Tired of New River Light and Power bills? Here are your solar and backup options
New River Light and Power has served Boone and Appalachian State since 1915. It offers two solar options, buy-all, sell-all and a Net Billing Rider. Here is how they compare and what they mean for backup.
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Who runs New River Light and Power
New River Light and Power is a nonprofit operating unit of Appalachian State University and one of the few university-owned public power utilities in the country. It has served Boone and the university since 1915, with more than 200 miles of overhead and underground lines. Unlike most town systems, its rates and solar programs require approval from the NC Utilities Commission.
Two ways to connect solar
Buy-all, sell-all. Usually two meters. You buy power at retail rates and sell all your solar output to NRLP at an NCUC-approved credit rate. Systems over 20 kW need a conversation with NRLP's Technical Services Office.
Net Billing Rider. One meter. Your solar offsets your own use first. Excess energy is credited at the current retail rate and carried forward, and credits reset to zero every January 1. Net billing customers pay a monthly Supplemental Standby Charge based on system size in kW, which state law requires so solar customers share fixed costs.
Both options need an interconnection request and a processing fee, plus local permits. NRLP has a Solar Comparison Tool to estimate each option. In 2022, after a public petition, NRLP dropped a proposed annual fee for solar customers.
Outages in the high country
Boone winters bring ice, wind and heavy snow on the ridges, and Hurricane Helene in late September 2024 knocked out power across much of the region.
Solar alone shuts off when the grid goes down. That is a safety rule, so line crews are not hurt by power feeding back into the lines. To keep lights, a fridge and a well pump running during an outage you need a battery, a generator or both. Under a buy-all, sell-all setup the panels often feed their own meter, so how a battery fits depends on New River Light and Power's metering rules. A good contractor designs around them.
Get a straight answer with a $349 evaluation
The honest answer to whether solar makes sense on a New River Light and Power account depends on your roof, your usage and the town's current credit rules. A paid home energy evaluation on HomeBackupPros covers all three for $349: an electric audit, a review of how you use energy and a written system quote. If you go ahead with that contractor, the $349 comes off the purchase price.
It also gets a contractor to Boone on a real schedule instead of someday. Every contractor on HomeBackupPros is approved by our team after we check their NC electrical contractor license. They are independent businesses, and HomeBackupPros does not install anything. Your address goes only to contractors you choose to share it with. If you prefer, a contractor can offer a free site visit or a mailed estimate instead.
Where New River Light and Power serves in our area
- Boone
- Watauga County
Questions
Who owns New River Light and Power?
Appalachian State University. NRLP is a nonprofit operating unit of the university and has served Boone and the campus since 1915.
Does NRLP offer net metering?
NRLP offers a Net Billing Rider that credits excess energy at the current retail rate, carried forward and reset each January 1, with a monthly standby charge. It also offers buy-all, sell-all.
Who regulates NRLP's solar rates?
The North Carolina Utilities Commission. NRLP says its solar programs and rates require NCUC approval. That sets it apart from most town-owned systems, where the council or board sets the rules.
Which NRLP solar option is better?
It depends on how much of your solar you use at home and your system size. NRLP's Solar Comparison Tool and a $349 evaluation with real usage numbers will show the difference.