20 Va. Admin. Code § 5-340-80

Current through Register Vol. 41, No. 10, December 30, 2024

Section 20VAC5-340-80 - Minimum bill composition

The commission shall convene a proceeding to determine any monthly administrative charge and the components of the minimum bill.

With respect to the minimum bill:

1. Each subscriber, other than a low-income customer of a Phase II Utility, shall pay a minimum monthly bill, which shall, as approved by the commission, include the costs of all utility infrastructure and services used to provide electric service and administrative costs of the shared solar program. The commission may modify the minimum bill over time.

2. In establishing the minimum bill for a Phase I Utility, the commission shall:

a. Consider further costs the commission deems relevant to ensure subscribing customers pay a fair share of the costs of providing electric services;

b. Minimize the costs shifted to customers not in a shared solar program; and

c. Calculate the benefits of shared solar to the electric grid and to the Commonwealth, including avoided costs, and deduct such benefits from other costs.

3. In establishing the minimum bill for a Phase II Utility, the commission shall:

a. Consider further costs the commission deems relevant to ensure subscribing customers pay a fair share of the costs of providing electric services and generation sufficient to meet customer needs at all times;

b. Minimize the costs shifted to customers not in a shared solar program;

c. Calculate the benefits of shared solar to the electric grid and to the Commonwealth, including avoided costs, and deduct such benefits from other costs; and

d. Exempt low-income customers from the minimum bill.

4. The minimum bill components established as set forth in subdivisions 2 and 3 of this subsection and updated as deemed necessary by the commission shall be limited to such costs as determined by the commission to be just and reasonable based on evidence provided by the parties to the evidentiary hearing process. Such costs must reflect incremental costs of the shared solar program and not otherwise recovered by the utility from participating subscribers. The following factors shall be considered by the commission in determining whether costs proposed by the utility are incremental to the shared solar program and eligible for inclusion in the minimum bill:

a. The extent to which the costs are utility infrastructure and services used to provide electric service for the shared solar program;

b. The extent to which the costs are administrative costs of the shared solar program;

c. Whether including the cost in the minimum bill is necessary to ensure subscribing customers pay a fair share of the costs of providing electric services to the subscribers;

d. Whether including the cost in the minimum bill will minimize the costs shifted to customers not in a shared solar program; and

e. Whether including the cost in the minimum bill is otherwise consistent with the requirements of §§ 56-594.3 and 56-594.4 of the Code of Virginia.

5. The commission shall also consider how the utility will recover the minimum bill charges for exempt low-income customers.

6. The commission shall explicitly set forth its findings as to each cost and benefit or other value used to determine the minimum bill.

20 Va. Admin. Code § 5-340-80

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 11, eff. 1/1/2021; Amended, Virginia Register Volume 41, Issue 09, eff. 1/1/2025.

Statutory Authority: §§ 12.1-13 and 56-594.3 of the Code of Virginia.