Colorado utility guide

Solar & batteries with Delta-Montrose Electric Association

For solar in Delta-Montrose territory, the retail energy rate is the whole story. DMEA’s net-metering tariff offsets your usage at the same energy rate you pay — $0.10950/kWh on the 2026 residential rate — and pays out credit balances once a year. DMEA eliminated its time-of-use rate for 2026 because its power contract doesn’t offer time-based savings, so a battery here is a backup purchase, not a bill-savings one.

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Utility type

Electric cooperative

Wholesale: Guzman Energy (since leaving Tri-State in 2020)

How exports are credited

Credit rules not confirmed for your utility

System size limit

Level 1 process: inverter systems ≤25 kW (no separate residential cap found)

Net metering, in plain English

Under tariff RESNM (adopted 2025-12-16, effective 2026-01-01), generation offsets usage at the account’s current monthly energy rate. Credits accrue when generation exceeds usage and credit balances are paid annually (or at account termination); the tariff lists the energy credit as avoided cost without publishing a value. The Level 1 interconnection process covers inverter-based systems of 25 kW or less.

Time-of-use: 2026 residential (RES10, effective Jan. 1, 2026): $37.00/month plus $0.10950/kWh. DMEA eliminated its time-of-use rate class for 2026, citing a power supply contract that doesn’t offer time-based savings.

Sources & dated facts

Under C.R.S. 40-9.5-118, a Colorado co-op must net-meter residential systems up to at least 10 kW (25 kW for businesses), roll monthly surplus kWh forward at a one-to-one ratio, and settle the year-end surplus within 60 days.As of Sep 23, 2026
DMEA RESNM: generation offsets usage at the account’s monthly energy rate; credits accrue when generation exceeds usage and are paid annually or at termination; effective Jan. 1, 2026.As of Sep 23, 2026 · source
DMEA serves Montrose and Delta counties and a small part of Gunnison County, about 37,000 meters.As of Sep 23, 2026 · source

A co-op that went its own way early

DMEA serves about 37,000 meters in Montrose and Delta counties and a small corner of Gunnison County. It left Tri-State in 2020 and buys its power from Guzman Energy — one of the first Colorado co-ops to make that move.

Its 2026 rates rose about 7.5% on average, to $37 a month plus $0.1095/kWh for residential service. Rising rates improve the long-run case for solar you use yourself.

Why batteries are a backup decision here

DMEA dropped its time-of-use rate for 2026, and its residential rate has no demand charge. That leaves a battery nothing to arbitrage: a kWh at 7 p.m. costs the same as a kWh at noon. We’ll still install one for outage protection — orchards, wells and rural homes out toward the Uncompahgre Plateau have good reasons to want backup — but we won’t sell it to you on bill savings.

Sizing solar on DMEA

Because generation offsets usage at the retail energy rate and surplus is only paid once a year, the best DMEA systems are sized to your own annual use. The Western Slope’s strong sun helps; so do open lots where a ground mount avoids roof work. Owned systems finished after 2025 get no federal credit, so we price a lease or PPA alongside a purchase.

Rebates & programs

Programs change often. Status shown is what we could confirm on the date listed — always check with the program before you count on it.

Solar, battery and EV charger rebates

Status unconfirmed

None published as of September 2026. DMEA’s efficiency offerings are free energy audits, weatherization and loaner energy monitors.

DMEA’s rebates page lists free energy audits, weatherization and loaner monitors; no solar, battery or EV charger rebates.(source)

Program page

FAQ

Questions we hear

Does DMEA still have a time-of-use rate?

No. DMEA eliminated its residential time-of-use class effective January 1, 2026.

Does DMEA offer solar or battery rebates?

Not as of September 2026. Its efficiency programs are free audits, weatherization and loaner energy monitors.

How does DMEA credit my solar?

Generation offsets your usage at your rate’s energy charge; when you generate more than you use, credits accrue and the balance is paid out once a year or when you close the account. Ask DMEA how the payout is valued.

Who supplies DMEA’s power?

Guzman Energy, since DMEA left Tri-State in 2020.

Get honest numbers for your roof

Our Colorado crew looks up your utility’s current rules, models your roof, and tells you straight — including when solar or a battery won’t pay off.

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