Electrical interconnection and net metering for Vermont solar and battery systems

No: Vermont separated these into two distinct processes: an interconnection application covering the technical connection to the grid, and a net-metering registration or Certificate of Public Good covering the billing and credit arrangement. Since 2024 a small residential system generally files a net-metering registration through the state's ePUC portal rather than the full interconnection application, but both still have to be satisfied before the system can operate.

It is a per-kilowatt-hour credit against the base blended retail rate, not a fixed price: Green Mountain Power's published figure was $0.1839/kWh as of 2026, and customers with systems under 15kW could earn an additional $0.03/kWh by transferring their Renewable Energy Certificates to the utility. Rates and adders change; confirm the current figure with your utility before sizing a system around it.

Yes. Green Mountain Power's published requirements call for IEEE 1547-2018 (as amended by IEEE 1547a-2020) and UL 1741 as supplemented by UL 1741 SA and SB for applications received after January 1, 2024. An installer proposing older-standard equipment is proposing something that may not pass interconnection review.

The applicant does. Vermont's interconnection process places the cost of the equipment and any distribution-system upgrades needed to connect the system on the person requesting interconnection, which is why a property with limited nearby grid capacity can see the electrical cost rise independent of the system's own price.

Often, but it is a second interconnection question, not just an equipment purchase: the existing net-metering registration and the panel's interconnection method both have to support the addition, and the utility may need to review the change. Raise it with an electrician before assuming the existing setup accommodates it.

Frequently more than the installation itself does. Green Mountain Power's published process gives itself until the 15th day after a complete small-system application to flag issues, and any Certificate of Public Good is conditioned on meeting the utility's own interconnection requirements afterward, so the utility timeline, not the roof work, is usually the longer pole in the schedule.

No. The electrical side covered here is service and panel capacity, interconnection equipment and wiring, and coordination with the utility application. The solar or battery equipment itself, and the utility and PUC filings, are typically handled by the solar installer or the homeowner directly.