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Kansas House approves substitute bill tightening consumer protections and limits for rooftop solar
Summary
The House passed the substitute for House Bill 21-49 to set disclosure requirements for distributed energy retailers, require installer registration in certain cases, set stepped export caps for rooftop solar, and add civil penalties for misleading consumer statements.
The Kansas House of Representatives approved the substitute for House Bill 21-49 on the floor, passing the measure by a recorded vote of 123 to 0. The substitute bill establishes new consumer protections and operational limits for small distributed energy systems, principally rooftop solar, and sets parameters for interconnection with electric utilities.
Key provisions require distributed energy retailers to disclose detailed system information before contracting, including formulas for system sizing, total aggregate system cost, financing and transfer fees, warranty and transferability of incentives and renewable energy certificates, and the name and certification number of the NABCEP-certified (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) individual overseeing projects. The bill also requires disclosure of the license number of the electrical contractor responsible for permitting and installation.
The measure creates civil penalties of up to $10,000 for misleading statements in disclosures and grants customers certain repair and rebuild rights so long as repairs do not increase export capacity. Utilities receive protections to disconnect customer systems that create power-quality problems or hazardous grid conditions. The bill steps total export limits for distributed energy customers: 6% of an electric public utility’s total capacity starting July 1, 2025, increasing to 7% on July 1, 2026, and 8% on July 1, 2027, where it remains thereafter.
A sponsorship amendment clarified the secretary-of-state registration requirement so installers only must register if state law requires registration under the Kansas Business Entities Act; that amendment passed on the floor. The bill excludes interconnections capable of exporting 34.5 kilovolts or higher, effectively excluding larger commercial systems from the parallel-generation regime.
Supporters said the substitute balances consumer protections, utility reliability, and market access for rooftop solar; stakeholders in committee negotiations and technical drafting included utilities, installers, the reviser’s office and other parties. The bill passed the House with unanimous support and now proceeds to the Senate.
