Once you have set up Distributed Generation with Ameren Illinois, you may be eligible to net any electricity you generate using qualifying renewable resources against the electricity supplied to you by Ameren Illinois or a retail electric supplier. With Net Metering, you can apply revenues from your power generation against your Basic Generation Service costs (Supply Section of the bill) with Ameren Illinois.
The Net Metering Rule requires utilities and retail electric suppliers to provide financial credits for renewable fuel-generated electricity that offset the amounts that otherwise would have been supplied by the customer’s electricity provider during a billing period. For customers served under Delivery Service tariffs DS-1 or DS-2, credits in excess of their monthly usage will be carried over to future billing periods. Please note that switching electric suppliers will cause any accumulated electric supply credits to expire.
Customers receiving service under Ameren Illinois' Rider NM-Net Metering tariff and use an approved Smart Inverter may qualify for a "Smart Inverter Rebate." An inverter is a device that changes the output from a generator (like solar panels) from direct current (DC) into the alternating current (AC) used by Ameren Illinois' electric distribution system. A "smart" inverter is a device that performs the DC/AC conversion and capable of communicating, and being operated, remotely by a third party like Ameren Illinois.
In Illinois, Net Metering customers who use Smart Inverters to interconnect their generator to the utility's electric distribution system may qualify for a payment or rebate from their utility. The amount of the rebate depends on the nameplate capacity of the generator to which the inverter is connected. Click here to learn about the technical capabilities and settings that an inverter must have in order to be considered a "Smart Inverter" in Illinois. If your inverter meets these specifications, and you are a Rider NM-Net Metering customer, click here to fill out your application for a Smart Inverter rebate.
Mail your application to:
Ameren Illinois Net Metering Coordinator
6 Executive Dr. Mail Code 925
Collinsville, IL 62234
For customers under Delivery Service tariffs DS-1 or DS-2 who require no physical alterations to connect to the Ameren Illinois system, there are no upfront charges for metering or connection. Monthly tariff charges do apply to all net electric usage in excess of the amount of electricity generated.