Home builders group backs petition to keep net metering rules in effect
CARSON CITY — The Southern Nevada Homebuilders Association is supporting a petition by rooftop-solar companies to keep net metering rules in effect until state regulators are able to draft a new policy on the program as directed by the Nevada Legislature.
The Alliance for Solar Choice has filed an emergency petition with the Nevada Public Utilities Commission to let net metering continue despite the likelihood that a 3 percent cap on the program will be hit as early as August.
The PUC is in the middle of drafting new rules for rooftop solar to allow the industry to continue to operate in Nevada after the Legislature declined to raise the 3 percent cap. Regulators have until Dec. 31 to craft the new policy, which is intended to ensure rooftop solar remains economically viable without any subsidy from non-net metering customers. The new policy was required by Senate Bill 374 of the 2015 session.
"As homebuilders, we are very concerned for our customers who have bought, or will soon buy a home with the belief that they will be able to participate in a net metering program," said the filing by Nathaniel Hodgson, chief executive officer of the association. "As a stakeholder in the legislative process, we believe that some flexibility must be granted by the PUCN in order to meet the true legislative intent of Senate Bill 374."
Hodgson said over a dozen homebuilders offer rooftop solar as an option on new homes.
Rooftop solar industry workers turned out in force Friday at the PUC office in Las Vegas to bring attention to concerns that their jobs could soon disappear.
Hitting the cap on "net metering," whereby residents who install rooftop solar can receive a credit from the utility company for any excess energy generated, could cause the industry to grind to a halt, affecting 6,000 jobs, rooftop solar officials said.
Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801
