2018 New Hampshire Energy Legislative Updates

The 2018 New Hampshire Legislature has introduced or amended a number of energy bills. Outlined below are updates regarding smart grid, renewable portfolio Standard, public utility commission, rate design, net-metering, energy efficiency, utilities, electric vehicles, renewable energy development, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), energy infrastructure, and other bills that may impact you and your business.

Smart Grid:

HB.1338: This bill establishes a committee to study the changes in law necessary to allow for microgrids in electricity supply.

H.1647: This bill modifies provisions for the inclusion of energy systems in distributed energy resources and the recovery of investment costs for energy storage.

H.1647: This bill modifies provisions for the inclusion of energy systems in distributed energy resources and the recovery of investment costs for energy storage.

Renewable Portfolio Standard:

H.1544: This bill establishes a committee to undertake an analysis of the requirements that would have to be considered if New Hampshire were to commit to the goal of providing 100 percent renewable energy for electricity only to residents and businesses by the year 2040.

H.225: This bill modifies the requirements for annual reports by providers of electricity and renewable energy certificates concerning electric renewable portfolio standards.

HB.114: This bill reduces the percentage of total megawatt-hours of electricity from class I sources to be supplied by each producer to its customers in 2025 and thereafter under the minimum electric renewable portfolio standards.

HB.1550: This bill requires providers of electricity to include on customer bills the cost to each customer of compliance with the electric renewable portfolio standard under RSA 362-F.

HB.141: This bill allows other hydroelectric sources to satisfy up to 5 percent of class I renewable energy goals under certain circumstances.

Public Utility Commission:

H.1488: This bill establishes a committee to study the public utilities commission’s role and scope of duties in a deregulated environment.

HB.1481: This bill allows members of the general court to intervene in contested cases before administrative agencies and before the public utilities commission on matters that affect the interests of the residents, businesses, or communities they represent.

Rate Design:

H.317: This bill prohibits the public utilities commission from increasing the system benefits charge without legislative approval. Please note that this bill has passed the House.

HB.401: This bill requires the public utilities commission to develop a process to implement time varying rate design.

Net-Metering:

S.321: This bill removes the requirements that net energy metering group host customers be default service customers of the same electric distribution utility as the host and that they are responsible for certain costs.

SB.446: This bill increases the electric generating capacity of customer generators who may participate in net energy metering.

SB.367: This bill removes the review by the public utilities commission of net metering group host agreements, and eliminates certain payment adjustments for small residential group host systems.

SB.321: This bill removes the requirements that net energy metering group host customers be default service customers of the same electric distribution utility as the host. Instead, the bill requires that the group must be located within the service territory of the same electric distribution utility as the host.  This provides the net-metering customer more competitive supply options, which brings the potential for lower electric rates.

HB.1202: This bill permits a town to establish a revolving fund for the purpose of facilitating transactions relative to municipal group net metering.

SB.447: This bill modifies the procedure for the public utilities commission to estimate and report on the production of customer-sited renewable energy that is net metered but for which renewable energy certificates are not issued.

Energy Efficiency:

HB.1472: This bill requires the state building code review board to make available a form for showing compliance with energy provisions under the state building code.  The bill also repeals RSA 155-D, the state code for energy conservation in new building construction.

HB.559: This bill modifies the allocation of rebates to retail electric customers. This bill also requires the public utilities commission to allocate certain funds to school districts for energy efficiency projects. Please note that this bill has passed the House.

Utilities:

HB.1644: This bill prohibits the combination of a regulated water utility with an electric or gas utility.

Electric Vehicles:

HB.1541: This bill creates a registration fee for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Taxes:

HB.1563: This bill permits the owner of property equipped with a solar energy system to either pay the property tax on the assessed value of the property equipped with the solar array system or make a payment in lieu of taxes of a specified amount for that portion equipped with the solar energy system.

HB.1230: This bill establishes a commission to study the economic impact of a national carbon pricing program on New Hampshire.

HB.324: This bill provides for the value of utility property for purposes of local property taxation to be determined by the commissioner of revenue administration under the state utility property tax, RSA 83-F.

Renewable Energy Development:

HB.1611: This bill establishes a committee to study off-shore wind energy development.

SB.443: This bill permits certain county governments to access certified competitive retail electric supply markets.

SB.452: This bill allows residential owners of property who install a leased solar electric power system to receive the renewable fund incentive payments.

RGGI:

HB.592: This bill repeals the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Please note that this bill was defeated in the House.

Energy Infrastructure:

HB.1777: This bill provides that revenues generated from the use of the energy infrastructure corridor within a turnpike shall be deposited in the turnpike fund.

Misc:

HB.1796: This bill renames the legislative oversight committee on electric utility restructuring as the legislative oversight committee to monitor the transformation of delivery of electric services. This bill is a request of the committee to study transmission, distribution, generation, and other costs in the state’s electricity system.

SB.448: This bill establishes a commission to study the establishment of a state department of energy.

SB.449: This bill makes changes to the site evaluation committee.

Please contact Eli Emerson at eemerson@primmer.com or Heather Calderwood at hcalderwood@primmer.com, (603) 444-4008 with any questions.