GoSolar with TEP

Residential TEP customers who own their homes can buy all of their power from a local TEP solar array for a monthly price that can remain fixed for 10 years. Participants pay an affordable fixed monthly rate based on their previous 12 months of electric use. Homeowners with 12 consecutive months of TEP service and good payment history are eligible for the program, as long as space is available. Participation requires a signed contract and a one-time $100 processing fee (the fee is subject to state and local taxes). The customer will have the option to split this processing fee into up to four equal installments over consecutive billing periods.

TEP GoSolar Home offers an easy way to go solar at an affordable price that won’t change for 10 years. That means if costs for traditional energy increase in the future, customers may save money. There are no maintenance costs, and participation helps reduce customers’ carbon footprint while limiting our community’s reliance on fossil-fueled power.

Residential TEP customers can participate in the program if they:

• Own their home,
• Have 12 consecutive months of usage history at their address,
• Have a good payment history (defined as not having three or more bills delinquent or service disconnection for nonpayment within a consecutive 12-month period),
• Sign the GoSolar Home contract.
• Pay a one-time $100 processing fee (plus tax).

TEP GoSolar Home is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Participation is limited by the capacity of the solar array we’re developing to serve program participants, which will be capable of generating up to 5 MW of power, enough to serve as many as 900 customers, depending on usage. If the program reaches capacity, customers will be placed on a waiting list until space becomes available. Customers should allow 30 days for the processing of their application.

Because TEP GoSolar Home is a pricing plan, participating customers cannot also:

• Be on another residential rate or rider, including a time-of-use or demand-based plan.
• Participate in TEP GoSolar Shares.
• Participate in Budget Billing or Lifeline. Customers currently on these programs must exit them to enroll in TEP GoSolar Home.
• Participate in the TEP Residential Solar Program or the Guarantee Home program. Guarantee Home program participants can terminate their participation in that program in order to enroll in GoSolar Home.
• Have existing solar at their residence and be on a solar rate plan.

Customers who don’t qualify for TEP GoSolar Home are encouraged to participate in our other community solar program, TEP GoSolar Shares.

Participants agree to purchase all of their energy from a local TEP solar array for 10 years in exchange for a fixed monthly price based on their previous 12 months of electric usage.

The energy will be generated by a 5 MW solar power system located in southwest Tucson that is expected to come online in 2020. Customers who sign up now will receive solar energy from TEP’s other community-scale arrays until the new array is completed.

At first, the fixed GoSolar Home payment should be comparable to the average bills participants were paying before they signed up for the program. For customers on our Basic pricing plan, the initial program payment might be a bit lower than their average bills. On the other hand, customers who have adapted their usage to take advantage of our time-of-use or demand-based plans might find the initial program payment represents an increase over their average bills. The payment also might represent an increase for customers currently using our discounted TEP Guarantee Home rate.

In the future, the fixed GoSolar Home payment could generate savings for participants if TEP’s other rates increase. These savings could increase over time, as TEP’s rates typically increase at an average rate of about 1 percent per year. Any savings would vary with customers’ usage and the choice of pricing plan used for that comparison.

The fixed monthly payment is based on customers’ most recent annual kilowatt-hour (kWh) usage. That figure is divided by 1,900 kWh – the estimated annual output of one kilowatt (kW) of solar photovoltaic capacity – and the result is multiplied by $19 to produce the fixed payment amount. That payment will remain fixed for 10 years if a participant’s energy usage remains relatively consistent.

TEP reviews each program participant’s usage every January and compares it to the usage used to calculate the original rate. If a participant’s annual energy use rises or falls by more than 15% compared to the level used to calculate his or her payment, the monthly payment amount will be recalculated and adjusted to reflect the new usage level. Any changes made to the fixed payment will occur before the first billing cycle is completed in that subsequent year. Participants’ monthly bills also could change to reflect revised tax rates or updates to the Renewable Energy Standard Tariff (REST) and Demand Side Management (DSM) surcharges, which are reset periodically by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).

The program makes the benefits of clean, green solar power more widely available. Installing a PV array at your home or business can be quite expensive. A standalone system may not be an option for many customers, including limited-income residents or those whose rooftops are shaded by trees or nearby buildings. The TEP GoSolar Home program offers an easy, affordable way for residential homeowners to go solar.

Customers submit an application through My Account. Once the application has been reviewed, a member of our renewable energy team will contact the customer about the next steps. Participation requires a signed contract and a one-time $100 processing fee (plus applicable state and local taxes). The customer will have the option to split this processing fee into up to four equal installments over consecutive billing periods.

No. Solar energy produced by our arrays flows into our local distribution grid, where it is shared by all TEP customers. This allows our systems to be built at scale for a lower cost, providing more cost-effective solar power for program participants.

No. Solar energy purchased through the program is associated with a specific service address. If you sell your home, the new homeowner can take over your TEP GoSolar Home contract. If the new homeowner does not want to participate, you can leave the program without an exit fee. If space in the program is still available, you can participate again at your new address after you have been there for 12 months.

Yes, but the owner of the home must remain as the primary customer on the account. If a GoSolar Home participating customer rents out his or her home and does not remain the main customer on the account, he or she must exit the program and pay the appropriate exit fee (see below). If you’re planning to rent out your home, please consider the TEP GoSolar Shares program instead.

The TEP GoSolar Home program offers solar energy for a price that remains fixed for 10 years. If you choose to leave the program early, a penalty fee will be assessed to your account. The exit fee is $250 the first year and decreases by $25 in each subsequent year. If at any time your electric service is cut for nonpayment, you’ll be removed from the program and your account will be assessed the exit fee.