Steps to Connect Your Solar System

• Don’t pay for a system larger than you need. Discover all the ways to save energy and get money back through MPE’s programs.
• Consider getting a home energy audit with Sustainable Grand to help you understand where your home is losing energy and what steps to take to improve the efficiency of your home. MPE offers a rebate of $250 for energy audits.
• Use your appliances and electronics more efficiently or consider investing in highly efficient products like Energy Star appliances, smart thermostats, and heat tape timers. MPE’s rebates can help you make the switch. For more information, visit our rebates page.  
• Weatherize your space. If you use electricity to heat or cool your home, this will significantly impact the amount of solar energy you need. Weatherizing your home and installing more efficient heating and cooling technologies will help reduce the amount of electricity you need to produce with solar.
• You can view your historical usage at the top of your bill or via SmartHub. Log on to SmartHub to explore and better understand your energy use patterns. Click on the “My Account” link on the www.mpei.com homepage. 

Your solar installer will need to know how much electricity you use annually to design your system. To view your electricity usage data, sign in to your MPE SmartHub account or review the top of your monthly bill. Learn more about SmartHub here.

To authorize MPE to release your data directly to a solar contractor, please click here to fill out our authorization form. 

It is important to choose the right installer. MPE’s Preferred Solar Installer List is a good place to start. We recommend getting multiple bids to include the total cost of getting the PV system up and running, including hardware, installation, connection to the grid, permitting, sales tax, and warranty.

A cost/watt and estimated cost/kWh are the most useful metrics for comparing prices across different installers, as installers may use different equipment or offer quotes for systems of different sizes. Here is a list of questions to consider asking each solar installer.

• Is your company familiar with MPE’s interconnection process?
• Is your company familiar with the city, county, and HOA requirements, as well as the State Electrical Inspection process?
• Can you provide references from other members in MPE’s service territory?
• Are you properly licensed/certified?
• Do you carry liability insurance?
• What is the warranty for this system?
• What does a service call look like?
• Does your company have any pending or active judgments or liens against it?
• For an even more comprehensive list of questions to ask, View Questions to Ask a Solar Contractor.

Generators cannot exceed a nameplate capacity of 25 kW to be eligible for net metering. 

For questions on our sizing requirements, please send us an email at interconnection@mpei.com. 

Retail net metering provides an incentive to members by allowing members to avoid paying for a portion of the electricity needed to serve their home or business at their retail rate. To see a list of rates, click here. When a member produces more energy than their home or business consumes on an annual basis, the excess annual energy is purchased from the member at  MPE’s wholesale cost. For 2024 (2025 payout),  the wholesale cost was $0.04213 per kWh.
 

MPE members should work with their installers to submit a net metering application along with the applicable one-lines. Please email the application to interconnection@mpei.com. 

MPE will review and approve your Interconnection/Net Metering application. Once we approve the one-lines, you will be approved to begin construction, and you will receive an email to this effect. Your installer will then pull and obtain all permits, install the system, complete all the necessary paperwork, and program the equipment to meet MPE’s Interconnection Standards. Once completed, MPE will conduct a final safety inspection and interconnect your system to MPE’s grid. You will receive an email notification stating that the net meter has been installed and the system is approved for operation. 

Your MPE bill will change to that of a net metered member.  To learn more about what your bill will look like, go here. 

The Clean Power Program (CPP) offers $500 rebates to members who have installed solar systems, who are also contributors to the program. The mission of this program is simple, yet relevant: to financially assist MPE members who install local, renewable resources. Grateful rebate recipients “pay it forward.” They, too, contribute to the program so that rebate dollars are available for future renewable projects. 

Find out about Federal Tax Incentives here.

The state of Colorado does not offer tax incentives for solar.