Dominion—Solar customers cost shift $1.38 and $0.28 per month to the rest of residential and small business customers

Press Release

But those costs would be years in the future, not now

Columbia, SC (February 25, 2021)—Two pieces of revealing information were disclosed by a Dominion Energy South Carolina witness today in a SC Public Service Commission hearing.

Dominion is seeking to have a new solar net-metering program approved to address what it claims is non-solar residential and small business customers paying more to subsidize the solar net-metering program of others in their respective classes.

Today, during the PSC hearing, Mr. Allen Rooks of Dominion testified that the estimated cost shift that non-solar customers are claimed to be paying to subsidize solar net-metering customers is $1.38 a month for residential customers and 28 cents per month for small business customers.

Mr. Rooks also agreed that these estimated cost shifts are not causing higher utility costs for customers today and would only occur if allowed by the PSC in a future general rate case, not in the current Dominion rate case in front of the PSC.  Such a possible rate case might be years down the road.

“The dreaded solar net-metering cost shifting that Dominion convinced the legislature to be concerned about is actually not happening,” said Frank Knapp Jr., President and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce.  Mr. Knapp is also an individual intervenor in the Dominion solar net-metering rate hearing.

“This is a big misdirect by Dominion,” Knapp continued.  “They say they are trying to protect the non-solar residential customers, including low-income, from paying $1.38 more a month to subsidize solar customers.  But that cost shift simply isn’t happening.  Same for that 28 cents a month small business non-solar customers are allegedly paying extra a month.  It simply isn’t happening.”

“None of the proposed added revenue from solar customers will be used to reduce utility costs of the other residential and small business customers today, a year from now or many years from now. What Dominion wants is more money in its pocket from solar customers and to discourage future residential and small business adoption of rooftop solar,” concluded Knapp.

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Contact:

Frank Knapp
803-600-6874

1717 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC  29201
803-252-5733
www.scsbc.org

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