The RSIP is a rebate program that provides incentives to offset the cost for homeowners to install solar PV systems. Incentives are provided either upfront (i.e., through an expected performance based buy-down or EPBB) for homeowners that want to own a system or over time based on system production (i.e., through a performance based incentive or PBI) for homeowners who want to lease a system from a third-party owner. CT Green Bank incentive is issued to the Contractor on behalf of the Customer. With either incentive type, the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are owned by the Connecticut Green Bank.
An energy audit is required to be conducted as part of all projects. In an assessment conducted in December of 2014, it was identified that solar PV deployment in the low-to-moderate (LMI) household market segments were not performing as well as the non-LMI
market segment. Back then, the LMI market needed to deploy between 2 to 10 times more solar PV to be on par with the non-LMI market segment. Thus, the RSIP now includes an LMI PBI to provide additional incentive to support the growth of solar PV deployment in this underserved market segment.