Bill Text: NH SB232 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Clarifying certain net metering terms and conditions.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-23 - Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Energy and Natural Resources; Senate Journal 3 [SB232 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2025-SB232-Introduced.html
SB 232 - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-1144
06/05
SENATE BILL 232
AN ACT clarifying certain net metering terms and conditions.
SPONSORS: Sen. McConkey, Dist 3; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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ANALYSIS
This bill allows renewable energy generators in ISO-NE electricity markets to retain their market participant status while qualifying for net metering tariffs, modifies requirements for the development and review of alternative net metering tariffs, and clarifies metering practices for customer-generators.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-1144
06/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT clarifying certain net metering terms and conditions.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subparagraph; Net Energy Metering. Amend RSA 362-A:9, XVI by inserting after subparagraph (c) the following new subparagraph:
(d) Renewable energy generators participating in ISO-NE electricity markets, including energy, capacity, or ancillary services markets, as of January 1, 2025, shall not be required to withdraw or delist from these markets or change their status as market participants as a condition or requirement to be a customer generator or qualify as eligible for net metering tariffs.
2 Net Energy Metering. Amend RSA 362-A:9, XVI(a) to read as follows:
XVI.(a) The commission, through an adjudicative proceeding, shall continue to develop and periodically review new alternative net metering tariffs, which may include other regulatory mechanisms and tariffs for customer-generators, and determine whether and to what extent such tariffs should be limited in their availability within each electric distribution utility's service territory. In developing such alternative tariffs and any limitations in their availability, the commission shall consider: balancing the interests of customer-generators with those of electric utility ratepayers by maximizing any net benefits while minimizing any negative cost shifts from customer-generators to other customers and from other customers to customer-generators; the costs and benefits of customer-generator facilities; an avoidance of unjust and unreasonable cost shifting; rate effects on all customers; alternative rate structures, including time-based tariffs pursuant to paragraph VIII; whether there should be a limitation on the amount of generating capacity eligible for such tariffs; the size of facilities eligible to receive net metering tariffs: timely recovery of lost revenue by the utility using an automatic rate adjustment mechanism; and electric distribution utilities' administrative processes required to implement such tariffs and related regulatory mechanisms. Changes in net metering tariffs, grandfathering of tariffs, and requirements to qualify as a customer-generator, group host, or municipal host shall only be made prospectively and shall not affect already-eligible facilities or already-participating facilities in the net metering program. The commission may waive or modify specific size limits and terms and conditions of service for net metering specified in paragraphs I, III, IV, V, and VI that it finds to be just and reasonable in the adoption of alternative tariffs for customer-generators. The commission may approve time [and/or]or size, or both, limited pilots of alternative tariffs.
3 Net Energy Metering. Amend RSA 362-A:9, III to read as follows:
III. Metering shall be done in accordance with normal metering practices. A single net meter that shows the customer's net energy usage by measuring both the inflow and outflow of electricity internally shall be the extent of metering that is required at facilities with a total peak generating capacity of not more than 100 kilowatts. A bi-directional metering system that records the total amount of electricity that flows in each direction from the customer premises, either instantaneously or over intervals of an hour or less, shall be required at facilities with a total peak generating capacity of more than 100 kilowatts. The bidirectional system may consist of one or more meters, as long as it can be used to determine the quantities of energy described herein. Customer-generators shall not be required to pay for the installation of net meters, but shall pay for the installation of, or install at their own cost, all bi-directional metering systems as outlined in utility interconnection tariffs or rules. Customers with existing generator interconnection agreements may be required to replace or pay for the replacement of existing meters in order to comply with these requirements but shall not be required to relocate metering equipment or install or pay to install meters in locations where none were required under the existing interconnection agreement.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2026.
