In deregulated markets, electricity has become a commodity. Customers switch for a $10/month savings. They switch back when a competitor offers $8/month. The average residential customer in Texas churns every 14 months. In Ohio, it's 18 months.
The cost to acquire a residential customer — $80–$150 in most markets — is rarely recovered before they leave. REPs are running a treadmill: spending on acquisition to replace customers lost to churn, with margin compression at every turn.
The answer isn't a better rate. It's a better product.
Seven data-backed reasons REPs are building plug-in solar into their product strategy.
Plug-in solar as a bundled product creates a tangible, differentiated reason to switch. Customers acquired through a solar bundle have 2.3× higher lifetime value than commodity switchers.
Solar bundle customers churn at 8–12% annually vs. 22–28% for commodity plans. A physical asset in the home creates switching friction that no rate lock can match.
Rowkin's AI optimization engine maximizes solar self-consumption during peak TOU windows, generating measurable bill savings that you can share with customers — or capture as margin.
Aggregated plug-in solar + battery assets across your customer base become a dispatchable VPP resource. In PJM, ERCOT, and NYISO, capacity payments are real and growing.
Plug-in solar is the most accessible clean energy product for renters and apartment dwellers — your largest untapped segment. No rooftop required. No landlord approval needed in Utah (and soon 24 more states).
State plug-in solar legislation creates a mandate for utilities and REPs to accommodate these systems. Early movers who build a plug-in solar product now will be positioned as the compliant, preferred provider when laws pass.
Unlike rooftop solar, you don't own or finance the hardware. The Rowkin platform connects to customer-owned devices. Your cost is software + optimization — not panels, inverters, or installation crews.
These 14 states sit at the intersection of retail electricity choice and active plug-in solar legislation — your highest-priority markets.
No state plug-in solar law (high consumer demand)
10.5M residential switched
S 8512 / A 9111 — active 2026
1.1M residential switched
SB 3104 / HB 4371 / HB 4516 — active 2026
1.65M residential switched
HB 1971 — active 2026
1.95M residential switched
H 4744 / H 5151 — active 2026
600K residential switched
S 2368 / S 688 — active 2026
580K residential switched
HB 755 — active 2026
2.6M residential switched
HB 5340 — active 2026
260K residential switched
HB 39 / HB 345 — active 2026
370K residential switched
SB 540-FN — active 2026
155K residential switched
HB 395 / SB 250 — enrolled, awaiting Governor's signature
~5K switched (limited market)
LD 1730 — passed, awaiting Governor's signature
95K residential switched
SB 270 — active 2026
30K residential switched
H 7269 / S 2658 — active 2026
85K residential switched
Combined market: 14 states · 20M+ residential customers who have already switched providers · 24 active plug-in solar bills creating new demand in 2026. View full state tracker →
Five integrated modules that turn distributed plug-in solar into a managed, revenue-generating asset for your portfolio.
Ready to explore what plug-in solar could mean for your portfolio? Let's connect.
Lock In Your MarketEnter your portfolio parameters to estimate the annual value of a 5% solar bundle adoption rate.
Modeled scenarios based on European market data, US pilot programs, and wholesale energy market rates. The European example is verified; US scenarios are illustrative projections.
Based on European market data and US pilot programs, a mid-size Texas REP bundling plug-in solar with apartment dwellers could see churn drop from ~26% to 11–15%. Projected contract value increase of $300–$400/year per subscriber. These are modeled projections, not verified results from a named company.
Source: Rowkin Energy market model, 2026 (illustrative)
A northeast REP aggregating 3,000–5,000 plug-in solar systems into a virtual power plant could generate $1.5–$2.5M in annual capacity payments based on current NYISO/PJM market rates. Per-customer VPP revenue estimated at $400–$600/year. These are modeled projections based on wholesale market data.
Source: Rowkin Energy market model based on NYISO/PJM rates, 2026 (illustrative)
Germany's Balkonkraftwerk market reached 800,000+ registered systems by end of 2024. Energy retailers like E.ON and Vattenfall now offer bundled plans. The Netherlands and Belgium are following. The US is 3–5 years behind — the window to build first-mover advantage is now.
Source: Bundesnetzagentur, 2024; IEA Distributed Solar Report
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Retail Energy Provider Partnership
Plug-in solar is the first clean energy product that your residential customers can adopt without your involvement — unless you get ahead of it. Tell us your service territory and we'll show you the opportunity size and how forward-thinking REPs are turning plug-in solar into a retention and acquisition tool.