El Paso Electric Company – Net Metering

Program Overview

Implementing Sector Utility
Category Regulatory Policy
State Texas
Incentive Type Net Metering
Web Site Texas Interconnection of Facilities up to 10 MW
Administrator El Paso Electric Company
Utilities El Paso Electric Co
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies Geothermal Electric, Solar Thermal Electric, Solar Photovoltaics, Wind (All), Biomass, Wave, Wind (Small), Hydroelectric (Small), Fuel Cells using Renewable Fuels, Other Distributed Generation Technologies
Applicable Sectors Commercial, Construction, Local Government, Nonprofit, Residential, Schools, Low Income Residential, Institutional
Applicable Utilities El Paso Electric
System Capacity Limit For most customer-generators: 50 kW or 100% of estimated/actual electricity consumption, whichever is less
Aggregate Capacity Limit Not specified
Net Excess Generation Credited to customer-generator at avoided cost rate
If credits exceeds $50, a refund check is issued
Ownership of Renewable Energy Credits Not specified
Meter Aggregation Not specified

Summary

El Paso Electric (EPE) has offered net metering to customer-generators since September 2011.

Eligibility and Availability

To qualify, distributed renewable generation (DRG) owners must either:

  • interconnect an apartment house occupied by low-income elderly tenants that qualifies for master metering, where the DRG is expected to generate at least 50% of the building’s annual electricity use or 
  • have a qualifying facility with a design capacity of not more than 50 kilowatts (kW).

Additionally, the DRG facility must be rated to produce an amount of electricity less than or equal to the estimated annual electricity consumption (for new apartment house or qualifying facility) or the amount of electricity the owner consumed in the year before installing the DRG facility.

EPE will install, at no cost to the customer, a bi-directional meter, although interconnection charges may still apply.

Net Excess Generation

At the end of each billing period, El Paso Electric pays the customer-generator for net excess generation at its avoided cost rate via a credit to the monthly bill. If the credits on an account become greater than $50, EPE sends the customer-generator a refund check for the balance.

Authorities

Name Tex. Utilities Code § 39.554
Effective Date 06/17/2011
Name Public Utilities Commission of Texas Substantive Rules § 25.211
Name El Paso Electric Company Schedule No. 48
Effective Date 11/03/2021

Contact

El Paso Electric — Small Renewables
Organization:
El Paso Electric Company
Address:
PO Box 982
El Paso, TX 79960
Phone:
(915) 872-4595
E-Mail:
smallrenewables@epelectric.com