ANTI SOLAR KENTUCKY HOUSE BILL 227 JUST PUBLISHED - WORSE THAN WE COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED - READ AND CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IMMEDIATELY - WE HAVE NO TIME.
http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Find%20…
HB 227 was lodged this evening in a procedural rush with a clear intention to push this through rapidly and avoid the overwhelmingly negative response from solar homeowners seen last year to SB214, which halted that bill in its tracks.
The bill is attached but key points proposed are:
1:1 Net Metering is dead: Excess energy production which is now credited at retail (1:1) for later use will now only be credited for cash or equivalent at the end of each billing period.
Excess energy production (often banked for use later in the year) will at the 'electric suppliers sole discretion' be paid out in cash or equivalent or credited to the next bill (no guarantee) at a rate of around 2.7 cents/kWh - 3.5 cents kWh NOT 9 cents/kWh.
Supporting utility presentations state that only 2% of homeowners energy is exported or credited for use later. The actual figure is 60+%.
No value at all is given to solar production when numerous state and independent Public Service Commission studies show it to have a value closer to or greater than retail. Even Indiana just valued it at wholesale + 25%
HB 227 proposes to make these changes and kill our solar future, skilled jobs and young industry in just 173 days on July 15th. Even Indiana just gave a 5 year transition period.
Existing systems will be grandfathered in but no assurance is given that it will be at their current retail 1:1 retail rates.
Grandfathered Net Metering systems cannot transfer to successors or subsequent home owners reducing the value of the solar investment to 0$.
This bill makes it first appearance in Frankfort at 08:00 this Thursday 25th January Rm 171 in the Natural Resources & Energy Committee. We need to turn up in numbers and push back strongly through all channels. More details closer to the day.