Committee hears bill to expand rooftop solar for individually metered affordable housing (AB 458)

Carson City — The Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure heard Assembly Bill 458, sponsored by Assemblymember Howard Watts, a bill to enable individually metered multifamily affordable housing to receive direct benefits from on-site solar installations.

"Fundamentally, Assembly Bill 458 is about expanding access to solar energy in this state and the opportunities and benefits that it can provide," Assemblymember Watts said, adding that renters in affordable housing are “locked out of accessing those benefits” under current law.

Kirsten Nastasio, chief executive officer of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund (NCEF), told the committee the bill would unlock access to solar for ‘‘individually metered multifamily affordable housing’’ that currently cannot receive on-site solar credits. Nastasio said AB 458 is necessary to let projects use federal funds — notably NCEF’s $156 million Solar for All award and federal tax credits — which she said can “cover up to 70% of the cost of a solar installation on an affordable housing development.” NCEF estimates the Solar for All program will provide guaranteed energy-cost savings to roughly 50,000 Nevadans and support workforce development efforts.

What the bill would do

- Define eligibility narrowly to qualified low-income residential buildings that participate in specified affordable-housing programs and have active affordability covenants to prevent rent increases tied to solar investments.

- Require that at least 80% of on-site solar benefits flow directly to tenants, with up to 20% allowable for common-area use.

- Limit program capacity to 50 megawatts statewide to manage pace and utility-system impacts.

- Direct utilities to file tariffs implementing the program and make conforming changes to Nevada’s existing expanded solar access program administered by NV Energy.

Nastasio and Chair Watts said the bill is intended to make Nevada eligible to deploy federal Solar for All funds and to combine those funds with federal tax credits and other financing tools to reduce upfront costs for owners of affordable housing projects.

Protections and implementation

Watts said the bill ties program eligibility to existing affordability covenants to prevent owners from shifting costs to tenants or increasing rents because of solar installations. He also described tenant protections for reasonable fees and limits on account-holder changes tied to apartment turnovers. The conceptual amendment offered by Watts would apply state prevailing wage law for any projects funded with state or local dollars and preserve federal labor standards for projects funded by federal Solar for All dollars.

Support and concerns

The bill drew broad support from housing authorities, labor organizations, environmental and public-health groups, solar industry representatives and tribal leaders. Speakers included Mindy Elliott of Flynn Juyce Government Affairs on behalf of the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, Wendy Colborne of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada, Christy Cabrera Georgeson of the Nevada Conservation League, and local housing authorities and nonprofit groups. Many speakers emphasized the effect of high energy burdens on low-income households and urged passage so federal funds are not left unused.

Opposition and caution

NV Energy and building trades-affiliated unions registered concerns. Union representatives said they support low-income housing but sought stronger state prevailing-wage guarantees and clearer protections for workers and contractors. NV Energy told the committee it opposed the bill “as introduced” and asked for more regulatory detail and a thoughtful implementation process; NV Energy said it supports working with the sponsor and stakeholders to resolve concerns.

Why it matters

Proponents said AB 458 addresses an existing gap: single-family homes and master-metered multifamily properties can already benefit from rooftop or community solar, while individually metered affordable units generally cannot. Supporters argued the bill would channel federal funds, reduce tenant energy burdens and create jobs without increasing rents because active affordability covenants would preserve tenant protections.

What’s next

Watts said technical clarifications and additional language are under discussion with stakeholders — especially around tariff language and NV Energy’s requested cleanups. Committee members asked questions about potential rate impacts for other customers, consumer protections if systems fail, and enforcement of tenant protections. No committee vote was recorded in the hearing transcript; proponents and the sponsor will continue negotiating amendments.

Quoted

- "This bill unlocks solar for certain low income households in Nevada," — Kirsten Nastasio, CEO, Nevada Clean Energy Fund.

- "At least 80% of the benefits from the project are flowing directly to the tenants," — Assemblymember Howard Watts.