Your support for solar in WV matters

To our West Virginia customers,

We have become aware that the status of net metering for future solar customers in West Virginia is the subject of some discussion by the state’s two biggest utility companies and the Public Service Commission (PSC), which regulates them and their rates.

The electric companies have asked the PSC to let them change the rules about how net metering for future solar customers would work. The electric companies are asking if they can increase the base rate that solar-generating customers pay, or lower the credits they receive for excess power provided to the grid. Those changes, if approved, would NOT affect CURRENT solar-generating customers, but could go into effect for new systems after mid-2024.

Changes to net metering would require action by the PSC and possibly state legislators, if the utilities are seeking a permanent change in net metering rules.

We have been told by utility companies that current solar customers would be “grandfathered in” and any changes wouldn’t affect their billing or metering.

If you are concerned about the possibility of seeing utility companies reduce the benefits of net metering for our solar customers, we believe your voice could make an impact.

Our West Virginia utility regulators and lawmakers would benefit from hearing how net metering for solar customers works in real life, and what kind of positive impacts it offers you throughout the year. Those customers with an interest in this issue are encouraged to share your story with lawmakers and the PSC soon. Real West Virginians who are generating solar power and seeing the upsides of net metering are the experts on why net metering should stay the same, offering fair credits and encouraging renewable energy.

Here are some key points to consider addressing:

–Net metering encourages the flow of a separate and valid source of renewable power to add to the public power supply

– Net metering as it stands now supports adoption of clean energy technology in the state

– Current net metering rules put solar energy within reach for more people

– Current net metering supports West Virginia small businesses & ag producers and saves taxpayers money for public projects

If you are interested in sharing your experience with net metering in West Virginia with utility officials and state lawmakers, you can contact them this way:

–Public Service Commission of West Virginia

 201 Brooks Street

 P.O. Box 812

 Charleston, WV  25323

 304-340-0300

To make any general comments about matters under the PSC’s consideration, visit the PSC website to make those statements here: http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/onlinecomments/generalComments.cfm

Citizens can also share their knowledge of and experiences with net metering with their elected representatives in Charleston. Find your lawmaker and their contact information by visiting the Citizen’s Guide to the West Virginia Legislature here: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Educational/citizens/guide.cfm Legislator information is at the bottom of the page.

Feel free to share with us any letters or comments you send to state officials. 

Email us at info@mtvolar.com  

The team here at mtvSolar will continue to monitor the issue and how it might impact future solar customers.

Customer testimonial: A quick response to add battery backup in rural Pennsylvania

After losing power over Christmas for a day and a half, Steve Hendricks starting looking into a battery backup system to tie to his home’s solar panels in the rural countryside of Bedford County, Pa. He and his wife were in line for a Tesla Powerwall, but the installation options fell through. Steve searched online and found mtvSolar was a certified Tesla Powerwall installer, and called us. Consultant Natalie Friend responded right away, and very soon Steve had four Powerwalls in action. Several months later, he decided to add two more Powerwalls to help charge the couple’s electric vehicles and add to their rural home’s power backup system. Steve called us back and after a day’s work, we had upgraded his system to six Powerwalls.

Steve said the first four batteries were able to cover the whole house electric needs, but he wanted to ensure there wouldn’t be any more power interruptions. Just last week, the power went out for his neighbors and he said he never would have known the grid was down except that his Tesla monitoring app sent him a notification it had happened.

Steve was impressed by how responsive mtvSolar was to his request for the batteries and installation work, and how hard everyone worked to get the job done. Everyone he encountered was friendly and took time to explain the work they were doing. “It was a totally positive experience,” he said. He would recommend mtvSolar to anyone interested in building out their own solar and battery backup system.