Empower RI is not a solar rebate. As of July 2026 it is a free electricity-supplier rate-comparison website run by the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers (ri.gov/app/dpuc/empowerri), where you compare competitive supply offers against Rhode Island Energy’s Standard Offer (RI Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, as of July 2026). It can shave the supply half of your bill, but it does not add solar or pay you to install panels. The structural fix for Rhode Island’s roughly 29.91 cents per kWh residential rate (EIA, March 2026), among the highest in the country, is going solar under net metering or the Renewable Energy Growth (REG) tariff plus the up-front $5,000 Renewable Energy Fund (REF) grant. According to MySolarFY’s July 2026 analysis, a typical 7 kW Providence rooftop makes about 9,055 kWh a year (an NREL PVWatts estimate), worth roughly $2,700 a year against that 29.91 cents rate before net-metering credits net it out. You can use Empower RI to trim your rate today and still go solar for the larger, longer-term cut.
Empower RI and Rhode Island solar, dated
- A free supplier rate-comparison site what Empower RI is, run by the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers at ri.gov/app/dpuc/empowerri (RI DPUC, as of July 2026).
- 29.91 cents per kWh Rhode Island residential electricity rate, as of March 2026 (EIA), the bill solar offsets.
- about 9,055 kWh a year production a typical 7 kW Providence rooftop makes, worth about $2,700 a year at today’s rate (MySolarFY estimate from an NREL PVWatts run in Providence).
- 80% of retail Rhode Island net-metering export credit for systems interconnected after April 15, 2023 (RI OER).
- $0.65 per watt, capped at $5,000 the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) residential grant, for net-metered systems only (RI Commerce / RI OER).
- 33.95 cents per kWh, fixed for 20 years the 2026 REG program-year ceiling for a host-owned Small Solar I system of 15 kW or less (RI OER).
People search “empower ri” for one reason: Rhode Island power is expensive and they want it cheaper. This page answers what Empower RI actually is, honestly, and then shows where it fits next to the thing that cuts a Rhode Island bill the most, which is going solar. Empower RI helps you shop the supply rate on your bill. Solar attacks the whole bill. They are not the same tool, and it is worth understanding both before you decide.
What is Empower RI, exactly?
Empower RI is a free electricity-supplier rate-comparison website, not a solar program, an efficiency rebate, or a state incentive. It is run by the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, and it lets a residential or business customer compare the rates and contract terms of competitive electricity suppliers against Rhode Island Energy’s Standard Offer, so you can decide who supplies the energy portion of your bill (RI Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, as of July 2026). It was launched as a joint effort of state leadership and the DPUC to make supplier shopping in Rhode Island more transparent, in a state with some of the highest energy costs in the country. Think of it as a comparison shopping tool for your electric supply rate, nothing more and nothing less.
| What people assume Empower RI is | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| A solar rebate or a state-paid panel program | No. It pays nothing toward panels. Rhode Island’s solar money is the REF grant and the REG tariff, which are separate programs |
| A state energy-efficiency program | No. Efficiency rebates run through Rhode Island Energy’s programs, not Empower RI |
| A way to lower your whole bill | Only the supply portion. It helps you pick a supplier rate; it does not touch delivery charges or add generation |
| Run by the utility | Run by the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, the state regulator, as a free public resource |
Does Empower RI help you go solar? Where it fits
Empower RI and solar solve two different parts of the same high bill, so the smart move is often to use both. Your Rhode Island electric bill has a supply charge (the energy itself) and a delivery charge (moving it to your home). Empower RI only helps you shop the supply charge by comparing competitive suppliers against the Standard Offer (RI DPUC, as of July 2026). That can lower a rate this month, but supplier rates move, contracts can carry teaser pricing that resets, and delivery charges are untouched. Solar works on the other side of the equation: it generates power on site so you buy less from the grid at all, and it earns net-metering credits or a fixed REG payment for what you export. One is a short-term rate shop; the other is a 20-plus-year hedge against Rhode Island’s high rates.
A fair way to think about it. If you are renting, moving soon, or not ready to install anything, Empower RI is a quick, free way to check whether a competitive supplier beats the Standard Offer for the next term. If you own your home and plan to stay, solar tends to be the far bigger lever, because it offsets power at the full retail rate you use on site and keeps working for decades, while a supplier rate is only ever a small discount on one line of the bill.
The bigger lever against a 30-cent bill: the Rhode Island solar stack
Rhode Island makes you pick one crediting path, and the choice is the whole decision. You choose either net metering plus the up-front Renewable Energy Fund (REF) grant, or the Renewable Energy Growth (REG) fixed tariff, not both for the same system (RI Office of Energy Resources, as of July 2026). For the full side-by-side worked math, see our Rhode Island solar incentives guide for 2026. Here is the honest shape of each.
| Path | How you are paid | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Net metering + REF grant | You use your own solar first at the full retail rate, and surplus you export is credited at 80% of retail for systems interconnected after April 15, 2023 (RI OER) | Pairs with the one-time $0.65 per watt REF grant, capped at $5,000; best for homes that use a lot of their own solar |
| Renewable Energy Growth (REG) | Rhode Island Energy pays a fixed per-kWh price for every kilowatt-hour your system generates, under a 20-year contract (RI OER) | The 2026 ceiling for a Small Solar I system of 15 kW or less is 33.95 cents per kWh, above today’s retail rate and locked for 20 years; you cannot also take the REF grant |
A quick rule of thumb on which path to pick. A home that uses a lot of its power during the day and plans to stay put usually comes out ahead with net metering plus the REF grant, because power used on site offsets the full retail rate. A home that exports most of what it makes often prefers locking the fixed 20-year REG rate. A good installer models both for your roof before you sign.
What a typical 7 kW Providence system looks like, estimated
To show why solar is the bigger lever, here is a rough, first-party estimate for a typical 7 kW Providence rooftop on the net-metering plus REF path. Every figure is a MySolarFY estimate, and the assumptions are stated so you can swap in your own quote.
| Line item | MySolarFY estimate | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| System size | 7 kW | A typical Rhode Island home rooftop |
| Installed cost, before incentives | about $20,300 | At about $2.90 per watt, a mid-range Rhode Island price; get your own quote |
| Renewable Energy Fund (REF) grant | minus $5,000 | $0.65 per watt, capped at $5,000, on the net-metering path (RI Commerce) |
| Net cost after grant | about $15,300 | The 30% federal 25D credit ended December 31, 2025, so a 2026 cash or loan buyer cannot add it |
| Year-one bill offset | about $2,500 | 9,055 kWh a year, on-site use at 29.91 cents and surplus exports at 80% of retail |
| Simple payback | roughly 6 years | Net cost divided by year-one offset, before any rate inflation or panel degradation |
Shopping a supplier rate on Empower RI might trim a few cents per kWh on the supply line for one contract term. This estimate is a rough illustration, not a quote, and your real numbers depend on your roof, your usage, and the price an installer gives you.
The net-metering change is the part people miss. Older Rhode Island systems were credited one-for-one, but for systems interconnected after April 15, 2023, exported power is credited at 80% of the retail rate under RIGL 39-26.4-2 (RI Office of Energy Resources, as of July 2026). That still has real value against power that runs near 30 cents per kWh, and the solar you use on site as it is produced offsets the full retail rate, so the 80% only applies to your surplus exports. For the mechanics, see our Rhode Island net metering guide for 2026, and for the statewide totals, our Rhode Island solar data and statistics.
See what solar programs are available in your Rhode Island ZIP code
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Who is eligible, and how to actually use each
Empower RI is open to any Rhode Island Energy customer; the solar programs have real eligibility rules. Anyone with a Rhode Island Energy account can use Empower RI to compare supplier rates and switch supply, and switching does not change your poles, wires, or who you call for an outage (RI DPUC, as of July 2026). Solar is different. To go solar you enroll through your Rhode Island Energy account, file an interconnection application, and cannot switch the system on until the utility grants Permission to Operate.
- Empower RI: any residential or business Rhode Island Energy customer can compare offers and pick a supplier for the supply portion of the bill; watch for contract length and whether an intro rate resets.
- Net metering + REF grant: for homeowners who own their system through cash or a loan; the REF grant is a competitive, round-funded grant you apply for, usually through your installer, and it is for net-metered systems only (RI Commerce Renewable Energy Fund, as of July 2026).
- REG: for a host-owned system that elects the tariff instead of net metering; you sign a 20-year contract at the current program-year ceiling and give up the REF grant.
- Lease or PPA: the third-party owner takes the grant and the tariff value, and your benefit is a lower or fixed power price with no up-front cost.
The honest net-metering, REG, and REF picture
None of Rhode Island’s solar value is a federal benefit anymore, so the state stack is the whole case in 2026. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a homeowner buying with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS, as of 2026). A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to leased and PPA systems, but the business that owns the system claims it, not the homeowner. What carries the payback now is the crediting path you pick, the REF grant if you net meter, and two Rhode Island tax breaks: solar equipment is 100% exempt from state sales tax, and the added home value is exempt from local property tax. For how these fit the national picture, see our guides to solar incentives and the Rhode Island solar hub.
Where Empower RI still earns its place. Even after you go solar, you often still buy some grid power on cloudy stretches and in winter, and you keep paying the fixed monthly service charge, so a solar bill is rarely zero. Comparing your supplier rate on Empower RI for that remaining grid usage is a reasonable habit. It is a complement to solar, not a substitute for it.
How MySolarFY researches these numbers
We define Empower RI from the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers’ own tool and description, not from a paraphrase, and we state plainly that it is a supplier rate-comparison site rather than a solar or efficiency program. The electricity rate is the EIA Rhode Island residential average, the production figure is an NREL PVWatts run for a typical Providence rooftop labeled as an estimate, and the net-metering, REG, and REF terms come from the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources and Rhode Island Commerce. The REG ceiling resets each program year and the REF round and cap can change, so confirm current terms with Rhode Island Energy and Rhode Island Commerce before you decide. Read more about our data and methodology.
Check which solar programs are available at your Rhode Island address →
Frequently asked questions
Is Empower RI a solar program or rebate?
No. Empower RI is a free electricity-supplier rate-comparison website run by the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, where you compare competitive supplier offers against Rhode Island Energy’s Standard Offer for the supply portion of your bill. It pays nothing toward solar panels and is not an efficiency rebate. Rhode Island’s solar money is separate: net metering, the Renewable Energy Growth (REG) tariff, and the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) grant. Empower RI can lower your supply rate today, and solar cuts the larger, longer-term bill.
Can I use Empower RI and go solar at the same time?
Yes, and it often makes sense. Empower RI helps you shop the supply rate on your bill, while solar generates power on site and earns net-metering credits or a fixed REG payment. Even after going solar you still buy some grid power in winter and on cloudy days and keep paying the monthly service charge, so comparing your supplier rate on Empower RI for that remaining usage is a reasonable habit. One is a short-term rate shop, the other is a decades-long hedge against Rhode Island’s high rates.
How does going solar actually lower a Rhode Island bill?
Rhode Island residential power averages about 29.91 cents per kWh (EIA, March 2026), among the highest in the country. A typical 7 kW Providence rooftop makes roughly 9,055 kWh a year in an NREL PVWatts estimate, worth about $2,700 a year at that rate before crediting. The solar you use on site offsets the full retail rate, and surplus exports are credited at 80% of retail for systems interconnected after April 15, 2023, or you can take the REG tariff instead. That is a much bigger cut than shopping a supplier rate.
What is the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) grant?
The Renewable Energy Fund, administered through Rhode Island Commerce, pays a residential solar grant of $0.65 per watt, capped at $5,000, for net-metered systems only. It is a competitive, round-funded grant with set application periods during the year, not an automatic rebate, and your installer usually files it for you. You take the REF grant with net metering, or you take the REG tariff, not both for the same system. Confirm the current round and cap with Rhode Island Commerce before you count it in your savings.
Did the federal solar tax credit survive for Rhode Island buyers?
No. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a Rhode Island homeowner buying with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to leased and PPA systems, but the company that owns the system claims it, not the homeowner. Rhode Island’s net metering, the REG program, the REF grant, and the state tax exemptions were not affected and still carry the payback in 2026.
Who runs Empower RI?
The Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, the state utility regulator, runs Empower RI as a free public resource at ri.gov/app/dpuc/empowerri. It was launched with state leadership to make competitive-supplier shopping more transparent in a state with some of the highest energy costs in the country. It is a comparison tool for your electric supply rate, and it is independent of any single supplier.
Reviewed by the MySolarFY editorial team, July 2026. Empower RI is defined from the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers (ri.gov/app/dpuc/empowerri); solar figures were verified against the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (energy.ri.gov), Rhode Island Commerce, Rhode Island Energy, EIA, IRS, and NREL PVWatts as of July 2026. The REG ceiling resets each program year and the REF round and cap can change, so confirm current terms with Rhode Island Energy and Rhode Island Commerce before you decide. MySolarFY does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about the MySolarFY editorial team and how we work.
