Shopping for solar? New state website provides one stop online consumer resource

Francine A. Giani, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Commerce announced that the Utah Division of Public Utilities and Office of Consumer Services have created a new state website for electricity customers using or considering solar resources.

The online site https://rooftopsolar.utah.gov/ provides background information for customers considering solar energy to ensure they are aware of applicable rates and rules to avoid pitfalls that may accompany sales and installations of solar panels and systems.

“The Utah Department of Commerce is constantly looking for ways to provide more information for consumers online.  Our hope is thatrooftopsolar.utah.gov will become a valuable tool for consumers exploring this energy source,” stated Francine A. Giani.

With solar energy grabbing more headlines, many Utah consumers are being bombarded with sales offers for home and business use. Rooftopsolar.utah.gov has an extensive checklist of what questions citizens should ask and review with any prospective contractor or company.

“Solar energy is becoming a popular source of energy among businesses and homeowners in Utah.  But with popularity comes the risk of fraud so our Divisions created this online resource to help educate and protect the public when seeking out solar energy,” stated Chris Parker, Division Director

The website contains information about Rocky Mountain Power’s tariffs governing use of rooftop solar resources, including the different rates that might apply to different customers. Rooftopsolar.utah.gov displays three categories of customers to provide Utah users with a roadmap in exploring solar energy; Net-metered customer, Transition Customer and Post Transition Customer.  Each customer category includes a drop-down menu “What does this mean?” with background utility and government information.   

“We hope that consumers will carefully evaluate costs and benefits of solar before signing up,” advised Michele Beck, “Our goal is to provide user-friendly information so the public has all the facts before they sign a contract.”