Section 465.35  Net Metering Application and Enrollment Procedures

a)         Each electricity supplier shall establish an application form and publish on its website procedures to enable eligible customers to participate in the net metering program offered by the electricity supplier.  Each electricity supplier shall designate a point of contact and provide contact information on its website. The point of contact shall be able to direct questions concerning net metering request submissions and the net metering process to knowledgeable individuals within the company.

b)         An electricity provider may establish an enrollment cap of 5% of the peak demand supplied by the electricity provider in the previous calendar year in accordance with Section 16-107.5(j) of the Act. Nothing in this Part alters the authority of electricity providers to offer net metering beyond the limitations in Section 16-107.5(j) of the Act, if they so choose.

c)         Net metering enrollment priority shall be established on a first-come, first-served basis, according to an electricity supplier's date stamp or similar electronic method for indicating receipt of a completed net metering application.

d)         Each completed application for net metering services shall be in writing or be submitted via an electronic application process established by the electricity supplier and shall include:

1)         The customer's name, contact information and corresponding service location where the proposed net metering generation facility or facilities are located;

2)         The name plate capacity rating of the proposed net metering generation facility or facilities; and

3)         Sufficient information to permit the electricity supplier to determine whether any facility on the application qualifies as an eligible renewable electrical generating facility.

e)         Electricity suppliers shall provide net metering applicants with a single mailing address to which a completed physical application must be sent. In addition, or as an alternative, electricity suppliers may establish an electronic net metering application process.  Electricity suppliers shall date stamp, either physically or by electronic means, each completed application upon receipt and determine whether the application meets the requirements of subsection (d).  Electricity suppliers shall, within 10 business days after receipt of a qualified application or completion of an open enrollment period, notify an applicant whether it is authorized to participate in the electricity supplier's net metering program. An electricity supplier shall state, in writing, its reasons for denying a prospective net metering customer's application.  An electricity supplier shall not deny a prospective net metering customer's application in a manner that violates this Part, 83 Ill. Adm. Code 466 or Section 16-107.5 of the Act.

f)         If an electricity supplier denies an application due to the cap authorized by subsection (b), the electricity supplier shall offer the applicant the opportunity to be placed on a waiting list. If space becomes available under the cap, due to either attrition among enrolled customers or an increase in the electricity supplier's peak demand, wait-listed customers shall be processed before new applications.

g)         Any authorization to net meter shall remain effective for as long as the customer remains eligible for net metering and continues taking electric supply service from the electricity supplier, subject to the limitations in subsections (g)(1) and (g)(2).

1)         A customer authorized to net meter under subsection (e) shall submit an executed application for interconnection, pursuant to 83 Ill. Adm. Code 466, to the customer's electric utility within 30 business days after the date of the notification from the electricity supplier pursuant to subsection (e). An electricity supplier may cancel the authorization if the customer has not submitted an executed application by the date specified in subsection (g)(2)(A).

2)         The following provisions apply to any electricity supplier that establishes enrollment limits, as authorized by subsection (b):

A)        The electricity supplier shall cancel a customer's authorization to net meter if the customer has not executed and returned to the customer's electric utility an interconnection agreement with the electric utility pursuant to 83 Ill. Adm. Code 466 and provided the executed interconnection agreement to its electricity supplier within 12 months after receiving the interconnection agreement from the electric utility.

B)        The electricity supplier must automatically extend the authorization to net meter by an additional six months for an eligible customer that has met the requirements of subsection (g)(2)(A), but whose eligible renewable electrical generating facility has not commenced operation and passed any applicable witness test.

C)        A customer seeking to extend the authorization to net meter for an additional six months pursuant to subsection (g)(2)(B) must pay a deposit of $25 for each kW of the nameplate rating of the customer's eligible renewable electrical generating facility, which shall be refunded only if the facility commences operation and passes any applicable witness test. A customer may only receive a single six-month extension.

D)        Customers who have previously applied to net meter must reapply if:

i)          the customer has had its authorization to net meter canceled for failure to execute and return the interconnection agreement as required by subsection (g)(2)(A); or

ii)         the customer has exhausted its allotted time to commence operation and pass any applicable witness test pursuant to subsections (g)(2)(B) and (g)(2)(C).

E)        If a customer must reapply pursuant to subsection (g)(2)(D), all other customers awaiting authorization to net meter at that time shall be deemed to have applied before the reapplying customer for purposes of the enrollment priority established by subsection (c). Additionally, the project for which a customer must reapply shall be removed from the calculation of the 5% of peak demand supplied by the electricity supplier enrollment cap.

h)         With respect to any customer that has been authorized for net metering offered by an ARES, the ARES must notify the electric utility in writing or via an electronic method approved by the utility of the customer's status as a net metering customer within 15 days after the customer's authorization.

i)          With respect to any customer that has had its authorization for net metering canceled by an ARES, the ARES must notify the electric utility in writing or via an electronic method approved by the utility of the customer's status as a canceled net metering customer within 15 days after the cancellation.

j)          With respect to any non-competitive customer authorized for net metering offered by an electricity supplier that is switching to another electricity supplier, the electric utility must notify the customer's new electricity supplier via an electronic method approved by the utility of the customer's status as a net metering customer.

k)         With respect to any customer that has been authorized for net metering that is switching from one electricity supplier to another, the customer's new electricity supplier shall inform the customer within 15 calendar days after the date the electric utility provides the notice to the new electricity supplier pursuant to subsection (j), of any steps that are necessary to apply for net metering with the new supplier.

(Source:  Amended at 40 Ill. Reg. 7578, effective May 6, 2016)