QUEST is supportive of the…

QUEST is supportive of the Government’s efforts to update its net metering regulation to enable community net metering projects. Updating this regulation is key to spurring innovation in the energy sector and enabling additional business models that are critical for Ontario advance low carbon distributed energy opportunities and help achieve QUEST’s vision of Smart Energy Communities.

Community net metering would enable Ontarians to benefit from 3rd party involvement and ownership of DERs or within their community without having to bear the upfront capital costs and operational requirements of having each property owner manage the DER themselves. It will help reduce costs of equipment and installation and allow communities to benefit from efficiencies of scale, increase implementation of DER, and advance economic development opportunities for Ontario’s DER market.

Recommendation #1: Credits for net metering should be calculated based on Time of Use (TOU) rates to advance basic principles of fairness and consistency and to better reflect the true value of electricity that is supplied during peak hours.

Recommendation #2: increase alignment between land use planning and energy planning. Centralized energy planners, municipal planners and utility planners should be more proactive in identifying energy demand from new developments.

Recommendation #3: Streamline the DER connection approvals process and keep connection costs and requirements to reasonable and justifiable levels to remove unnecessary barriers to DER project implementation.

Recommendation #4: In order to improve customer choice and provide communities, residents and businesses with more options for managing their energy costs, meeting their thermal energy needs using highly efficient sources and enhancing operational resilience, members of the CHP Consortium recommend that the Ministry of Energy extend Ontario’s net metering eligibility to include high efficiency, small scale natural gas fired CHP projects.

Representatives of QUEST are available and interested in meeting with and assisting the Ministry of Energy, IESO and others involved in implementing these proposed changes to the net metering program.