2017 Montana Legislature

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SENATE BILL NO. 201

INTRODUCED BY J. HINKLE

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT ALLOWING A CUSTOMER-GENERATOR PARTICIPATING IN NET METERING TO CARRY FORWARD REMAINING UNUSED KILOWATT-HOUR CREDITS AND TO APPLY EXCESS CREDITS TO SEPARATELY METERED ACCOUNTS; PROVIDING STIPULATIONS FOR APPLYING EXCESS KILOWATT-HOUR CREDITS TO ADDITIONAL METERS; AMENDING SECTION 69-8-603, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND AN APPLICABILITY DATE."

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

 

     Section 1.  Section 69-8-603, MCA, is amended to read:

     "69-8-603.  Net energy measurement calculation. Consistent with the other provisions of this part, the net energy measurement must be calculated in the following manner:

     (1)  The public utility shall measure the net electricity produced or consumed during the billing period, in accordance with normal metering practices.

     (2)  If the electricity supplied by the electricity supplier public utility exceeds the electricity generated by the customer-generator and fed back to the electricity supplier public utility during the billing period, the customer-generator must be billed for the net electricity supplied by the electricity supplier public utility, in accordance with normal metering practices.

     (3)  If electricity generated by the customer-generator exceeds the electricity supplied by the electricity supplier, the customer-generator must be:

     (a)  billed for the appropriate customer charges for that billing period, in accordance with 69-8-602; and

     (b)  credited for the excess kilowatt hours generated during the billing period, with this kilowatt-hour credit appearing on the bill for the following billing period.

     (3) (a) Except as provided in subsection (3)(c) and in accordance with subsection (3)(e), at the end of each monthly billing period a public utility shall carry over any excess kilowatt-hour credits earned by the customer-generator and apply those credits to the bill for any of the customer-generator's separately metered accounts. Separately metered accounts may include a utility account for a corporation of which the customer-generator is an owner.

     (b) A separately metered account must be for:

     (i) a location on the customer-generator's contiguous or abutting property; and

     (ii) electricity used only for the customer-generator's requirements as measured for that location.

     (c) Excess kilowatt-hour credits may not reduce minimum monthly fees imposed by the public utility in accordance with 69-8-602(2).

     (d) If excess kilowatt-hour credits are applied to a separate meter in accordance with subsection (3)(a) that is in a different rate class, the kilowatt-hour credit must offset a kilowatt hour of electricity consumption.

     (e) A customer-generator applying excess kilowatt-hour credits to a separately metered account shall:

     (i) give at least 60 days' notice to a public utility that additional meters will be included in meter aggregation in accordance with this subsection (3)(e);

     (ii) designate the rank order for the meters to which net metering credits are to be applied; and

     (iii) at least 60 days in advance of the next 12-month billing period, notify the public utility if the designation of rank provided in accordance with subsection (3)(e)(ii) will be changed.

     (4)  On January 1, April 1, July 1, or October 1 of each year, as designated by the customer-generator as the beginning date of a 12-month billing period, any remaining unused kilowatt-hour credit credits accumulated during the previous 12 months must be granted to the electricity supplier public utility, without any compensation to the customer-generator."

 

     NEW SECTION.  Section 2.  Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 2017.

 

     NEW SECTION.  Section 3.  Applicability. [This act] applies to kilowatt hours generated on or after July 1, 2017.

- END -

 


Latest Version of SB 201 (SB0201.01)
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