Ohio Proposes New Net Metering Rules, Interaction With Retail Suppliers

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has proposed new rules relating to net metering, including their applicability to retail suppliers

"[T]he proposed rule is intended to provide increased opportunities for electric services companies [retail suppliers] to offer unique and diverse net metering contracts to customers," PUCO said

The draft provides that an "electric services company," which is defined by the revised code as a company offering competitive retail electric service (e.g. a retail supplier or CRES), "may offer a net metering contract to its customers, consistent with chapter 4901:1-21 of the Administrative Code."

"The electric services company and the customer shall define the terms of the contract, including the price, rate, credit, or refund for any excess production by a customer-generator. An electric services company is not required to enter into any net metering contract with any customer. Only customers who have signed an interconnection agreement with the electric utility may engage in net metering with an electric services company," the draft states

"An electric services company may offer a net metering contract at any price, rate, or manner of credit for excess generation," the draft states

Furthermore, the draft would set requirements for provision of metering data to retail suppliers related to customer-generators

"If a customer-generator is engaged in net metering with an electric services company, and uses a meter capable of measuring hourly interval usage data, at least twenty-four hours before the electric utility sends a bill to a customer-generator the electric utility shall transmit to the electric services company the customer-generator's interval data for that billing period. The electric utility shall also transmit to the electric services company the customer-generator's daily interval usage data within twenty-four hours," the draft states

"The electric utility shall at least annually calculate and provide to the electric services company the individual network service peak load values and peak load contributions of customer-generators engaged in net metering with that electric services company," the draft states

"The electric utility shall ensure that any final settlement data sent to a regional transmission organization includes negative loads in the hourly load calculation of any electricity provided to an electric services company from its customer-generators. Load from a customer-generator shall be incorporated in the electric services company's total hourly energy obligation reported to the regional transmission organization, and will offset the energy services company's reported load to the regional transmission organization," the draft states

Case No. 12-2050-EL-ORD