Committee debates billing fix for shared condo electric meters; three related bills ITLled or tabled

Lawmakers on the Science, Technology and Energy Committee heard extensive testimony on efforts to change how shared electric meters that serve residential well pumps and septic systems are billed, and voted to ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate) on multiple related bills.

The proposal reviewed by the committee would allow a condominium association or other entity receiving a single meter that serves only residential well or septic pumps to be billed at residential — rather than commercial — rates, and require the association to allocate the meter’s cost equally among the units served. The change was intended to address cases where shared meters routed through homeowners associations (HOAs) were charged commercial rates and those costs were spread across all HOA members rather than only the users of the shared meter.

Representative John Bernardi, who chaired the subcommittee on the issue, said the panel considered two approaches: naming a single resident to be billed, or amending one of three introduced bills (5‑37, 5‑39 and 6‑80) so that a…