Which market is this customer in?
Top Tier serves multiple states with different solar economics. Select the customer's location to load the right pitch framework, utility options, and battery configurations.
Florida
Protection first · Resilience + future-proof
Most FL customers have favorable 1:1 net metering today. The pitch isn't bill capture — it's hurricane resilience, NBT future-proofing, and (for OUC) the rebate trade-off. KUA is the FL exception: live net billing today plus a 10/31/2028 cohort cliff, so the pitch is self-consumption spread capture.
Georgia
Self-consumption first · Bill leak capture
Georgia Power's net billing means existing solar customers lose significant value on every exported kWh. Battery self-consumption captures that leak. Hurricane resilience secondary.
Illinois
ComEd + Ameren · DG Rebate $300/kWh + cohort tradeoff (ComEd binary / Ameren real) · PJM ComEd Zone + MISO split
Illinois's two IOUs serve ~5.2M residential customers across distinct RTO footprints. ComEd (Exelon, ~4M customers, PJM ComEd Zone — Chicago metro + northern IL) and Ameren Illinois (Ameren Corp, ~1.2M, MISO — central + southern IL). Both administer parallel DG Rebate programs at $300/kW solar + $300/kWh storage applied point-of-sale via installer; both require a rate-plan switch to receive the rebate (ComEd → BESH hourly real-time pricing; Ameren → Peak Time Rewards demand response). The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA 2021) preserved 1:1 retail net metering for residential customers ≤25 kW system size with utility-specific 8% peak-demand caps. The interconnection-trigger mechanics differ between utilities: ComEd's new interconnection app for battery additions mechanically triggers NEM 2.0 (Cohort A binary frame — battery = NEM 2.0 either way); Ameren only triggers NEM 2.0 on 100%+ capacity-increase interconnections (Cohort B1/B2 real tradeoff between accepting the rebate and retaining grandfather NM). Illinois Shines / Adjustable Block Program SREC payments are DISABLED in the initial Top Tier IL build pending Approved Vendor registration verification. Cross-cohort framing guardrail: PJM 833% capacity-spike framing applies ONLY to ComEd content; Ameren routes via MISO context.
Indiana
EDG cohort default · Self-consumption spread + 2032 cliff hedge · IURC rate-case pressure
Indiana is a 5-IOU regulated battery market modeled around the EDG cohort (post-July 2022 enrollment). All five IOUs follow the statutory 1.25× MISO marginal LMP formula (IC 8-1-40-17) for EDG export credits; 2026 EDG rates cluster ~5¢/kWh for AES, CenterPoint, NIPSCO with Duke pending and I&M an outlier ~8.5¢ (Fort Wayne LMP). The financial pitch is pure self-consumption capture against rising retail. No residential battery rebates exist statewide; no battery VPP / DR programs. Forward-pressure narrative: NM II 2032 cliff for grandfathered 2018-Jul 2022 customers + active IURC rate-case cycle (I&M 22% petition active; Duke 11% phased 2025-2026; AES 2024 +$30/mo). Tax landscape: IN sales tax exemption on solar equipment (IC 6-2.5-5-46), property tax exemption (IC 6-1.1-12-26.1), no state income tax credit, federal ITC expired 12/31/2025.
Kentucky
Duke Energy KY · NM I/II cohort split · PJM Zone DEOK · Cincinnati-area Northern KY
Duke Energy Kentucky serves ~142,900 customers in the Cincinnati-area Northern KY counties (Boone, Campbell, Grant, Kenton, Pendleton). Effective Jan 1, 2025, KY PSC Case 2023-00413 split residential solar into two cohorts: NM I (pre-2025 installs, full retail 1:1 net metering, 25-yr grandfather, forfeit on property transfer) and NM II (post-2025 installs, avoided-cost net billing). Duke KY sits in PJM Zone DEOK; the December 2025 rate case (2024-00354) raised rates 9.61%. Top Tier focuses on Duke KY for the Kentucky launch — LG&E, KU, and Kentucky Power are out of scope for now.
Maryland
BGE + Pepco + Delmarva + Potomac Edison · 1:1 NM statutory · RCES $5K grant · DRIVE Act VPP pilots filed
Maryland's 4 IOUs (BGE + Pepco + Delmarva — all Exelon; Potomac Edison — FirstEnergy) all preserve full retail-rate 1:1 net metering with INDEFINITE credit rollover under MD statute — the strongest NM treatment of any Top Tier market. MEA's RCES program provides up to $5,000 grants for residential battery installs (FY26 exhausted; FY27 expected summer 2026 — post-install reimbursement). BGE + Pepco filed VPP pilots at the MD PSC under the DRIVE Act 2024 — pending approval; BGE proposed UP TO $100/mo per participating customer. MD Certified SRECs (Brighter Tomorrow Act 2024) pay 1.5x standard SREC value through January 2028 for ≤5 MW rooftop/parking systems. All 4 IOUs in PJM (BGE / PEPCO / DPL / APS zones). 2012 Mid-Atlantic Derecho remains the defining MD outage event (430k+ peak outages, 9-day major-disaster declaration). Federal ITC expired 12/31/2025.
North Carolina
Duke Carolinas + Duke Progress (Bridge Rate / RSC EDG) + Dominion NC (1:1 NM) · PowerPair near-exhausted · Helene 2024 anchor
North Carolina's residential solar landscape spans 3 IOUs across 2 RTOs and 3 cohort treatments. Duke Energy Carolinas (~2M households, central/western NC, SERC) and Duke Energy Progress (~1.6M, central/eastern NC, SERC) both run on the Bridge Rate (transitional through 12/31/2026, 15-yr lock) / RSC (permanent successor, TOU + CPP) EDG framework since legacy 1:1 NM closed July 1, 2023. Pre-7/1/2023 install customers are grandfathered on retail 1:1 through Jan 1, 2027 cliff. Dominion Energy NC (smaller NE NC footprint, PJM Dom Zone) preserves full retail 1:1 NM. Duke PowerPair $9K residential battery rebate: Duke Progress CLOSED since Nov 7, 2025; Duke Carolinas Cohort B WAITLISTED April 28, 2026, Cohort A near-exhausted June-July 2026. Duke EnergyWise Home Battery Program (Duke VPP, up to $92/mo) still ACTIVE separately. Hurricane Helene 2024 is THE NC outage anchor (~1.34M Duke customers out in Carolinas; 703k in NC alone; western NC devastation including two submerged Swannanoa substations). Federal ITC expired 12/31/2025.
Ohio
Winter resilience first · Moderate bill savings · Documented rate climb
Ohio is a deregulated, backup-capable battery market. Most Ohio solar customers have generation-rate-only net metering — a real but moderate ~12¢/kWh import/export spread a battery can capture. Winter-storm resilience is the dominant value driver: Ohio is #5 nationally for weather-related outages, December 2022 was a near-miss for statewide rolling blackouts, and Hurricane Ike's 2008 remnants left Dayton dark for 2.5 weeks. Regulatory hedging is third — AEP's 2025 net-metering reduction filing was denied by PUCO (Docket 25-0349-EL-ORD, Jan 7 2026) but demonstrates intent; FirstEnergy supply rates rose 27-28% in 2025.
Pennsylvania
Strongest 1:1 NEM in Top Tier markets — actively under attack
PA mandates 1:1 retail-rate net metering by state law. PPL filed in 2025 to weaken it (settlement signed March 2026, grandfathering deadline Dec 31 2026); FirstEnergy filed DSP-VII Feb 4 2026 (3-yr grandfather proposed, implementation Jun 1 2027). PECO and Duquesne are the two stable-economics utilities; PPL + the four FE PA brands (Met-Ed, PENELEC, West Penn Power, Penn Power) are the urgency markets. Default config: backup-capable.
South Carolina
Sub-retail exports · Documented rate trajectory · Hurricane resilience
Most SC residential solar customers are now on Solar Choice TOU (DEC/DEP fully as of 1/1/2026; DESC's NEM 1.0 cohort as of 1/1/2026 with the NEM 2.0 cohort still on retail through 5/31/2029; co-ops on DER Rider). Three of four utility categories credit exports below retail. Documented rate trajectory at Dominion (Jul 2026), Duke Carolinas (Aug 2024–Aug 2026 stacked), Duke Progress (Feb 2026), and Santee Cooper (Apr 2025 + 2027/2028 proposed). Hurricane Helene 2024 was DESC's largest restoration in company history.
Texas
ERCOT deregulation · 4 deregulated TDUs + 3 single-layer · 7 utilities live
Texas runs on ERCOT — except in the far west, where El Paso Electric is on the WECC grid. In ~85% of the state the customer has two separate entities on the bill: a TDU (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, TNMP — the wires company) and a REP (the supply company they choose). The 3 single-layer entries (Austin Energy, CPS Energy, El Paso Electric) are munis or regulated IOUs and operate on their own terms. All 7 TX utilities live as of 2026-05-25.
Virginia
Dominion VA + APCo VA · 1:1 NM preserved (NEM 2.0 April 2026 + APCo Sept 2025) · Community Energy Act VPP coming · PJM
Virginia's two IOUs (Dominion Energy VA, ~2.8M customers; Appalachian Power VA, ~530K) both preserved 1:1 retail net metering in 2025-2026 regulatory decisions. Dominion VA NEM 2.0 final order April 30, 2026 retained behind-the-meter retail-rate offset (year-end excess cashes out at $0.05829/kWh including the SCC-added $0.01 RPS credit). APCo VA SCC order September 2025 preserved 1:1 up to annual usage (above-usage credit at 5.66¢/kWh). Both utilities sit in PJM. Community Energy Act (signed May 2025) mandates Dominion VPP pilot with ≥15 MW residential battery additions — SCC tariff petition due Nov 15, 2026. No statewide battery rebate; no state solar tax credit; residential solar ≤ 25 kW property-tax exempt since Jan 1, 2023.
West Virginia
Appalachian Power WV + Mon Power + Potomac Edison · POST-SUNSET EDG (all 3 IOUs) · PJM · derecho + winter-storm resilience
West Virginia's three investor-owned utilities are all post-sunset for new net metering as of 2026. Appalachian Power WV (AEP subsidiary; southern WV) sunsetted 1:1 NM March 1, 2026 (application cutoff) / September 1, 2026 (completion cutoff); new customers credited at ~12.4¢/kWh export vs ~17.2¢/kWh retail. Mon Power + Potomac Edison (both FirstEnergy subsidiaries; north-central WV and Eastern Panhandle respectively) sunsetted January 1, 2025; new customers credited at $0.0934/kWh vs ~13-14¢/kWh retail. All three IOUs are PJM members. The 2025 PJM capacity-auction 833% price spike flowed through APCo as PJM APS Zone pass-through and through Mon Power + Potomac Edison as part of the FirstEnergy 27-28% 2025 supply-rate hike (same pattern that hit OH FirstEnergy customers). No WV state battery rebate, no WV state solar tax credit (historic 30%/$2K credit no longer in current state tax code), no utility VPP programs. WV leads the nation in lingering ice-storm outages — the June 2012 derecho remains the iconic outage event, with 2021 Winter Storm Shirley, the 2022 Double Derecho, and January 2026's statewide State of Emergency completing the recent outage history. HB 2568 (2025) sought to eliminate WV net metering; died in committee but the legislative threat could return.
On the roadmap
California
PG&E + SCE + SDG&E · NEM 3.0 (NBT) live since April 2023
California's three big IOUs (Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric) all operate under NEM 3.0 — the Net Billing Tariff — since April 15, 2023. Exports credit at avoided-cost rates (~$0.05–$0.10/kWh) while imports run at TOU rates that hit $0.50+/kWh during peak summer evenings. Battery is essential to make solar pencil under NEM 3.0. Top Tier is scoping the CA market separately — TOU optimization + per-IOU rate trajectories require dedicated work.
Connecticut
Eversource + UI · ConnectedSolutions VPP ($200/kWh) · NE cluster
Connecticut's two IOUs (Eversource Energy and United Illuminating) jointly operate the ConnectedSolutions residential battery VPP — one of the strongest battery-payment programs in the country ($200/kWh-summer capacity payments). Net metering closed to new applicants in early 2022; current rooftop solar customers are on the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions tariff with Netting or Buy-All-Sell-All options. Top Tier is scoping CT separately — the VPP-first pitch differs structurally from the bill-spread pitch that anchors most current markets.
Massachusetts
Eversource + National Grid · ConnectedSolutions ($1-3K/yr) · SMART program
Massachusetts has the highest-paying residential battery VPP in the country: Eversource + National Grid jointly operate ConnectedSolutions with $200/kWh-summer and $50/kWh-winter capacity payments. Typical battery participation earns $1,000-3,000/yr. Net metering for new solar was replaced by the SMART program (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target) in 2018; existing solar customers earn SMART incentive compensation alongside the battery VPP. Top Tier is scoping MA separately — the VPP-first pitch + SMART program mechanics differ structurally from the bill-spread anchor used in most current markets.
New Hampshire
Eversource + Unitil + Liberty · ISO-NE · NE cluster · Group Net Metering
New Hampshire is served by Eversource (largest IOU), Unitil, and Liberty Utilities; NH Electric Cooperative serves member-owned territories separately. NH sits in ISO-NE, sharing the regional capacity-market pressure that drives MA + CT battery VPP economics. NH was an early Group Net Metering framework adopter with a 100 kW residential cap; rules are under periodic PUC review. Eversource territory overlap with MA + CT may enable shared content at launch, but the rate trajectory + PUC posture need primary-source verification before Top Tier launches the market.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Energy (PPL) · ISO-NE · NE cluster · single-utility scope
Rhode Island is served primarily by Rhode Island Energy (the PPL-owned successor to National Grid RI since May 2022). RI sits in ISO-NE, sharing the regional capacity-market pressure that drives the MA + CT battery-pitch dynamics. Net metering is currently 1:1 retail with capacity caps; whether RI follows MA's SMART-style transition is a regulatory open question. Single-utility market scope simplifies the data side, but the rate trajectory + any future battery VPP launch timing both need primary-source verification before Top Tier launches the market.