What Is
Community Solar?

YES. Harvesting solar power is less expensive than other forms of energy and we pass that savings along to you - lowering your monthly bill by 10% or more!

There's no catch...guaranteed! Often people confuse community solar with rooftop solar but there's no equipment, installation or financial investment needed. You simply subscribe and the power comes through your existing grid from our community solar farm.

On average solar power produces 20x less greenhouse gasses, making it a cleaner energy source that reduces your carbon footprint and helps reverse climate change.

Everyone! You lower your energy bill and your community lowers its carbon footprint.

How a
Subscription Works?

There's no catch...guaranteed! Often people confuse community solar with rooftop solar but there's no equipment, installation or financial investment needed. You simply subscribe and the power comes through your existing grid from our community solar farms.

Subscriptions to Nautilus Community Solar are free and can be canceled at any time. With a limited number of subscriptions available for each farm, space is limited.

You can cancel at any time without fees.

No annual contract is required and you can cancel at any time without penalty.

If there is a community solar farm in your area, your subscription can move with you.

Our Find Your Community tool will locate our community solar farms in your area. Due to local government policies, availability varies by state.

Billing
FAQ

It depends on the status of your community solar farm.

  • If the community solar farm is already generating power - you can see your solar credits on your electricity bill as soon as the next billing cycle.
  • If the community solar farm is under construction – It could be four-to-five months until you start to see your community solar credits.
    We will send you updates via email or our subscriber newsletters.

We will send you updates via email or our subscriber newsletters.

A Solar Credit is a type of Energy Credit, a renewable energy incentive created by your local state legislature, to encourage residents and businesses to reduce their energy use. Energy Credits are issued for specific energy-saving measures such as using energy-efficient appliances, purchasing electric vehicles, installing rooftop solar, or subscribing to community solar. They are typically issued in the form of either a tax credit, rebate, or utility credit, such as with community solar.

Everyone!

Local utilities

They satisfy their state mandated renewable energy goals and earn Solar Credits by purchasing solar power from solar farm owner/operators, like Nautilus, to supply the grid with clean energy.

Community Solar Owner/Operators

The local utility “pays” for the solar power it receives by transferring the Solar Credits they receive to the solar farm’s owner/operator, like Nautilus.

Community Solar Subscribers

Owner/operators pass a portion of the solar credit back to their community solar subscribers.

After the owner/operator receives the Solar Credits from the subscriber’s utility company, they bill the subscriber for their Solar Credits minus a discount of 10-15% or more. The difference between the total deducted from their utility company’s bill and the total billed by the owner/operator is the subscriber’s savings.

Your share is based on your 12-month historical usage in kilowatt hours (kWh) divided by the estimated annual solar energy generated from the project. This determines your “allotted percentage” or share, which is around 0.5% of the farm on average.

Each month, your Solar Credits are calculated by multiplying your allotted percentage share by the total monthly solar energy generated by your local community solar farm. The amount of monthly solar credits you receive are dependent upon the total energy generated by a community solar farm, not your energy usage.

Depending on the state in which you live, and the option you choose, there are several ways you could be billed.

Two Bill Option

  • Bill #1 – From Your Utility
    • Includes your normal electricity supply, delivery, and service charges.
    • The bill will also include a deduction for the full value of Solar Credits you earned for being a subscriber.
    • Your bill will be much smaller. The second bill will cover the electricity charges.
  • Bill # 2 – From Nautilus Solar Energy
    • Includes the charge for your Solar Credits minus your discount (10-15% or more).

The Nautilus invoice may reflect your credits from a previous billing period. This is because your Solar Credits are transferred from your utility company to Nautilus a billing cycle or two after they appear on your monthly utility bill, as they match solar electricity production with payment for the solar energy purchased from Nautilus.

One Bill Option

Some customers can select a one-bill option. In this case, Nautilus will pay your electricity charges directly to your utility company. You receive one monthly statement from Nautilus which itemizes your supply, delivery and services costs charged by the utility, along with the solar energy credits and discount you receive from Nautilus.

New York only

For some NY customers, all invoicing will be managed by your utility as part of NY’s Net Crediting Program. In those cases, you won’t receive a bill from Nautilus Solar.