OTECC

As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, under Sec. 1251, all public electric utilities are now required to consider offering net metering to their customers:

Each electric utility shall make available upon request net metering service to any electric consumer that the electric utility serves. For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘net metering service’ means service to an electric consumer under which electric energy generated by that electric consumer from an eligible on-site generating facility and delivered to the local distribution facilities may be used to offset electric energy provided by the electric utility to the electric consumer during the applicable billing period.

Net Metering Service

1. Availability: Available on a first-come, first-served basis to any producer that owns and operates a solar, wind, fuel cell, or hydroelectric generating facility with a capacity of not more than 25 kilowatts that is located on the producer’s premises, is interconnected and operates in parallel with OTECC existing transmission and distribution system facilities, and is intended primarily to offset part or all of the producer’s own electrical requirements located on the producer’s premises. This provision shall be available until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by the eligible producer-generators equals 585 kilowatts, .05 percent of OTECC’s single-hour coincident peak system load for the previous calendar year recalculated annually by January 31 of each year. This schedule is offered in compliance with ORS 757.262, as amended by HB 3219, July 1999, and requires that a net energy metering and interconnection agreement be executed with OTECC.
2. Definition: Net energy is the difference between electricity supplied by OTECC and electricity generated by an eligible producer and fed back to OTECC over the applicable billing period.
3. Monthly billing rate:
1. The monthly consumer charge shall be computed in accordance with the applicable standard rate schedule.
2. All net energy generated in excess of consumer’s needs and supplied to OTECC’s electrical supply system shall be valued at OTECC’s avoided cost. The avoided cost will follow BPA's energy only rate. This rate as of April 1, 2006 is 2.155 cents per kilowatt-hour, and is subject to change and will be supplied upon request.
3. All net energy purchased from OTECC will be valued at OTECC’s retail rate of the applicable standard rate schedule.
4. Connect fee: OTECC shall initially inspect the net metering facility and install OTECC metering equipment prior to interconnection for a fee of $35.00.
5. Effective with bills rendered after April 1, 2006.