Rhode Island Energy
Almost the whole state, including Providence, Warwick, Cranston and Newport. The former National Grid Rhode Island. One distribution company for practically the entire state, so the choice is between programmes rather than between utilities.
- Type
- Investor owned
- Accounts
- 510K
What they credit you
80% of retail, or a different programme entirely
Published termsNet metering for systems interconnected after 15 April 2023 credits at 80% of the retail rate, with anything above 100% of your own consumption dropping to avoided cost. Renewable Energy Growth is a separate fixed-rate alternative.
- Month to month
- Credits carry against the bill.
Published terms · checked 2026-09-05 · source
Battery backup is mandatory
in RI Energy territory.
RI Energy 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 RI Energy 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. Rhode Island credits net metering at 80% of retail and drops anything above 100% of your own consumption to avoided cost, so an oversized array is penalised twice. The Renewable Energy Growth programme prices generation instead, and rewards the opposite design. RI Energy sets its own limits. Ask RI Energy 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 RI Energy 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 for both net metering and Renewable Energy Growth modelled against your own twelve months of usage, and confirm the current Renewable Energy Growth rate, which is set per programme year.
Applying to RI Energy
What RI Energy itself requires, as distinct from what the state rule requires. Read from its own published guidelines on the date shown.
- 15 April 2023 split the state in two
- Systems interconnected after that date are credited at 80% of the retail rate rather than at retail. Older systems kept the full rate. If you are buying a house with solar, the interconnection date is worth asking for.
- Producing more than you use is penalised again
- For energy produced in excess of 100% of your own consumption, credits equal the distribution company’s avoided cost rate, defined as the last resort service charge for your rate class. Two haircuts, one array.
- The other programme pays for generation, not exports
- Renewable Energy Growth pays a fixed rate reported near 27.23 cents per kWh for fifteen to twenty years, on what the system generates. For many houses that is worth more than net metering at 80%.
- There are grants on top, and they are substantial
- The Renewable Energy Fund grant is reported at $0.65 per watt up to $5,000, with a $2,000 battery adder. Ask whether a quote has already assumed it.
- Ask to see both programmes modelled
- The right answer depends on how much of your production you consume yourself. An installer who models only one of the two has not answered the Rhode Island question.
From RI Energy’s published guidelines · checked 2026-09-05 · source
RI Energy net metering questions
- Does RI Energy offer one for one net metering?
- No. Net metering for systems interconnected after 15 April 2023 credits at 80% of the retail rate, with anything above 100% of your own consumption dropping to avoided cost. Renewable Energy Growth is a separate fixed-rate alternative.
- What does RI Energy pay for power sent back to the grid?
- 80% of retail, or a different programme entirely. Credits carry against the bill.
- Do I need a battery with RI Energy?
- Yes, and we treat it as mandatory. Because RI Energy 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 RI Energy territory. This is our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement.
- How do I find my RI Energy bill?
- Sign in at rienergy.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 RI Energy?
- Ask for both net metering and Renewable Energy Growth modelled against your own twelve months of usage, and confirm the current Renewable Energy Growth rate, which is set per programme year.
Installers serving RI Energy customers
Pick one. Only the company you choose receives your details, and only that company calls you.
These are real companies operating in RI Energy 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.