Renewable Rewards® Buyback Plan

If you have solar panels, you can get rewarded for your excess solar energy.

You’ve already taken a big step toward helping the planet by making the eco-friendly choice to install a solar panel system. Let us help you make the most of your investment with Renewable Rewards® — the Green Mountain Energy solar buyback plan that gives you credit for excess renewable energy produced by your solar panel system. When you sign up for a Renewable Rewards plan, you can save on your energy costs and shrink your carbon footprint, too.

Enter your ZIP code to see the plans available for your home.

Current customer? Contact us.

Here’s how it works:

With a Renewable Rewards plan, you’ll enjoy:

100% renewable backup energy

When you use grid electricity, we’ll make sure it’s 100% renewable.

Bill credits

Receive credit for the excess solar energy you send to the grid.1

Plan flexibility

If you have solar panels, you can get rewarded for your excess solar energy.

Why choose Green Mountain Energy?

  • We buy back the excess electricity you produce.
  • When you need energy from the grid, we match your usage with 100% renewable energy.
  • We share your goal of making a positive impact on our planet. With Renewable Rewards, a typical Texas household using 1,132 kWh per month can prevent an estimated 19,012 pounds of CO2 emissions a year. That’s like not driving 23,291 miles!2

Frequently Asked Questions

Installing a rooftop solar system will help you save on energy costs for years to come, and with Renewable Rewards, you’ll be credited when you produce more energy than you use. You’ll also significantly lower your home’s carbon footprint and help ensure a cleaner, greener future for the planet.

 

The Renewable Rewards Buyback Program is available to new and existing residential customers in Texas who:

  • Have installed home solar or small-scale wind systems with a capacity of 50 kW or less.
  • Have an interconnection agreement in place with their utility.
  • Have a meter configured by their utility that separately measures the inflow and outflow of electricity to and from their home.

Yes. You’ll need a meter configured by your utility that separately measures the inflow and outflow of electricity to and from your home. Your utility may charge for this meter, and these charges would be passed through to you on your Green Mountain bill.

 

Yes! Both current and new Green Mountain Energy customers who meet the program requirements listed above can enroll in a Renewable Rewards buyback plan. If you’re a current customer enrolled in a plan with a cancellation fee, we will waive that fee if you would like to switch to a Renewable Rewards buyback plan, assuming all the requirements are met.

 

To put it simply, net metering lets you produce energy for the grid beyond what you use for your own home. With Renewable Rewards, you’ll receive a bill credit for excess energy that you’ve produced.

 

Because some days are sunnier than others, your panels don’t generate the same amount of electricity each day. On cloudy days or at night, you may need to draw power from your local electric grid. But on a bright, sunny and clear day, your panels may generate more energy than you need. This exc○ There are a few different terms that describe energy your solar array produces and energy your house consumes, including:

  • Solar production—the total electricity produced by your panels.
  • Solar consumption—the solar energy used to power your home.
  • Grid usage—energy pulled from the grid when your panels do not produce enough electricity to cover your needs.

You receive credits for excess energy delivered to the grid for each billing period.

Because some days are sunnier than others, your panels don’t generate the same amount of electricity each day. On cloudy days or at night, you may need to draw power from your local electric grid. But on a bright, sunny and clear day, your panels may generate more energy than you need. This exc○ There are a few different terms that describe energy your solar array produces and energy your house consumes, including:

  • Solar production—the total electricity produced by your panels.
  • Solar consumption—the solar energy used to power your home.
  • Grid usage—energy pulled from the grid when your panels do not produce enough electricity to cover your needs.

You receive credits for excess energy delivered to the grid for each billing period.

The most obvious benefit is that you’re contributing to a cleaner, greener future! Solar energy produces no greenhouse gases or other waste. Any extra energy you produce can also be stored on a backup battery or sent back to the grid.

 

We buy back the energy that your solar panels deliver back to the grid. Your excess energy credits will show up on the second page of your electricity bill on the “Renewable Rewards Credit” line:
 

Yes, your excess energy credits are capped. For each billing period, the excess energy credits you receive are capped at your usage from the grid.

 

If you’re just getting started, we make it easy for you, starting with a free solar assessment. You can learn more about our residential solar installation program, including the installation process. And, if you’re not sure you’re ready to go solar, you can still support solar and start saving for it with our Solar Panel Fund plan.

If you have questions about your electricity bill or plan, call Green Mountain at 1-866-785-4668.

If you have questions about your solar panels or don’t think your system is producing as much power as it should, contact your installer.

Just getting started?

Read more about the benefits of choosing solar for your home.

Learn about rooftop solar panels.

See how the process works and if installing panels on your home is a good fit for you.

Learn more
Lower your energy costs and help clean up the grid.

Read about the advantages of gaining Solar Independence.

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1 Subject to limitations. Please see your contract documents for details.

2 Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2019. Waste Reduction Model (WARM), Version 15, February; impact statistic based on the average vehicle carbon emissions per mile driven in the U.S.

Our customers have avoided

 

pounds of CO2

That’s like planting

 

new trees.