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Sponsor says bill will preserve submetering and protect tenants from overbilling
Summary
Senate Bill 108 would clarify that the public utility boundary ends at the meter, preserve private submetering markets, allow PUCO complaint authority where private systems cross into public territory, and require landlord billing not exceed local utility rates. Sponsor said the bill aims to prevent monopolistic practices; committee asked about disconnection protections.
Senator Brenner presented Senate Bill 108 in the Senate Public Utilities Committee, saying the measure would preserve property owners’ ability to use submetering and sell utility services on private property while ensuring tenants are not billed more than local utility rates.
Brenner said Ohio courts and PUCO rulings have repeatedly allowed submetering, but the lack of statutory clarity enables delays and gamesmanship. SB 108 would clarify that a monopoly public utility’s service ends at the meter, explicitly confirm that private companies operating on private property are not public utilities, retain PUCO authority to review complaints when private technology crosses public boundaries, and limit the total a landlord may bill a tenant for electricity so a resident is never billed more than if they bought from the local host utility.
Committee members asked whether the bill includes consumer protections comparable to rules utilities must follow before disconnections. Senator DeMoura asked whether tenants behind-the-meter would receive the same protections from abrupt disconnection; Brenner said the bill’s complaint-review authority and consumer protections address those concerns and offered to follow up with the committee on specifics.
Senator Gabbard asked whether the legislation would create regulatory certainty for businesses; Brenner pointed to housing shortages and argued legal clarity helps developers and consumers. No vote was taken during the session.
