Virginia Law

A. 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 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. In establishing the minimum bill, the commission shall (i) consider further costs the commission deems relevant to ensure subscribing customers pay a fair share of the costs of providing electric services to the subscribers, and (ii) minimize the costs shifted to customers not in a shared solar program.

2. The minimum bill components established as set forth in subdivision 1 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 of the Code of Virginia.

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

B. The bill credit shall be calculated in accordance with 20VAC5-340-60 F and § 56-594.3 C of the Code of Virginia.