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Committee adopts substitute for portable 'balcony' solar bill, adds safety workgroup and delayed enactment
Summary
A committee adopted a substitute aligning HB 395 with a Senate cognate, requiring tenant and Dominion notice for small portable solar devices, delaying the law to Jan. 1, 2027, and convening a Secretary‑led workgroup to set safety standards and ensure NEC code compliance.
The Senate committee approved a substitute to House Bill 395 on a bipartisan voice vote, sending the measure on with an enactment delay and a requirement for additional safety review.
The substitute requires tenants to provide notice to landlords before installing small, portable solar devices and requires customers of Dominion Energy to notify the utility before installing generation devices. It postpones the bill’s effective date to Jan. 1, 2027, and convenes a workgroup led by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to draft safety recommendations and ensure compliance with National Electrical Code (NEC) standards prior to implementation.
Supporters said the amendments respond to concerns about safety and equipment interconnection. Senator McPike, explaining the substitute, said the bill “creates a study workgroup around safety provisions by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, as well as other stakeholders, to make sure it complies with NEC code.” He emphasized the delayed enactment gives the workgroup time to produce recommendations that can be inserted before the law takes effect.
Advocates framed the measure as balancing consumer access to distributed solar with safety and grid reliability. Committee members pressed for explicit protections for multi‑family units and clarity that notice requirements would not unreasonably impede tenants’ ability to adopt small solar systems.
The committee recorded the motion to adopt the substitute and to report the measure to the next step in the process. The bill does not require a Finance referral, according to committee discussion; it was moved, seconded and reported with the adopted substitute and enactment clause.
What happens next: the substitute and the workgroup’s forthcoming recommendations will be made available in the bill packet; the delayed effective date was intended to allow the Secretary’s group to issue guidance and for any necessary technical corrections to be made in a subsequent housekeeping amendment or in conference.
