Austin commissioners hear complaints about months‑long delays connecting local solar; vendors call for harmonized metering rules

Public commenters told the Electricity Utility Commission on June 9 that completed, utility‑scale and commercial rooftop solar systems have been held from operating for months because of new or inconsistently applied metering requirements.

The most detailed complaint came from David Hogan, lead technical contact for St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Northwest Austin. Hogan said Lighthouse Solar completed a 110‑kilowatt installation, that Austin Energy performed an on‑site inspection and issued a March 27 letter saying the system had “permission to operate,” and that Austin Energy’s paperwork stated the system would be connected in “5 to 10 days.” Instead, Hogan said, the church learned weeks later — verbally through its vendor — that Austin Energy’s metering group required an unplanned modernization of the service interface, including new current transformers (CTs). That change, Hogan said, would require significant unplanned expense. He told the commission the system cost roughly $220,000 and that the church had received a $99,000 rebate check May 11 but still was not connected.

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