Net Metering

What is 
Net Metering? 

Residential net metering systems are becoming more popular. Homeowners are exploring net metering options to help power their homes. High West Energy has two types of net metering on our system: wind turbines and photovoltaics, also known as solar systems. The most common of these two is solar, which a member can put on their rooftop, or they can install a ground array of solar panels. The amount of electricity produced by a net metering system depends on several factors, including the size of the system installed, your home’s sunlight exposure, and even the time of the year.  

High West Energy offers a net metering program, which compensates the homeowners for the electricity their system produces. Every month, the member’s meter will track how much the member consumes and how much their system produces. The member is charged for the net difference on their bill each month. When a system generates more power than the home uses in any given month, excess kWh’s are fed back into the electric grid. In return, the member will “bank” those kWh’s to use in 
future months.  

A member will always have a monthly bill from High West Energy, even if they produce enough power in a month to offset their consumption. Charges that are not electricity charges, such as grid access charge, a prior contract minimum responsibility, or the monthly charge for a device such as a security light, will still be billed as normal. 

Interested in 
Net Metering? 

We encourage everyone who is considering installing a net metering system to call High West Energy to speak to one of our employees. We can provide updated information on our processes and current rates. Often, the company that is selling you the system does not have an accurate forecast for the future of High West Energy and our rates, and we prefer you to get the information from us to ensure its accuracy. It is also important that you install a system that is sized correctly based on your energy usage. A net metering system on High West Energy’s lines cannot exceed 25 kW. One misconception is that the bigger the system, the better it is. This is not true. If a system is over-sized and generates too much, the buyback rate for that banked usage at the end of the year is a fraction of the cost of a kWh on your monthly bill. For this reason, it is much more cost-effective to generate enough power to offset your usage but not over-generate and get paid a reduced amount for the excess. We can look at your usage history, and you can use that information to size your system accurately so that you are not over-generating. 
 

What You'll Need: 

  1. Please submit the following prior to beginning construction:
    1. Interconnection/Net Metering agreement
    2. One-Line diagram
    3. Site-plan
    4. Placard (if required)
    5. Photos of meter (visible meter number), meter/combo breaker panel, and interconnection point
    6. $250.00 functional test fee (either mailed or dropped off at the Pine Bluffs or Cheyenne office)
  2. After receiving approval from HWE, construction may begin. Please note that a permit will be required from the appropriate authority having jurisdiction.
  3. Upon receiving proof of final inspection from Member/Contractor, HWE will:
    1. Send our crews out to perform the functional test, which will include a short outage.
    2. Reprogram/replace (if necessary) the meter.
    3. Adjust the billing profile to reflect the Net Metering status
  4. Once that is complete, communication with the main contact or to any other requested parties will be made.

Documentation may be submitted to: netmetering@highwest.coop

Approval, functional test, billing set-up, and meter changes are all subject to current availability, work priority, and/or natural events. 

Note: If any upgrades to the members' system are required, an estimate will be sent out and must be paid before HWE continues processing the application. 

*As of 3/23/2023, all uprates required in Laramie County must have a surge protector installed to meet code requirements from the Laramie County Inspectors. This will be the responsibility of the contractor performing the work on the installation. 

 

Additional Resources:  Sample Placard           Sample Site Plan            Typical Net Metering           Sample One-Line

 

Most Common Net Metering FAQs