Rebates

NOTE: Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP websites.
   

On May 2014, Delaware updated its energy code to 2012 IECC with amendments for residential sector and ASHRAE 90.1-2010 with amendments for the commercial sector. The Delaware specific amendments to the energy code can be accessed on the regulation webpage. These codes are effective starting November 2014 following a six month grace period. 

The

On September 17th, 2021, the Governor of the State of Delaware signed into law Senate Bill 2, which amended the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act and the Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1999 to accelarate the adoption of community-owned solar photovoltaic systems in Delaware and to establish a process relating to community-owned energy generating facilities (CEFS).

Below are some of the key features of this program.

1. The community-owned energy generating facility shall not have subscriptions larger than 200 kilowatts constituting more than 60% of its capacity.
   
2. A community-owned energy generating facility shall not exceed a capacity of 4 megawatts.
3. The

The Clean Vehicle Rebate Program provides incentives to residents of Delaware as well as businesses in the state to buy or lease new vehicles powered by alternative fuels. Incentives are available for battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, dedicated propane/natural gas vehicles and bi-fuel propane/natural gas vehicles.

Delaware Electric Cooperative provides customers with energy saving tips on water heating, kitchen appliances, lighting, HVAC, and more, as well as energy saving programs such as Beat the Peak. Beat the Peak offers customers peak energy price text message alerts, building indicators, and two free LED bulbs.

Delaware Green Energy Funds

The Delaware Green Energy Fund was created in 1999 as the part of the deregulation of Delaware's electric utilities. Under Title 26 Delaware Code § 363, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act, any electric company or cooperative may exempt itself from the states renewable portfolio standard by contributing to the states Green Energy Fund or by creating its own independent Green Energy Fund. The Green Energy Fund is to be used in support of energy efficiency technologies, renewable energy technologies, or demand side management programs, into which it shall make payments of at least $0.000356 for

The Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) provides incentives for solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal, wind, fuel cells, and geothermal installed by DEC member-owners. Eligibility is limited to systems that are intended to supply on-site energy needs. Incentives are available to both residential and non-residential member-owners based upon average peak demand over a 12 month period. Class A  member-owners are defined as those with an average monthly peak electric demand of 50 kilowatts (kW) or less over the previous twelve months. Class B member-owners are those with an average monthly peak electric demand of greater than 50 kW over the previous twelve

DEMEC and its nine municipal members are pleased to offer Energy Depot, a new set of online tools and resources to help customers better understand and manage their energy use and costs. Energy Depot is a one-stop resource for energy information and it’s available free.

Delaware Green Energy Funds

The Delaware Green Energy Fund was created in 1999 as the part of the deregulation of Delaware's electric utilities. Under Title 26 Delaware Code § 363, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act, any electric company or cooperative may exempt itself from the states renewable portfolio standard by contributing to the states Green Energy Fund or by creating its own independent Green Energy Fund. The Green Energy Fund is to be used in support of energy efficiency technologies, renewable energy technologies, or demand side management programs, into which it shall make payments of at least $0.000356 for

In July 2009 Delaware enacted legislation prohibiting private covenants (i.e., homeowner's association rules) from restricting the use of roof or ground-mounted solar systems on privately owned residential dwellings. The law was amended in 2019 with the passage of HB 65, which voided all prior covenants or restrictions regardless of the date recorded (previously, legal instruments prohibiting solar recorded before January 1, 2010 were enforceable). 

Although the wording of the legislation refers generally to "solar energy", the title of the bill references only photovoltaic (PV) systems as eligible for these protections. Only single-family residential structures which are not considered common

The State of Delaware offers energy tips and assistance for conserving energy in the workplace. Resources include 100 ways to improve an energy bill, Energy Savers, the Green Energy Program, tax credits, grants, rebates, etc.

Delaware Green Energy Funds

The Delaware Green Energy Fund was created in 1999 as the part of the deregulation of Delaware's electric utilities. Under Title 26 Delaware Code § 363, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act, any electric company or cooperative may exempt itself from the states renewable portfolio standard by contributing to the states Green Energy Fund or by creating its own independent Green Energy Fund. The Green Energy Fund is to be used in support of energy efficiency technologies, renewable energy technologies, or demand side management programs, into which it shall make payments of at least $0.178 for

The Green Energy Program consists of three separate programs: one for Delmarva Power & Light (DPL), the state's only investor-owned utility; one for the state's municipal utilities; and one for the Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC).  This summary provides incentives available customers of Delmarva Power and Light (DPL). The grants are administered by the DE Energy Office. 

The investor-owned utility (DPL) program was established as part of The Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1999, and is supported under Delaware's public benefits program, the Delmarva Power Green Energy Fund. Under the program, incentives are available for the installation of qualifying photovoltaic

Efficiency Smart® provides energy efficiency services to public power communities that subscribe to its services. Efficiency Smart assists residential, commercial, and industrial customers of these participating municipal electric systems to reduce their energy consumption and save money through improved energy efficiency. Visit www.efficiencysmart.org for more information on this program.

NOTE: The municipal electric utilities serving New Castle, Clayton, Dover, Lewes, Middletown, Milford, Smyrna, and Seaford do not offer any rebates for individual renewable energy systems. Incentives are only available for residents of Newark. Please see the program web site for further information on the use of green energy funds in these jurisdictions. 

Delaware's municipal utilities provide incentives for solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal, wind, geothermal, and fuel cell systems installed by their electric customers. Eligibility is limited to systems that are intended to supply on-site energy needs. Incentives are available to both residential and non-residential member-owners. Both grid-connected and

Eligible homeowners participating in the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program have the option to finance energy efficiency improvements through low-interest loan program offered through Energize Delaware.  The loan program is administered by the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility, which as selected AFC First as a third party program manager to distribute the funds.

Eligibility

To qualify for the program, participants must be registered property owner currently living in a separately metered, one to four unit detached or attached residence. The owner should be participating in the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. Single homes, duplexes, condominiums, and townhouses qualify for

In August 2004, Delaware’s governor signed House Bill 435, requiring state agencies to purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products if they are available competitively and within a reasonable time frame, and if they meet appropriate performance standards. Separately, in February 2010 Governor Markell issued Executive Order No. 18, which sets a variety of energy conservation goals and requirements intended to make the state a leader by example in clean energy and sustainability.

Under Executive Order No. 18, executive branch state agencies and departments were required to reduce energy consumption by 30% by the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 when compared

This program is no longer available.

Starting from August, 2014, Delaware Sustainable Utility (DESEU) and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNRC) are jointly offering financial incentives for solar hot water and geothermal systems. The program has total budget of $1 million for the fiscal year 2014-2015.

Eligibility

The program is open to all non-residential and non-profit participants in the State, regardless of utility jurisdiction.  To apply for the program, applicants must sign up for an online account on the www.greengrantdelaware.com website. Paper applications are no longer accepted by the program. The project needs to be approved by

NOTE: Delaware law (26 Del. C. § 1014) requires the Delaware Public Service Commission (PSC), Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC), and municipal utilities to develop interconnection rules using as a guide the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's (IREC) model interconnection rules and the U.S. Department of Energy's best practices for interconnection. This entry largely addresses the rules used by Delmarva Power, the state's largest utility.

Delmarva, Delaware's only investor-owned electric utility, has four basic levels of interconnection based on system size and system type (inverter-based or non-inverter-based). In June 2011 the PSC issued Order No. 7984 approving final revised rules

Eligibility 

In Delaware, net metering is available to any customer that generates electricity using solar, wind or hydro resources, anaerobic digesters, or fuel cells capable of being powered by renewable fuels. Grid-interactive electric vehicles are also eligible for net metering treatment for electricity that they put on the grid, although these vehicles do not themselves generate electricity. 

System size

The maximum capacity of a net-metered system is 25 kilowatts (kW) for residential customers; 150 kW for farm customers on residential rates (increased by S.B. 111 of 2023); two megawatts (MW) per meter for non-residential customers of Delmarva Power and Light

Note: S.B. 33, enacted in February 2021, increased and extended the RPS. 

In 2005, S.B. 74 established a renewables portfolio standard (RPS) requiring retail electricity supplier to purchase 10% of the electricity sold in the state from renewable sources by compliance year (CY) 2019-2020.  S.B. 119 of 2010 increased the RPS to 25% by CY 2025-2026. The RPS was extended again by S.B. 33 of 2021. The RPS applies to the state's investor-owned utilities, retail electric suppliers, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives. Municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives are allowed to opt out of the RPS requirement if

NOTE: While interested parties can still trade DE SRECs in the spot market, the spot market in itself is limited since most of the SRECs produced are part of the SREC Purchase Program, or the SREC Procurement Program. The price for DE SRECs are usually similar to PA SRECs prices. 

Delaware Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires the retail electricity suppliers to purchase 25% of the electricity sold in the state from renewable sources by 2025. The RPS also includes special provision that requires 3.5% of renewable energy goal to be met with solar photovoltaic (PV) resources. The RPS

This rule applies to new buildings seeking construction permits on or after January 1, 2025.

In 2023, Delaware HB 11 was enacted, adding a provision for "Solar-Ready Zones" to the commercial building code. These rules apply to new commercial buildings with a foundation footprint of 50,000 square feet or more.

Solar-Ready Zones are sections of the building's roof or overhang reserved for future installation(s) of solar photovoltaic or solar thermal energy systems.

Solar-Ready Zones shall be located on the roof of buildings up to 5 stories above grade with low-slope roofs or slanted roofs facing 110 to 270 degrees from

NOTE: The 2019 SREC Procurement Results were posted. The overall weighted average for the solicitation was $32.75 per SREC. 

Delaware Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) Procurement Program is designed to assist in the creation of a market for SRECs and to provide a mechanism for the procurement of SRECs to ensure that retail electricity suppliers meet the requirements set forth in Delaware's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act (REPSA).

The program utilizes a public solicitation for SRECs for different tiers of solar generators based on capacity. The Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU), contracted with InClime, will administer all aspects of the

Note: The competitive solicitation process for 2022 ended on October 14th at 5:00pm. Check the website for more details on future solicitations.

Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC) Delaware

In Delaware, the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires electricity suppliers to secure a portion of their electricity from solar generators. The SREC program provides a means for Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) to be created for every 1000 kilowatt watt-hours of solar electricity created.

The SREC is sold separately from the electricity and represents the “solar” aspect of the electricity that was produced. The value of an SREC is determined by the

The Delaware Sustainable Energy UtilityThe Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (DESEU) was created in June, 2007 to serve as the "one-stop-shop" for sustainable energy services in Delaware. Through Energize Delaware, the state enables all energy end-users, regardless of market segment, fuel use, or utility service, to have access to incentives for renewable and efficient energy technologies. DESEU manages programs targeting energy efficiency, low income energy use, customer-sited renewable energy, alternative fuel vehicles and clean transportation, and green building. The DESEU also manages the Green Energy Fund in cooperation with the Delaware Energy Office. In 2019, Delaware had a net

The Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) provides loans of up to $30,000 for equipment purchases by qualified homeowners. To be eligible for the Energize Delaware Energy Efficiency Loan Program, the project must receive a rebate through the Energize Delaware Rebate Program. See program website for complete details. 

Energize Delaware’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program couples home energy assessments with equipment rebates. Interested homeowners and renters with the property owner's permission should call 877-524-1339 to schedule a home energy assessment. during the assessment, the advisor will install up to $250 worth of energy-saving products at no additional cost (includes LED light bulbs, faucet aerators, efficient-flow shower heads and water heater pipe insulation). 

Based on the results of the assessment, the homeowner or renter can work with a program participating contractor to install additional equipment that are eligible for financial incentives. The energy advisor that performed the home

The Revolving Loan Fund Objective is to encourage the adoption and installation of end-user energy efficiency measures and customer-sited renewable generation that result in savings that can lower customers’ bills and reduce the environmental impacts of energy production, delivery, and use.

Program financing is available to all credit-qualified businesses, local governments, school boards, and non-profits located in existing facilities in the State of Delaware (see complete guidelines). Eligible activities include: installation of eligible measures in or on a building or site owned or leased by the applicant; conducting an energy efficiency audit; code-related repair and health and safety measures

In July 2009, the Delaware legislature enacted a law (HS 1 for H.B. 70) prohibiting unreasonable public and private restrictions on the installation of wind energy systems on single-family residential properties. The prohibition includes restrictions put in place by county and local governments; homeowner's associations; and organizations formed for the management of commonly owned properties. The provisions apply only to wind energy systems that qualify for support under the state Green Energy Fund -- which offers incentives for residential wind energy systems -- or similar programs administered by Delaware's State Energy Office.

The law also defines a limited