Quick answer
No. Switching suppliers changes who sells you electricity supply, and you compare their price against Delmarva's standard offer, the price to compare. Community solar keeps your supply as it is and adds a credit to your Delmarva bill. If you use another supplier, the supply part of that credit is still valued at Delmarva's standard offer rate.
What is the Delmarva Power price to compare?
If you don't choose a supplier, Delmarva serves you at its Standard Offer Service rates. Delaware's Public Advocate tells shoppers to know Delmarva's Residential Price to Compare first: if a supplier's price per kWh is lower, you save on supply, and any monthly fee has to be counted too. Your Delmarva bill lists your supply charges. If you can't find the figure, ask Delmarva.
Source: Delaware Division of the Public Advocate, electric consumer information
The standard offer price changed in 2026. On June 1, 2026, standard offer supply prices rose 17-20%, depending on rate class. For a home using 811 kWh a month, that was about $14.64 more a month, about 9% (Docket 26-0389).
Source: news.delaware.gov, April 6, 2026
How is a supplier contract different from a community solar subscription?
| Community solar | Third-party supplier | |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | A subscription to a share of a solar project's output | Your electricity supply |
| What changes on your Delmarva bill | A credit appears for your share of the output | The supply price comes from the supplier |
| How the price to compare matters | For supplier customers, the supply part of the credit is valued at Delmarva's standard offer rate | It is the price the supplier's offer has to beat |
| Sign-up fee or credit check | Can't be required of residential subscribers | Not covered by the community solar rules |
| Who you stay with for delivery | Delmarva | Delmarva |
Sources: 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(1), §1022(c)(1) · Reg 3013 (29 DE Reg 710)
Does a supplier contract change my community solar credit?
Yes, in one way. Your credit is your share of the project's output times the per-kWh distribution and supply charges on your rate schedule. If you buy supply from another company, the supply part of your credit is valued at Delmarva's standard offer rate, not at your supplier's price. Fixed charges are not offset either way.
Source: 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(1)
Can I have both?
Yes. Only customers with a Delmarva Power account in Delaware can join community solar, and buying supply elsewhere doesn't change that. Tell us on the call if you use a supplier, so the credit is explained the right way. See how the credit works on your Delmarva bill.
Sources: Reg 3013 §1.0, §2.1.4 · Delaware PSC
Who regulates each, and how do I check a supplier?
Electric suppliers must be certified by the PSC before they offer supply, and the PSC keeps a List of Certified Electric Suppliers. The PSC does not regulate a supplier's rates and charges. To check a supplier, look for it on that list and read every term before you switch.
Community solar works differently. Delaware law says owners and customers of community energy facilities are not regulated as public utilities or electric suppliers, except as that section of the law sets out. The PSC regulates community solar under its own rules, Regulation 3013. Its marketing rules say no one may suggest a relationship that does not exist with Delmarva, the standard offer supplier, a government agency or another project, or tell you that you must choose a particular party.
If you can't tell what you're being offered, don't sign. Contact the PSC through its consumer information page first, and see how to check a community solar offer.
Sources: Delaware PSC, customer electric choice · 26 Del. C. §1014(f)(19) · Reg 3013 §16.4.2.1, §16.4.2.3 · Delaware PSC consumer information
Common questions
How do I tell which one I'm being offered?
A community solar offer names a solar project and talks about bill credits. A supplier offer talks about a price per kWh for your supply. If the salesperson can't say which it is, don't sign.
Does community solar change who delivers my power?
No. You stay with Delmarva. The credit shows on your Delmarva bill.
Does community solar save on my whole bill?
No. You save on the solar credit, not your whole bill. See is community solar worth it.
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. Retargeted on the Delmarva price to compare; added how the credit is valued for supplier customers and the June 2026 standard offer change.