Sponsored Post – from Revolve Solar

Although it comes a month later than usual, the Oncor solar rebate program has finally returned. Officially dubbed ‘The Oncor 2016 Solar Photovoltaic Standard Offer Program’ (“SPVSOP”), this program offers financial incentives to energy-savvy Texans looking to install eligible distributed energy systems (like residential and commercial solar panels). In doing so, Oncor wants to encourage the use of energy-efficient products that allow customers to achieve their desired energy and cost savings.

So, in a nutshell, Oncor wants to promote the use of clean energy technologies that ultimately save homeowners money on their electric bill.

What exactly is Oncor?

Oncor isn’t an electric retailer like Austin Energy or Pedernales Electric Cooperative. Instead, they’re the folks that build, own and maintain the equipment used for electricity transportation (e.g. powerlines). In fact, they’re the largest electricity distribution and transmission business in the state, delivering power to more than 3 million homes and businesses. They service 402 cities across 91 counties and cover nearly one-third of the geographic area of Texas.

The delivery of safe, reliable electricity is a core focus of Oncor, and as such, they frequently invest in newer equipment to upgrade the transmission and distribution network in the state. To efficiently move electricity from power plants to homes and businesses, a sophisticated system is required to adequately support residents of The Lone Star state. Currently, Oncor operates nearly 119,000 miles of transmission lines and is heavily involved in the construction of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones that bring all that clean West Texas wind energy to the rest of their territory.

In addition to their continued upgrades and maintenance of the grid, Oncor also offers competitive incentives for renewable energy solutions such as wind turbines and biomass projects (both exclusively for commercial customers), in addition to the rebates they offer for energy efficiency projects, solar thermal applications, and, of course, Solar photovoltaics (solar panels).

The 2016 Oncor Solar Rebate Program

If you’re a homeowner residing within Oncor’s service area, you may be eligible for a solar rebate of up to $8,500. To max out the rebate, you’d need a perfectly south-facing portion of your roof on which to install the panels. In most cases you’ll still be eligible if your roof is oriented either east or west slightly though you won’t receive the max rebate amount. In total, the 2016 budget for the residential incentive is $4.4 million.

To qualify, the solar photovoltaic system must meet the following requirements:

• Your system has to be brand new
• You must use a participating Service Provider (like Revolve Solar or any of the other great solar companies in Central Texas)
• The azimuth of the solar array must be between 90 and 270 degrees (South Facing is best, but East/West roofs are also eligible)
• The tilt angle of the array needs to be between 0 degrees (flat) and your local latitude + 15 degrees
• The solar array must be between 1 kW DC and 10 kW DC

To take advantage of the Oncor rebates, interested homeowners must contact a participating Service Provider, who will then work with the customer to design the ideal system for their property. As an example, let’s say Suzie Q of Williamson County wants to save money on her utility bills by switching to solar energy. She contacts Revolve Solar, who gives her a free estimate and works with her to design the perfect system for her home. Assuming she meets all the necessary requirements, Revolve would then complete and submit the incentive application on Suzie’s behalf, and the Oncor Program Manager would then either approve or deny the application, being sure to supply a reason for denial in the latter case.

If approved, Revolve would then install Suzie’s shiny new solar power system, submit the final application forms, and then Suzie would be well on her way to energy independence having reduced the purchase price of her panels by a significant amount.

Bear in mind, the 2015 Oncor Solar Rebate program filled up relatively quickly, and the 2016 program will undoubtedly follow suit. Be sure to contact a participating Service Provider today to ensure you get your share of the rebates.

Don’t live in Oncor’s territory? Don’t fret – there are still plenty of solar rebates and incentives available to other Central Texas residents. Austin Energy, for instance, has a very generous solar rebate program to perfectly complement their Value of Solar Tariff (which will save you even more money and help your system pay for itself in no time).

See Also: Your Comprehensive Guide to Austin’s Solar Rebates and Incentives

What’s more, you can pair qualifying rebates with the 30 percent federal solar tax credit that was recently extended through 2021 by Congress. In some cases, the combination of these incentives could allow a homeowner to trim the sticker price by almost half!

Solar Rebates for Businesses

The 2016 program has a slight improvement over last year’s batch of rebates. Whereas the commercial rebates were all but gobbled up in a few seconds in the 2015 program, this year features a new “Small Commercial” category for qualifying systems of 100 kW or less. The ‘Large Commercial’ category is for anything above 100 kW. In both categories, the electric output of the installed system is limited to 75 percent of the host customer’s peak demand during the previous 12 months. The rebate amount is capped at 20 percent of the commercial budget ($7.6 million).

The program officially started accepting applications on January 11th, so it’s not likely that any of the Large Commercial rebates are still available. Like the residential component, there are also commercial solar incentives available for Central Texas businesses located in Austin Energy territory.