DC Solar for All FAQs

DC Solar for All community solar subscriptions enable you and your neighbors to receive electricity bill savings from locally produced solar electricity. The solar energy for your subscription is generated at a location like a school or church in your community, so you don’t have to install anything at your home or apartment in order to save money while supporting a cleaner environment.

DC Solar for All is a program of the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment that seeks to provide the benefits of solar electricity to 100,000 low-income households and reduce their energy bills by 50% (or about $500 a year) by 2032. The program was established by the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Expansion Amendment Act of 2016 and is funded by the Renewable Energy Development Fund (REDF).

Groundswell is proud to provide subscriber management services to DC Solar for All community solar subscribers.

For more information about Solar for All visit: http://doee.dc.gov/solarforall.

No. That’s the best part! A local community solar array will generate clean energy for your subscription. There is no need to install anything on your home or apartment.

DC Solar for All is available to renters and homeowners who pay an electricity bill through PEPCO DC. No installation is required to participate because solar panels at central locations in the District will generate all of the energy for your subscription. 

DC Solar For All was created by Mayor Muriel Bowser to make it easy for everyone in the District to receive the savings and benefits of clean energy. 

If you or someone you know is interested in saving money with clean energy, check out the online application here or contact the Solar for All hotline at (202) 299-5271. The income qualification guidelines were recently updated, so if you or someone you know didn’t quite meet the previous requirements, check out the updated guidelines below or at https://doee.dc.gov/solarforall.

When you first sign up for DC Solar for All, it typically takes about 90 days before solar credits begin to appear on your PEPCO electricity bill. After that, you will receive solar credits from PEPCO at the end of each month. These solar credits will vary from month to month, but you can expect to save up to $500 a year on electricity bills.

Your DC Solar for All solar energy credits will typically be greater during summer months when the sun shines longer and brighter on the solar panels responsible for cost saving solar energy. During shorter, winter months, the sun shines less on those solar panels. Across the year, your SFA subscription will help you save up to $500 a year on energy bills. 

Once PEPCO starts applying credits to your bill, you’ll see them on the back of the first page under “Type of Charge.” On the left side, you’ll see something called a “CNM Credit.” CNM stands for “Community Net Metering,” which is what PEPCO calls community solar credits. This section will show how much energy your subscription generated (the number next to kWh or kilowatt hour) and how much money you saved on electricity costs through community solar.

It may take up to 90 days after your DC Solar for All subscription is approved for solar credits to begin appearing on your PEPCO electricity bill due to billing cycles. However, if you want to confirm that your subscription is active or if you don’t see solar credits from your DC Solar for All subscription on your PEPCO bill after 90 days, please contact our customer service team at [email protected] or (202) 505-3051. You can also view your past solar credits on your SharePower™ dashboard.

When you register for DC Solar for All, Groundswell’s Customer Service team sends an email inviting you to make a SharePower account, so you can view your savings over time and access information about how you can save even more money each month. If you have registered your account, click here log in to your SharePower™ dashboard.

If you have any trouble accessing your SharePower dashboard, please contact our customer service team at [email protected] or (202) 681-3692.

In addition to providing you with up to $500 a year in clean energy savings, your DC Solar for All subscription prevents greenhouse gas emissions from the old, dirty fuel sources sometimes used to generate electricity. Your SharePower™ dashboard includes an estimate for the greenhouse gas emissions you have prevented through your subscription, along with how much you have saved on your PEPCO electricity bills so far. See your impact here. 

Your Solar for All subscription can continue saving you money by moving with you to anywhere where you will pay an energy bill within the District. All you need to do to continue to receive up to $500 a year in clean energy credits is let the Groundswell’s Customer Service Team know when you plan to move and your new address at [email protected] or (202) 505-3051, option 2.

We will size your subscription so that the CNM Credits will offset approximately 50% of your electric utility bills based on the District s 2016 average residential usage. The value of your CNM Credits may vary depending upon actual solar production each month throughout the year, which changes depending on the weather. You will likely receive more CNM Credits in the summer than in the winter due to the increased sunshine in the summer months. The CNM Credits you receive also depend upon the Residential CNM Credit rate, which changes seasonally. DOEE may also modify your subscription allocation once each year to align with your actual electricity consumption from the previous twelve months. Because these changes are outside of our control, you agree to allow us to modify your subscription allocation percentage from time to time as needed to help you achieve your eligible program benefit. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, District regulations prevent you from receiving credits greater than 120% of your annual historic electricity consumption, so your CNM Credit allocation will not exceed this amount. You will not receive a cash payment for your subscription value.

Your PEPCO electric bill will be reduced by an amount (in dollars) corresponding to the monetary value of solar electricity generated by the community solar energy facility in connection with your subscription. This reduction, or bill credit, is called a community net metering credit (CNM Credit). The value of the CNM Credit for your subscription in any month will equal the community solar energy facility's electricity production for the month multiplied by your subscription percentage, multiplied by the Residential CNM Credit rate established by PEPCO pursuant to the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia regulations. The value of the credits allocated to you may change each billing cycle depending on your percentage allocation, the Residential CNM Credit Rate, and actual solar production. The CNM calculation is set forth in the following equation:

(Solar facility output kWh x subscription %) x credit rate $ = $ Your CNM Credits.