Confirm the utility and interconnection route
Identify the actual delivery utility and its current distributed-generation requirements. Municipal and cooperative systems can have their own arrangements. A supplier offer is not interconnection permission. Ask about application sequence, engineering review, metering and any service work before committing to a project. Use current documents for the specific system size and service class.
Separate self-consumption from exports
Energy used on site can have different economics from energy sent to the grid. Ask how the utility measures and credits exports, how credits carry forward and which charges remain. A yearly production total can conceal a mismatch between generation hours and business load. Use interval or appropriate time-based analysis where available rather than assume every generated kWh has the same value.
Review the supply agreement and attributes
Check how on-site generation interacts with a competitive supply contract, usage commitments and other provisions. Establish who owns renewable attributes and whether they are sold or retained. Avoid making environmental claims unsupported by the actual arrangement. An equipment proposal, a tariff credit and a renewable supply product are separate items requiring separate documentation.
Build a conservative financial model
Include installed cost, financing, maintenance, degradation assumptions, remaining utility charges and contract effects. Verify current incentives independently. Test lower export values and changes in self-consumption. A quoted simple payback is not proof of a guaranteed return. Obtain qualified engineering and tax guidance where the decision requires it.
A practical example
Illustrative explanation, not a customer outcome.
If a hypothetical system generates 10,000 kWh but the building uses only 6,000 kWh during the relevant generation periods, do not value all 10,000 as identical avoided purchases. The remaining quantity needs the actual export-credit method.
Put the review into practice
| Review step | What to record |
|---|---|
| Find the current source | Read the official version and effective date. |
| Confirm the account | Utility, commodity, class and actual arrangement matter. |
| Separate legal and commercial questions | Get qualified advice where a conclusion requires it. |
| Keep records | Save the source, agreement and written clarification. |
Questions worth asking
Does net metering remove every utility charge?
No. Check which fixed, demand and other charges remain under the tariff.
Can I assume the same rules in every Ohio city?
No. The service utility and project-specific rules must be verified.
Continue the comparison
Sources and scope
Reviewed October 15, 2026. Follow the source’s own data period, effective dates and current terms. Examples are hypothetical unless expressly identified as a dated published result. A source is context, not a guarantee of eligibility or a product endorsement.