| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to renewable energy technologies and |
| 3 | energy efficiency; providing a short title; amending s. |
| 4 | 377.803, F.S.; defining the term "net metering"; creating |
| 5 | s. 377.805, F.S.; establishing the Net Metering Incentive |
| 6 | Program within the Department of Environmental Protection; |
| 7 | directing the Public Service Commission to require all |
| 8 | electric utilities to develop net metering programs; |
| 9 | requiring electric utilities to make certain meters |
| 10 | available to customers; providing for a customer to |
| 11 | receive credit for electricity generated by renewable |
| 12 | energy systems owned by the customer; providing |
| 13 | eligibility criteria; authorizing the commission and the |
| 14 | department to adopt rules; specifying a period during |
| 15 | which the sale of energy-efficient products is exempt from |
| 16 | certain tax; providing a limitation; providing a |
| 17 | definition; prohibiting purchase of products by certain |
| 18 | payment methods; providing that certain purchases or |
| 19 | attempts to purchase are unfair methods of competition and |
| 20 | punishable as such; authorizing the Department of Revenue |
| 21 | to adopt rules; providing an effective date. |
| 22 |
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| 23 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 24 |
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| 25 | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Florida Net |
| 26 | Metering Incentive Act." |
| 27 | Section 2. Subsections (5) through (10) of section |
| 28 | 377.803, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6) |
| 29 | through (11), respectively, and a new subsection (5) is added to |
| 30 | that section to read: |
| 31 | 377.803 Definitions.--As used in ss. 377.801-377.806, the |
| 32 | term: |
| 33 | (5) "Net metering" means a process by which an electric |
| 34 | utility credits a customer at the full retail rate for |
| 35 | electricity produced by one or more renewable energy systems |
| 36 | generating more electricity than the customer consumes. |
| 37 | Section 3. Section 377.805, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 38 | to read: |
| 39 | 377.805 Net Metering Incentive Program.-- |
| 40 | (1) The Net Metering Incentive Program is established |
| 41 | within the department to provide consumers with an incentive to |
| 42 | utilize renewable energy technologies by increasing the value of |
| 43 | the energy they create. |
| 44 | (2) The commission shall require all electric utilities to |
| 45 | develop net metering programs that meet the requirements of this |
| 46 | subsection. The utilities shall make available to customers |
| 47 | reversible electric meters that subtract the amount of |
| 48 | electricity a customer generates from the amount of energy a |
| 49 | customer consumes. The customer shall receive credit at the full |
| 50 | retail rate for electricity generated by eligible renewable |
| 51 | energy systems. If the customer's system generates more energy |
| 52 | than the customer consumes during a billing cycle, the customer |
| 53 | shall pay only the basic charge for service and the excess |
| 54 | credit shall be carried forward to the following billing cycle. |
| 55 | Pursuant to s. 366.81, the utility may not discriminate in the |
| 56 | rate or rate structure on the basis of the customer-owned |
| 57 | renewable energy system. |
| 58 | (3) To be eligible to participate in the program, the |
| 59 | customer's system must use a renewable source of energy to |
| 60 | produce the electricity, must have an aggregate power output of |
| 61 | no more than 25 kilowatts single-phase or 100 kilowatts three- |
| 62 | phase, and must meet the safety and compatibility requirements |
| 63 | set by rule of the commission. |
| 64 | (4) The commission and the department may adopt rules |
| 65 | pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement and |
| 66 | administer this section, including any amendment of current |
| 67 | interconnection standards. |
| 68 | Section 4. The period from 12:01 a.m., October 5, 2008, |
| 69 | through midnight, October 14, 2008, shall be designated "Energy- |
| 70 | Efficient Products Sales Tax Holiday," and the tax levied under |
| 71 | chapter 212, Florida Statutes, may not be collected on the sale |
| 72 | of a new energy-efficient product having a selling price of |
| 73 | $1,500 or less per product during that period. This exemption |
| 74 | applies only when the energy-efficient product is purchased for |
| 75 | noncommercial home or personal use and does not apply when the |
| 76 | product is purchased for trade, business, or resale. As used in |
| 77 | this section, the term "energy-efficient product" means a |
| 78 | dishwasher, clothes washer, air conditioner, ceiling fan, |
| 79 | incandescent or florescent light bulb, dehumidifier, |
| 80 | programmable thermostat, or refrigerator that has been |
| 81 | designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| 82 | or by the United States Department of Energy as meeting or |
| 83 | exceeding the requirements under the Energy Star Program of |
| 84 | either agency. Purchases made under this section may not be made |
| 85 | using a business or company credit or debit card or check. Any |
| 86 | construction company, building contractor, or commercial |
| 87 | business or entity that purchases or attempts to purchase the |
| 88 | energy-efficient products as exempt under this section commits |
| 89 | an unfair method of competition in violation of s. 501.204, |
| 90 | Florida Statutes, punishable as provided in s. 501.2075, Florida |
| 91 | Statutes. The Department of Revenue may adopt rules under ss. |
| 92 | 120.536(1) and 120.54, Florida Statutes, to administer this |
| 93 | section. |
| 94 | Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |