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Mainers are paying the highest electricity rates in Maine history, and it’s about to get a lot worse.

Let’s demand our state legislators help stop this.

Maine’s broken Net Energy Billing program is one of the reasons we’re paying 4-5 TIMES more than competitive bidding rates. This is the first energy program in Maine history that’s not regulated by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. What happens when we don’t have regulation? The current program is lining the pockets of out-of-state investors at the expense of Maine ratepayers.

Your Reps have the power to FIX Net Energy Billing and STOP the Rate Increases.

  • Net Energy Billing was originally intended to help homeowners benefit from home solar installations, but the program is flawed and unregulated. Instead of benefiting Maine people, it’s driving up our electricity costs 44% and lining the pockets of out-of-state hedge funds. 

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  • 87% of the Net Energy Billing generators in Maine have out-of-state addresses. That is not community solar—that’s solar run by out-of-state investors who are profiting at our expense. 

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  • Right now, Mainers pay nearly 20 cents per kilowatt hour for solar from Net Energy Billing projects, when we should be paying 3-5 cents per kilowatt hour. Maine doesn’t need quadrupled electricity rates—we need more 5 cent electricity, and less 20 cent electricity. ​

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  • More than 1500 MW of this expensive solar is currently proposed—unless it is stopped, this increase could cost Mainers more than $525 MILLION annually. 

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  • Maine lawmakers have the power to prevent this ongoing windfall for Net Energy Billing generators and protect Maine ratepayers.  

You can tell your legislators to FIX Net Energy Billing.

If you know who your State Representative is, email them here. For a list of Maine State Representatives by town, click here. To find and email your State Senator, click here. 

Here's the full story:

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Maine’s Net Energy Billing program started as a good idea, to give local people the ability to benefit from small solar installations. But the program is tremendously flawed. Why? Because it is completely unregulated. It’s the first energy program EVER to have no regulation by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

 

In reality, it’s not Maine people who own the Net Energy Billing (NEB) generators. It’s out-of-state hedge funds. 87% of Net Energy Billing generators in Maine have out-of-state addresses. These investors bought up most of the small solar projects statewide, and they’re making a killing off Maine ratepayers.

 

Because our Net Energy Billing program is unregulated, Maine ratepayers are paying 4-5 times MORE than market rates. That’s right. The cost of Net Energy Billing to Maine ratepayers is more than 4-5 TIMES competitive bidding rates, which are as low as 3-4 cents per kilowatt hour. 
 

 

It Gets Worse.

Because of the rising prices of oil and gas, Maine utility companies recently increased their Standard Offer rate. This in turn raised Net Energy Billing (NEB) rates from 12.5 to 14.3 cents per kilowatt hour to 19.5 to 21.3 cents per kilowatt hour. This creates a massive windfall for NEB generators, mostly out-of-state investors. 

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Maine legislators are in the process of approving a deal that protects these mostly out-of-state NEB generators and locks them into the Standard Offer windfall with no expiration date. But there’s still time to stop this bad deal. Contact your legislators today and urge them to put the interests of Maine ratepayers first. 

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Before this Standard Offer windfall, the Public Utilities Commission estimated total Net Energy Billing rates paid by ratepayers to be approximately $2 Billion over 20 years. When the Standard Offer windfall occurred, the PUC increased those predictions to $3 billion over 20 years. That’s an estimated 44% delivery rate increase to Maine people between 2022 and the end of 2024. It adds up to an extra $50 million each year going into the pockets of Net Energy Billing generators owned mostly by out-of-state investors.

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Net Energy Billing in Maine is a MESS. It’s a costly mistake we can’t afford to make.

Tell your Legislators to FIX net energy billing and STOP the rate increases. If you know who your State Representative is, email them here. For a list of Maine State Representatives by town, click here. To find and email your State Senator, click here.

 

You may also contact your State Representatives at

1-800-423-2900 and your State Senators at 1-800-423-6900.
 

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