Bill Text: NH HB692 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to utility companies adopting advanced meters.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-21 - Introduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Science, Technology and Energy House Journal 3 [HB692 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2025-HB692-Introduced.html
HB 692 - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0531
06/08
HOUSE BILL 692
AN ACT relative to utility companies adopting advanced meters.
SPONSORS: Rep. McGhee, Hills. 35; Rep. Parshall, Ches. 8; Sen. Watters, Dist 4
COMMITTEE: Science, Technology and Energy
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires electric distribution utilities under the public utilities commission, which have not yet implemented or are not in the process of implementing interval and advanced metering functionality, to develop a plan to make such metering available to customers on an opt-in basis.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0531
06/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to utility companies adopting advanced meters.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Findings and Purpose. The general court finds:
I. As energy markets become more diverse and complex, technologies that preserve and protect consumers’ ability to understand and manage their energy usage have become increasingly important. Technology serves as the bridge to that understanding, and keeping up with energy technology as a state has value beyond individual and immediate savings. Upgraded systems’ technology for energy usage is a building block that supports the ability to manage costs and reap energy savings. Meter technology is a fundamental component, and delays in providing interval metering data and load settlement capabilities hinder the quest for energy customer cost savings.
II. Until utilities upgrade the electricity infrastructure to enable accurate load settlement practices, we limit meaningful energy planning, stymie cost-lowering projects, prevent accurate valuation of distributed assets, and prohibit demand-lowering management by individual consumers. The adoption of advanced meter functionality meets current needs, fosters near-future innovations, and returns energy dollars to the New Hampshire economy.
III. Utility planning for advanced meters is inconsistent among utilities and unclear to customers who are seeking better answers. The need for clarity on what capabilities consumers and producers can access must be addressed sooner rather than later. The goal is to require planning that enables consumers to adopt and use advanced meter functionality by an earliest opt-in date and to mandate the adoption of a plan to expedite a conversion project that allows early adopters and fast followers to pursue upgraded hardware on their own timelines, in line with an orderly conversion by the utilities over their defined project timeframe with the public utilities commission.
2 New Section; Access to Interval and Advanced Metering Functionality. Amend RSA 362-A by inserting after section 9 the following new section:
362-A:10 Access to Interval and Advanced Metering Functionality.
I. For electric distribution utilities under commission jurisdiction that have not implemented or are not in the process of implementing interval and advanced metering functionality capable of reporting hourly consumption or exports to the grid for all or most of their distribution customers for use in load settlement, the commission shall direct such utilities to develop a plan to make such metering available to customers on an opt-in basis no later than November 1, 2026. Such plans shall include the following:
(a) An option for using existing cellular data service providers to provide communication with such meters and utilizing subscription-based meter data management systems that charge for ongoing usage on a per meter basis, if available.
(b) Priority for such meters shall be given to limited producers and customer-generators for accounting temporal exports to the grid in load settlement, with customers interested in providing demand response service having the next priority.
(c) If there is demand for interval meters up to the number and general type, such as single or three-phase service, of legacy meters being purchased by the utility as replacement and new service meters, the customer-generator, limited producer, customer, or their electricity supplier shall pay the utility for the incremental cost of the advanced meter beyond the purchase cost of the legacy replacement meter that would otherwise be purchased for that customer. For any demand exceeding the annual budget for legacy meters, the requesting customer or their supplier shall be responsible for the full purchase cost of the new advanced meters.
(d) The specifications for such advanced meters shall include functionality comparable to what is reasonably expected to be required for meters serving distributed energy resources that participate through distributed energy resource aggregators in ISO-NE electricity markets pursuant to FERC Order 2222, including subsequent implementation orders. Such advanced meters shall be capable of supporting load settlement for net energy metering and limited producers.
(e) Rate design for the opt-in use of such meters, until advanced metering functionality is implemented for most or all retail customers, may include provisions for charging the customer or their supplier requesting such meter for the per meter subscription costs for meter data management systems to support such metering and load settlement pursuant to RSA 362-A:10, I.
II. The commission shall ensure timely cost recovery for utility costs prudently incurred to implement and integrate the advanced meter opt-in option and supporting meter data management system, not otherwise paid for by customers or their suppliers opting into such metering.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
25-0531
1/8/25
HB - FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT requiring utility companies to offer advanced metering as an opt-in option, not as an automatic replacement.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant is unable to complete a fiscal note for this bill as it is awaiting information from the Public Utilities Commission. The Commission was contacted on 1/6/25 for a fiscal note worksheet. When completed, the fiscal note will be forwarded to the House Clerk's Office.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Public Utilities Commission
