Urge your Assembly Member to Vote ‘Yes’ for A11146, a bill to improve and expand NET METERING in New York State!

Net metering is an important policy that makes solar more affordable in the longterm for system owners. The New York State Senate recently passed legislation that would improve and expand net metering in New York State (bill: S7171b).

In order for improved net metering to become law, Identical legislation - bill A11146 - must pass in the State Assembly.

The current legislative session will close on June 23, so time is running out. Call you State Assembly Member today and urge them to vote ‘yes’ for improved net metering now!

ACTION 2: CALL YOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER NOW!

THE ISSUE: What is NET METERING and why is it so important?

  • Net-metering is the arrangement that allows owners of solar systems to feed the clean electricity that they don’t use back onto the grid. On their monthly utility bills, owners are credited for the electricity that is fed back at a retail rate.
  • Net-metering is a critically important policy that reduces the amount of time that it takes for a solar system owner to pay back their initial investment.
  • Currently New York State’s net-metering law allow only small residential solar systems to net-meter. This excludes larger commercial customers from the important benefits of net metering and therefore reduces the overall amount of solar that is being added to New York State’s energy mix.
  • Neighboring New Jersey’s law allows, in addition to residential customers, large commercial, industrial and non-profit customers to net meter. As well, non-residential customers are permitted to net-meter up to 2 megawatts (MW) - an amount equal to 200 times the size of New York State’s 10 kilowatt (kW) cap for residential buildings. The difference in net metering standards is one of the reasons why New Jersey currently has 4 times more solar capacity than New York.

TO VIEW A BRIEF, AUDIO-NARRATED POWERPOINT EXPLANATION OF THE BASIC FACTS OF NET-METERING IN NEW YORK STATE, AND THE POLICY THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO IMPROVE IT, CLICK HERE.