Net Metering Bill Passes House on 2d Reading

The bill that would require rural electric cooperatives to grant customers generating renewable energy a credit on their utility bill has been given a preliminary okay by the House.

HB 1160, sponsored by Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, passed Tuesday after Solano and Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, reached a compromise to resolve differences between HB 1160 and a competing bill sponsored by Isgar.

The deal will allow the rural electric cooperatives to charge customers for expenses related to installation and maintenance of facilities needed to generate and transmit power.

Solano's bill also limits the amount of power for which net metering benefits must be given by the cooperatives. The monthly limit is 10 kilowatts for homes and 25 kilowatts for farms and businesses.