Quick answer
You save on the solar credit, not your whole bill. Every Delaware project must give a net discount after fees. Projects certified on or after Sept 3, 2026 must save residential subscribers at least 10%, or 20% if income-qualified. Your contract states your exact price.
How much do I save, and on what part of my bill?
Each month, Delmarva puts a credit on your bill for your share of a solar project's output. You pay the project a subscription for those credits. By law it must cost less than the credits are worth. The gap is your saving.
Example only
$100 in solar credits
You pay the project less than it's worth, for example $90. You keep the difference. Your contract sets your price.
Example only. Savings apply to the solar credit, not your whole bill. Your contract sets your exact price.
Source: 26 Del. C. §1022(c)
What minimum does Delaware law set, by project date?
It depends on the date of the project's PSC Final Certificate to Operate. Every minimum below is measured after fees.
| Project certified | What the law requires |
|---|---|
| On or before Sept 2, 2026 | A "net discount" after fees. No set percentage. |
| On or after Sept 3, 2026 | At least a 10% saving after fees for residential subscribers (20% if income-qualified). The law doesn't say what it is measured against; it is not 10% of your whole bill. |
| Also required | No required credit check or upfront enrollment fee for residential subscribers, and no security deposit. Your total cost, coordinator fees included, can't exceed your total benefit. |
The PSC list dated May 6, 2026 shows 34 projects, certified June 12, 2024 to March 25, 2026. None of them falls under the new 10% / 20% floor. So ask which rule your project falls under, and read the price in your contract.
"Income-qualified" means household income at or below 350% of the federal poverty guideline or 80% of state median income, whichever is greater. Projects certified on or after Sept 3, 2026 must use that definition. Older projects may use a different one, so ask which income rules your project uses. See income-qualified households.
Sources: 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(16), §1022(c) · PSC Reg 3013 §9.4.5, §16.5, §16.6 · PSC project list (xlsx)
Why is the saving on my whole bill smaller than the discount on the credit?
The credit is valued at the per-kWh distribution and supply charges on your rate schedule. Fixed charges are not offset. So the discount applies to part of your bill, not all of it.
| Example only (made-up numbers) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Your Delmarva bill without community solar | $170 |
| Solar credit on that bill | $100 |
| What you pay the project for it | $90 |
| You keep | $10 |
In this example you keep $10 of a $100 credit, but that $10 comes off a $170 bill. See it drawn as two bills on how the credit shows on your Delmarva bill.
Source: 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(1)
Is there a subscription fee or a sign-up fee?
No project can require a sign-up fee from a residential subscriber. There is a monthly subscription.
Free to join: Delaware law bars credit checks and upfront enrollment fees for residential subscribers (26 Del. C. §1022(c)(1)), and PSC rules ban deposits (Reg 3013 §16.6). You pay the solar project a monthly subscription for your credits. By law it must cost less than the credits are worth (§1022(c)). Nothing is installed, and you stay with Delmarva.
Ask for every charge in writing before you sign. Your total cost, coordinator fees included, can't exceed your total benefit. More on what is and isn't free: what free to join means.
Sources: 26 Del. C. §1022(c) · PSC Reg 3013 §16.5, §16.6
What are the downsides?
- Two bills today. Most subscribers get Delmarva's bill with the credit plus a separate bill from the project. One Delmarva bill must be available to all projects by October 1, 2027.
- Invoice lag. The project's bill can arrive later than the credit shows on your Delmarva bill, according to one provider's billing help page. Plan for that timing.
- Notice and fees. You have 3 days after you sign to cancel with no penalty. After that, your contract can't require more than 90 days' notice to cancel, and any early cancellation fee must be written in it. Moving out of Delmarva's Delaware service area ends it with no fee. Moving inside it, your subscription moves with you.
- Unused credits wait. Credits larger than your bill roll forward as a negative "Balance Forward." You may ask Delmarva for a refund at the end of the 12-month period. Credits are capped at 110% of your expected use.
Sources: Delaware PSC consumer information · 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(1), (2), (5) and §1022 · PSC Reg 3013 §9.3.11, §9.3.13.4, §9.4.6, §10.3
Why did my Delmarva bill go up in 2026?
Standard offer supply prices rose 17-20%, by rate class, on June 1, 2026. For a home using 811 kWh, that's about $14.64 more a month. An interim base-rate increase has also been on bills since July 9, 2026, subject to refund.
Community solar doesn't change those rates. It adds a credit valued at your per-kWh charges. Read the full timeline: why your Delmarva Power bill went up.
Sources: news.delaware.gov, April 6, 2026 · Delaware PSC, July 10, 2026
Common questions
Is community solar worth it?
It can be, if you have your own Delmarva account in Delaware and you're comfortable with two bills for now. Delaware law requires a net discount after fees. Check the price, the notice period and any cancellation fee in the contract.
How much does community solar cost?
Nothing to join. Each month you pay the project a subscription that, by law, must cost less than the credits it buys you.
Can community solar raise my bill?
Your total cost, coordinator fees included, can't exceed your total benefit. Watch for an early cancellation fee, which must be written in your contract. See cancelling or moving.
Does the new minimum discount apply to my project?
The 10% minimum applies only if the project was certified on or after Sept 3, 2026. None of the 34 projects on the PSC list dated May 6, 2026 falls under it. Older projects must still give a net discount after fees. See the 2026 billing law (SB 321).
Is my saving a share of my whole bill?
No. It's a discount on the solar credit. Fixed charges are not offset, so the share of your whole bill is smaller.
Written by the Free Solar DE team. Fact-checked against PSC sources and the Delaware Code on October 13, 2026.
What changed: October 13, 2026. Rewritten around the minimum discount by project date; removed a news estimate and the 90% price cap until its reach is confirmed.