UniSource Energy Services
Mohave and Santa Cruz counties, including Kingman, Lake Havasu City and Nogales. A sister company of Tucson Electric Power under the same parent, but a separate utility with its own tariffs.
- Type
- Investor owned
- Accounts
- 100K
What they credit you
We confirm it for you
Not yet published hereUniSource is a investor owned provider, so its terms are set by its own board rather than by any state rule. We have not yet read UniSource’s own tariff, and we will not print a number we have not verified. Your installer confirms the current terms in writing before you sign. If they will not, walk away.
Battery backup is mandatory
in UniSource territory.
UniSource has not published a one for one credit that we have been able to verify. Until it does, we assume exporting power to UniSource is worth well below what you pay to buy it back.
That does not make solar a bad idea in UniSource 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. Arizona sets no simple kilowatt limit: APS’s own rider requires only that the system be on site, behind the billing meter, and serving the customer’s load, with any size then subject to the state interconnection requirements. UniSource sets its own limits. Ask UniSource 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 UniSource 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 UniSource for its current export rate schedule in writing, and for the tranche your interconnection application will fall into.
UniSource net metering questions
- Does UniSource offer one for one net metering?
- We have not been able to verify a published one for one credit from UniSource. As a investor owned provider it is not bound by whatever state rule covers the investor owned utilities, so it sets its own terms. Ask UniSource for the current export rate in writing before you sign anything.
- What does UniSource pay for power sent back to the grid?
- UniSource has not published a figure we can verify, so we do not print one. Your installer must confirm the current rate against UniSource’s own tariff before you commit.
- Do I need a battery with UniSource?
- Yes, and we treat it as mandatory. Because UniSource 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 UniSource territory. This is our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement.
- How do I find my UniSource bill?
- Sign in at uesaz.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 UniSource?
- Ask UniSource for its current export rate schedule in writing, and for the tranche your interconnection application will fall into.
Installers serving UniSource customers
Pick one. Only the company you choose receives your details, and only that company calls you.
These are real companies operating in UniSource territory, ordered by reviews, years trading and BBB grade. None of them pays us for placement. Pick the one you want and we will call you to arrange it.
Ordering combines three things we read from primary sources: Google review count and rating, years trading taken from the company’s Better Business Bureau profile rather than its own marketing, and its BBB letter grade. BBB accreditation is shown but never scored, because it is a paid membership rather than a mark of quality.
Check any contractor license yourself at the state register. Do that before you sign anything, with any company, including ours.