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Lawmakers weigh safety, standards and billing for plug‑in solar devices
Summary
The committee heard weeks of technical testimony on a proposed framework to let homeowners and renters plug small solar devices into household outlets. Building code officials and utilities urged leaving technical thresholds to UL/NFPA standards (UL 3700/NFPA/NEC) while recommending mandatory consumer disclosure and a lightweight voluntary registry so utilities know where devices are installed.
A bill to authorize ‘plug‑in’ or ‘balcony’ solar generation devices prompted detailed technical scrutiny on April 6. Sponsor Senator David Waters presented an amendment that delegates technical safety parameters to the state Building Code Review Board and references an emerging UL 3700 standard for bidirectional, grid‑connected plug‑in devices.
Building Code Review Board Chair Philip Sherman told the committee the board is not the right body to invent electrical thresholds; UL 3700 and the National Electric Code (NEC) are already developing the necessary product‑listing and wiring rules. Sherman recommended lawmakers avoid setting wattage classes in statute; instead the statute should direct the code board and the NEC process to adopt the relevant, listed standards as they become available.
Utilities supported the idea of a lightweight customer notification so distribution companies have visibility into device uptake and can plan for potential local effects. Utilities also urged consumer education about meter behavior: for some meter types, a device that exports energy can increase a customer’s recorded electricity quantity and, in some cases, produce billing consequences unless the household’s meter and tariff are configured for net exports. Department of Energy staff said they are neutral and urged that the statutory text rely on the forthcoming UL 3700 / NEC standards rather than lock‑in thresholds that could become obsolete.
Stakeholders asked for consumer‑facing safeguards: (1) clear seller/label warnings explaining that excess exports may be reconciled by utilities and could affect bills, (2) a voluntary registry or notification to utilities so system planners have situational awareness, and (3) that installations above a modest threshold be installed on a dedicated circuit by a licensed electrician, or comply with a UL‑listed outlet standard.
Lawmakers left the bill open for technical redrafting. Several witnesses — including code officials, utilities, manufacturers and public‑interest groups — recommended a short implementation path that lets UL and NEC finalize test criteria and lets the code review board adopt those rules into the state building code so devices can be manufactured, listed and installed with recognized safety features (anti‑islanding, breaker‑masking mitigation, dedicated‑outlet or smart outlet approaches).
