The Community Clean Energy Program
Need to Know
Salt Lake City is working with Rocky Mountain Power and 18 other local communities across Utah to launch the Community Clean Energy Program.
- The Program will give Utahns the power to choose clean, reliable, affordable electricity, supporting healthier families, communities, and the environment.
- In April and May 2026, the Salt Lake City Council will consider adopting an ordinance to give Salt Lakers the opportunity to participate.
- The Program is optional: nearly all Rocky Mountain Power customers in Salt Lake City will be automatically enrolled with the option to opt themselves out.
- Participants will remain Rocky Mountain Power customers.
- Customers on Schedule 135 (the old net metering schedule) are, by law, not allowed to be a part of the program.
- Residential customers will pay an additional $4/month on their electricity bill to participate.
- Qualified low-income customers can participate for free.
- Businesses and other non-residential customers will pay a monthly rate based on their electricity use.
- The Program will begin in early 2027.
- Exact dates will be shared as they become known.
Why Salt Lake City is Participating
Under a Mayor-Council Joint Resolution, Salt Lake City has set the goal to match the amount of electricity consumed by all the homes, businesses, and industries in Salt Lake City with renewable energy generation on an annual basis – this is called net-100% renewable electricity.
Powering the community with net-100% renewable electricity is an essential step towards a robust clean energy future for Salt Lake City. Achieving this goal will improve public health and the environment for generations to come. Lear more about Salt Lake City’s renewable energy and carbon reduction goals in our Climate Positive 2040 plan.
To achieve the goal of net-100% renewable electricity for community consumption, Salt Lake City joined Utah Renewable Communities, a coalition of 18 local governments that are working with Rocky Mountain Power to develop and launch the Community Clean Energy Program. The Program will add new large-scale renewable energy resources – like solar, wind, and geothermal — to the Rocky Mountain Power grid that powers our community.
By investing in local clean energy, the Community Clean Energy Program meets Utah’s growing energy needs while keeping power reliable and air cleaner for generations.
Program History
In 2019, the legal framework to create the Community Clean Energy Program was established when the Utah Legislature passed the Community Renewable Energy Act (HB411), which was amended in 2024 and is now called the Community Clean Energy Act. This first of its kind legislation in the country authorizes and defines the rules, rates, and steps necessary to create a community clean energy program.
In 2020, Salt Lake City and other cities, counties, and towns across Utah began using this framework to develop what is now called the Community Clean Energy Program. Today, a coalition of 19 communities, called Utah Renewable Communities (URC), are signed on to participate in the program.
Since its formation, URC has been working with Rocky Mountain Power to develop the Community Clean Energy Program Application: a collection of documents that describe how the program will work, including how much it will cost, when it will launch, who will be eligible, and more. As required by the Community Clean Energy Act, the program must be approved by the Utah Public Service Commission to take effect.
On March 4, 2026, The Public Service Commission issued an order to approve the Community Clean Energy Program, giving Rocky Mountain Power customers in participating communities the power to choose clean, reliable, affordable electricity.
Up Next:
The Salt Lake City Council Will Consider Adopting the Program Ordinance
Since the program was approved, the Salt Lake City Council has 90 days to adopt an ordinance to give Salt Lake City residents and businesses the opportunity to participate in the program when it launches in early 2027.
The Salt Lake City Council is scheduled to consider the program on the following dates:
- April 14 – Work Session Discussion
- April 21 – Public Hearing
- May 5 – Ordinance Consideration
*A vote may occur as early as April 21.
Please check the Council agenda page for the most updated information, as this is subject to change.
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How the Program Will Work
If the Salt Lake City Council adopts the participation ordinance this spring, nearly all Rocky Mountain Power customers in Salt Lake City will be given the choice to pay a small increase on their Rocky Mountain Power electric bill to supplement their current electricity mix with renewable energy.
- Residential customers will pay an additional $4 per month to participate in the program.
- Income-qualified households enrolled in Rocky Mountain Power’s Home Electric Lifeline Program (HELP) will participate for free.
- Businesses and other non-residential customers will pay a monthly rate based on usage: $0.00609 per kWh plus a low-income surcharge of $0.12 per month.
By law, the Community Clean Energy Program is an opt-out program. This means Salt Lakers will be automatically enrolled in the program when it launches in early 2027 but may exit the program at any time.
Customers on Schedule 135 (the old net metering schedule) are, by law, not allowed to be a part of the program.
By law, the Community Clean Energy Program is an opt-out program. This means Salt Lakers will be automatically enrolled in the program when it launches in early 2027 but may exit the program at any time.
Customers will receive two notices about the program 60 days before the program begins. Exiting the program within six months of the first notice is free. After six months, there will be a $30 fee for residential customers to exit the program. For residents enrolled in HELP, there will never be a fee to opt-out. Commercial customer termination fees will be based on the specifics of their tariff schedule with Rocky Mountain Power.
Salt Lake City’s URC Board Members
Utah Renewable Communities, also known as the Community Renewable Energy Agency, is made up of government representatives from all 19 participating communities. Each participating community may appoint two people to sit on the Board: a primary board member, who is an elected official, and an alternate board member, who can be an elected or appointed official or a staff member.
Salt Lake City’s primary board member, Council Member Dan Dugan, is also the Chair of the URC Board. The City’s alternate board member is Senior Climate & Energy Program Manager, Glade Sowards. Salt Lake City also leads URC’s Program Design Committee and serves on the Low-Income Plan and Communications committees.
The URC Board meets once a month, typically on the first Monday of each month, to make decisions that move the program forward. These meetings are open to the public. Learn more and sign up to receive notices of upcoming meetings on the Utah Public Meeting Notice Website. You can also read minutes and see URC Board resolutions and other documents there.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does “net-100%” renewable electricity mean?
Salt Lake City has a goal to be powered by renewable electricity on a “net-100%” annual basis. This means that the total electricity needs of the community over the course of the year are met by a comparable amount of total renewable energy generation.
Will the Community Clean Energy Program require me to install renewable energy (e.g., solar panels) on my property?
No. The program does not require the installation of any renewable energy resources on private property in participating communities. Renewable energy resources envisioned with this program are “utility-scale” in size. Individual customers wishing to install renewable energy on their property can still do so, but only if desired.
Do I have to participate in the Community Clean Energy Program or can I stay on standard Rocky Mountain Power rates?
All local customers will have the ability to “opt-out” and stay on standard electricity rates.
How much will it cost to participate in the Community Clean Energy Program?
Residential customers will pay an additional $4 per month on their Rocky Mountain Power electric bill to participate in the program. Income-qualified households enrolled in Rocky Mountain Power’s Home Electric Lifeline Program (HELP) will participate for free.
Businesses and other non-residential customers will pay a monthly rate based on usage: $0.00609 per kWh plus a low-income surcharge of $0.12 per month.
Can I still participate in the Community Clean Energy Program if I have solar panels on my roof?
It depends on which rate schedule you’re on. Rocky Mountain Power customers with rooftop solar that are on Rate Schedule 135, Net Metering Service, will not be allowed to participate in the program. Such customers may remove themselves from schedule 135 to participate in the program, however, it may not be financially favorable to them. Customers on other rooftop solar rate schedules, Schedule 136 and Schedule 137, will be automatically enrolled like all other customers.
Didn’t answer your question? Reach out to the SLC Sustainability Department at [email protected] or call 801-535-7761.