To amend section 4928.67 and to enact sections 4928.675, 4928.676, 4928.677, 4928.678, 4928.679, 4928.6710, and 4928.6711 of the Revised Code regarding virtual net metering and meter aggregation.
HB832 would expand Ohio’s net metering framework by creating new statutory rules for “virtual net metering” and meter aggregation, while also revising existing net metering provisions. The bill keeps the current concept of net metering for customer-generators, but adds separate tariff structures for hospitals and mercantile customers, including special treatment for hospital customer-generators and a transmission-cost option for mercantile customers. It also sets out how utilities must measure energy flows, what meters may be used, and when credits may be carried forward.
The bill’s main new feature is a virtual net metering program for nonresidential customers, including hospitals, that can attribute electricity from a qualifying off-site or shared generation facility to one customer’s meters. The bill defines eligible systems, limits them to certain fuels and locations such as brownfields, mines, landfills, county land reutilization property, disposal systems, or commercial/industrial rooftops, and generally requires the system to serve only one virtual net metering customer. It also allows customers to aggregate meters within the same utility territory and directs the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to adopt implementing rules.
HB832 would amend section 4928.67 of the Revised Code and add seven new sections governing net metering, virtual net metering, and meter aggregation. It would require electric utilities to offer new standard contracts or tariffs, change how credits are calculated and applied, and limit the ability of utilities to impose extra safety, testing, or insurance requirements on qualifying systems. The bill would also shift some regulatory responsibility to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which would be tasked with adopting rules for administration, control, testing, safety, and reliability. Affected parties would include electric utilities, hospitals, mercantile customers, commercial and industrial property owners, and customers using distributed generation or shared generation arrangements.
The bill was introduced and referred to the House Energy Committee, with no recorded votes or committee transcripts available in the provided materials. Based on the text alone, the measure appears pro-expansion of distributed generation and customer choice, especially for hospitals and commercial/industrial customers seeking off-site solar or other qualifying generation. Because there is no recorded debate or vote history here, there is no documented public sentiment beyond the bill’s introduced posture.
The most likely points of contention are the bill’s expansion of utility obligations, the special treatment for hospitals and mercantile customers, and the creation of a new virtual net metering credit structure. Utilities may object to mandatory tariffs, crediting rules, and limits on additional safety, testing, and insurance requirements, while supporters are likely to emphasize access to cleaner energy, cost savings, and flexibility for large energy users. Another possible issue is the exclusion of residential customers and the restriction of virtual net metering systems to certain sites and customer types, which may be viewed as either a targeted policy choice or an overly narrow program design.