The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has opened a new docket to develop alternative net energy metering tariffs, pursuant to H.B. 1116. The new tariffs may include other regulatory mechanisms and tariffs for DG customers. The PUC must determine whether and to what extent such tariffs should be limited in their availability within each utility’s service territory.

The PUC must consider numerous issues in this proceeding, including:

• 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 TOU rates.
• 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.
• Electric distribution utilities’ administrative processes required to implement such tariffs and related regulatory mechanisms.

H.B. 1116 allows the PUC to waive or modify specific size limits and terms and conditions of service for net metering that the PUC finds to be just and reasonable in the adoption of alternative tariffs. It also authorizes the PUC to approve time- and size-limited pilots of alternative tariffs.