Homeowners across the country are increasingly taking advantage of the benefits of solar power, either by leasing or purchasing photovoltaic systems for their rooftops. Unfortunately, apartment dwellers have not had much opportunity to use on-site solar electricity because it would require installation of separate PV systems for each tenant, which is complicated and expensive, even if building owners were agreeable.
To address this situation, the California Public Utilities Commission has adopted virtual net metering (VNM), which allows electricity produced by a single solar installation to be credited to the benefit of multiple tenants in a building. It is virtual metering because the system is not physically connected to each tenant’s meter. Instead, each tenant receives an allowance from the generation by the common system. Allocations are based on the square footage of the apartment and other usage factors and the energy generated is distributed among multiple meters.
VHM is being used under the California’s Multi-family Affordable Housing Program (MASH), which brings the benefits of solar electricity to lower income families. Under this program, building owners receive rebates for installing photovoltaics to offset energy used in common areas and receive larger rebates for the energy they share with tenants. Tenants end up paying lower monthly electric bills. According to a MASH progress report, as of July 3, 2013, more than 6,200 tenant units are being served by VNM tariffs.
Virtual net metering is a way to bring solar energy to the millions of Americans who live in multi-family housing.
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California Solar Energy Apartments: Virtual Net Metering Allows Energy Savings One Tenant at a Time
Photo, taken on March 16, 2008, courtesy of Eliazar Parra Cardenas via Flickr.
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