Use this guide
Choose the questions relevant to your situation. Expand each answer, save the checklist and request written clarification where evidence is missing.
Questions homeowners ask
Which state and rate schedule should a buyer confirm?
Idaho Power’s overview separates Idaho and Oregon pricing and identifies the current schedule on the bill. Record the property’s state, full utility name and actual generation arrangement. Ask the utility which service terms and pricing schedule govern that meter. A seller’s description of solar, a neighboring account and another utility’s net-metering guide do not establish the buyer’s billing treatment.
Source: Idaho Power: customer-generation overview. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Why does net billing require separate import and export records?
The utility describes net billing as retail charges for grid energy and export credits at the Export Credit Rate. Keep imported and exported kWh, the applicable rate periods and the resulting bill lines separately. Do not cancel the monthly energy quantities and assume an equal dollar result. Idaho Power warns that its video example bills do not show current pricing; use your actual statement and controlling schedule.
Source: Idaho Power: customer-generation overview. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Does legacy status travel with the seller?
Idaho Power says legacy status belongs to the system at its meter site, not the departing customer; a buyer can inherit the legacy system. Ask the utility to confirm the actual status, approved capacity and modification history for the property. Keep that written response with the transaction records. Do not infer current legacy treatment from panel age alone or promise that a planned expansion preserves it.
Source: Idaho Power: legacy systems and move-related credits FAQ. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
What happens to the seller’s unused credits when service ends?
The FAQ distinguishes legacy kWh credits, which expire on the final bill when service ends at the exporting location, from non-legacy financial credits with relocation-transfer or final-payout treatment. Ask the utility how the seller’s final account and new service affect their own balance. Keep the final statement and any written transfer or payout response. System status, the seller’s credit balance and the buyer’s new account are separate questions.
Source: Idaho Power: legacy systems and move-related credits FAQ. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Which utility records should the seller hand over?
Idaho Power’s connection steps distinguish project approval, required permits, electrical inspection, a System Verification Form and the utility’s meter/site visit. Request the actual records and unresolved conditions rather than only an installer’s completion message. Name the party responsible for a missing item. A home inspection or equipment app does not replace the utility’s written explanation of its accepted system and account arrangement.
Source: Idaho Power: connection and modification steps. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
What should I do before adding a battery or changing equipment?
The official application page covers new installations and modifications to existing generation. Give the responsible installer and utility the proposed scope and existing approvals before relying on an old system record. Ask which current review, forms and inspections apply, and retain their written response. Do not change settings, wiring or equipment to test whether an undocumented configuration is accepted.
Source: Idaho Power: connection and modification steps. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
How do I keep utility questions separate from ownership and service?
Create a responsibility list: the utility confirms account treatment; the contract parties resolve equipment ownership and financing; the manufacturer or service provider explains warranty and monitoring access; qualified professionals address equipment condition. A listing’s solar label does not answer all four. Share account records privately through authorized channels. An assessment can document accessible observations and evidence gaps, with fees and conflicts disclosed, but cannot settle a utility bill or guarantee a buyer’s savings.
Your decision checklist
- Confirm the property’s state, utility and actual schedule.
- Keep net-billing imports and exports separately labeled.
- Request current legacy status and accepted system history.
- Ask about the seller’s final balance before ending service.
- Confirm the buyer’s service independently of seller credits.
- Review proposed equipment changes before relying on old approvals.
- Assign utility, ownership, warranty and monitoring questions separately.
Save or print this guide from your browser. Keep completed records privately.
Separate system status from customer credit records
| Separate record | Evidence and question |
|---|---|
| Property and utility | State, full utility name and privately retained meter/account reference. |
| Billing arrangement | Actual schedule, legacy/non-legacy confirmation and current statement. |
| System history | Approved capacity, equipment changes and unresolved utility questions. |
| Final seller account | Service end date, final credit units and written disposition response. |
| New buyer account | Service start and utility confirmation; keep separate from seller balances. |
| Approvals and changes | Issued records, proposed new scope and named responsible applicant. |
| Other handovers | Ownership/finance, warranty, monitoring access and service contact records. |
Fictional purchase example: a listing calls the array grandfathered and shows an old statement. The buyer has no record of a later inverter replacement. Request the utility’s current status and accepted equipment record before budgeting from the listing. Keep the representation, missing evidence and written response together; leave the status unresolved until confirmed.
Fictional move example: a seller expects a bank shown on a statement to move automatically with them. Label whether the statement records kWh or money, retain the service-end date and request the utility’s disposition instructions. The buyer separately confirms their new service. Do not write a purchase-price adjustment or future bill estimate from an unlabeled credit balance.
Reviewed October 7, 2026 against Idaho Power’s customer-generation overview, official FAQ and connection steps. The FAQ retains dates for a prior credit-transfer window; confirm current instructions before submitting anything. This resource summarizes public guidance, not the full tariff or an individual decision. Obtain account-specific confirmation before closing, ending service, changing equipment or budgeting. We do not quote rates, fees, a next transfer-window date, a universal legacy eligibility rule or a guaranteed transfer outcome. The organizer and fictional scenarios are original editorial preparation aids.
Continue with solar home-sale questions, bill measurement questions, Idaho contractor and permit records and system handover records. Solar Survey AI’s evidence methodology makes observations and unresolved questions visible. Confirm available inspection scope, location availability, qualifications, access requirements, fees and commercial conflicts for your technical question. Third-party does not automatically mean independent. A survey cannot approve interconnection or determine your utility credit entitlement. Homeowner monitoring connections and planned free remote diagnosis remain coming soon. Do not open electrical equipment, operate a disconnect or climb onto a roof to gather these records.
About these guides
Published by Solar Survey AI, a commercial survey-services company. Our original decision checklists are recommendations; linked authorities support the referenced facts. We may benefit if you purchase our services. This is not independent certification of our company, a project-specific engineering decision or personal tax/legal advice. Local rules, contracts and site evidence control individual decisions. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
For available survey or inspection services, confirm your project scope and availability with our team. Our planned free homeowner remote diagnosis remains coming soon.
Survey services · Inspection services · Monitoring early access