Rooftop Power is headquartered in Warwick and has installed more than 2,400 systems across Rhode Island, so we work inside these programs every single week. Here is what a Rhode Island homeowner actually has available in 2026.
Net metering is the foundation. When your system produces more than your home is using, the surplus flows to the grid and Rhode Island Energy credits your account for it. Those credits offset the power you draw at night, on cloudy days and through the winter, which is how a well-sized system covers so much of an annual bill.
Sizing is where this wins or loses: the program rewards systems designed around your real usage. That is why our design process starts with your last year of bills.
The REG program is a performance-based tariff: instead of net metering credits, you enroll your system and get paid a fixed rate for every kilowatt hour it produces, under a multi-year tariff term. For some homes the guaranteed per-kWh payment beats net metering; for others it does not.
REG and net metering are separate paths and cannot be combined, and REG enrollment windows have annual capacity. We model both options against your usage and show you the comparison in writing.
The Renewable Energy Fund, administered through Commerce RI, offers grant funding that reduces the up-front cost of a residential system. Grant rounds have funding cycles and eligibility rules, and REF pairs with net metering but not with REG.
Because REF is cycle-based, the honest answer on what you can get is date-dependent. We confirm the current round’s status during your assessment rather than promising last cycle’s numbers.
Two quiet but real benefits: residential solar equipment is exempt from Rhode Island’s sales tax, and state law exempts renewable energy systems from property tax assessment, so the value solar adds to your home does not raise your property taxes. Both apply automatically; neither requires chasing paperwork.
It ended for residential systems placed in service after 2025. If your system was activated in 2025 or earlier and you have documentation questions for your return, our team can point you to the right paperwork, but for new 2026 projects the federal credit is not part of honest math.
The Rhode Island case stands on its own: high utility rates, net metering or REG, possible REF grant support, tax exemptions, and equipment that has never been better. See the full picture on our Why Solar page or compare payment structures on the financing guide.
We model net metering vs REG with your real usage and check current REF status, in writing, free.
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