Vermont · Performance incentive · Deep-stack program
Vermont Standard Offer Program (SPEED)
Pays residential solar owners in Vermont based on actual output -- see the rate, eligibility, and how it changes payback below.
- $0.18/kWh
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 11.5 yr
- Vermont baseline payback
- 3
- other Vermont programs
Deep-stack program · early directory
Vermont runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this performance incentive is one layer on a 11.5-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #1/3
- Type #7/8
- Baseline11.5 yr
In-state directory place #1 of 3 (early alphabet). National performance incentive directory #7 of 8. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Vermont Standard Offer provides long-term power purchase agreements for eligible solar projects.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Performance incentive
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- $0.18/kWh for 25 years (small solar)
- State electricity rate
- 22.5¢/kWh
- Vermont solar score
- 31/100
Solar's trajectory in Vermont
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Vermont reported to the EIA.
Vermont's solar incentive stack
How this performance incentive sits among Vermont's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
What this shows Vermont tracks 3 incentive types, 1 of them performance-based like this one -- paid on actual output rather than a one-time credit, stacking with the state's other program types.
How this performance incentive layers inside Vermont's deep stack
The Vermont Standard Offer Program (SPEED) pays based on actual measured generation rather than a one-time credit, one of Vermont's DSIRE-tracked solar incentive programs. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of $0.18/kWh for 25 years (small solar). DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Vermont averages 4.1 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 22.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,183 kWh/year and $1,616 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,600. That baseline already implies a 11.5-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $21,800 before this incentive - every dollar this performance incentive delivers compresses that payback further.
Vermont bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Vermont has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like VT Solar Property Tax Exemption, VT Net Metering. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Vermont incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Vermont Standard Offer Program (SPEED) sit in Vermont's deep program stack?
How does this performance incentive work beside Vermont's other programs?
Who qualifies, and why is this an early in-state directory row?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Vermont?
Which other Vermont programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Vermont solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.