoided cost, about a third of retail

Published terms

Excess generation is compensated at avoided cost under the state net metering regulations, typically around a third of the retail rate, within a programme capped at 1.5% of average retail demand.

Month to month: Per the utility’s own tariff.

Published terms · checked 2026-09-05 · source

Chugach requirementRequired

Battery backup is mandatory
in Chugach territory.

Chugach does not credit the power you send back at the rate it charges you to take it.

That does not make solar a bad idea in Chugach territory. It changes what you should build. When exports are worth a fraction of retail the credit stops being the return, and the job becomes using more of your own production inside the house, which usually means a larger array than a one for one utility would need.

Sizing is where that gets decided, so ask about it directly. Alaska caps net metering at 1.5% of a utility’s average retail demand, the smallest ceiling in the country, so the first question is not what size to build but whether your utility will still connect you. Chugach sets its own limits. Ask Chugach what it allows before you accept that a bigger system is off the table.

A battery then does two separate jobs. It moves daytime production into the evening so you use it instead of selling it, and it keeps the house running when the grid goes down. That second job is not a bonus. Panels on their own shut off in an outage, by design, so a roof full of them powers nothing during a storm. That is the part we will not refer around.

So we treat it as a requirement, not an upgrade. We will not refer you for a panels-only system in Chugach territory, and you should be skeptical of anyone who quotes you one without raising storage first.

Our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement

What your installer should be telling you

Ask how much of the 1.5% cap remains and what the current avoided cost figure is. Both can move, and one of them can close the programme.

Applying to Chugach

What Chugach itself requires, as distinct from what the state rule requires. Read from its own published guidelines on the date shown.

The cap is 1.5%, and it is a door rather than a dial: Alaska’s net metering programme is capped at 1.5% of a utility’s average retail demand. Once local rooftop solar reaches it, the utility can decline to connect new customers. Ask how much of it is left before anything else.
Excess is bought at avoided cost: Railbelt utilities compensate excess generation at avoided cost, which varies by utility but is typically around a third of the retail rate customers pay.
The rules are actively in motion: The Regulatory Commission has been considering changes and a bill on Railbelt net metering was before the Legislature in 2026. Whatever you are quoted, confirm it is current.
Winter is not a detail here: A latitude that gives long summer days gives very short winter ones. An Alaskan system’s annual production is concentrated into a few months, which makes annual rollover terms unusually important. Ask what happens to a summer surplus.

From Chugach’s published guidelines · checked 2026-09-05 · source

Chugach net metering questions

Does Chugach offer one for one net metering?: No. Excess generation is compensated at avoided cost under the state net metering regulations, typically around a third of the retail rate, within a programme capped at 1.5% of average retail demand.
What does Chugach pay for power sent back to the grid?: Avoided cost, about a third of retail. Per the utility’s own tariff.
Do I need a battery with Chugach?: Yes, and we treat it as mandatory. Because Chugach does not credit exports one for one, the return has to come from using your own production rather than selling it, which after dark means storage and usually a larger array than a one for one utility would need. The other half is backup: panels alone shut off in an outage, so a battery is what keeps the house running in a storm. We do not refer panels-only systems in Chugach territory. This is our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement.
How do I find my Chugach bill?: Sign in at chugachelectric.com. Open My Account, then Billing. Open the latest bill and save the PDF. Or screenshot the summary page. If you cannot get to it, a rough guess at your average monthly amount is enough to start.
What is the catch with Chugach?: Ask how much of the 1.5% cap remains and what the current avoided cost figure is. Both can move, and one of them can close the programme.

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