PoCo verbage.....

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

I've been planning our off grid system from some months now, then this week we closed on our 13 acre slice of paradise. The previous owner had power supplied to a campsite just off the road by the PoCo, and as part of the closing we had to document we removed the power from their name and put it in ours as of closing day.
Our plan is to use the campsite with power until we have settled on the location of the house and get the system up and running.

My wife comes into the garage with a funny look on her face and says "Honey I think you should read this. I think it will change your plan."

So I read:

2. The Applicant will, when electric energy becomes available, purchase from the Cooperative all electric energy used on the premises at address given below and will pay therefore monthly at rates to be determined from time to time in accordance with the bylaws of the Cooperative; provided, however, that the Cooperative may limit the amount of electric energy to be furnished for industrial uses.

My response to my wife was "Yep... tell them to come get their meter."

Tell me I'm reading this wrong.... It sure sounds to me like they won't "allow" solar simply because the property has a meter on it and we paid the 5$ membership fee.

 

[Q-Dog]

Hard to know without the entire agreement.

 

[1201]

What does the cooperative say about solar on it's website?

 

[Mattb4]

Yes it sounds like if you agree to their terms that you can not supply any electrical power yourself. It may not be enforced for emergency power situations since Electrical energy from them was not available. But otherwise it is pretty cut and dried.

 

[Steve_S]

I don't think this is that nefarious.

If you use grid power - the CoOp will be the sole provider and that you agree to purchase that power from them according the rates/tarrifs that apply to the company. The limit is a CAP for what that they can/will only provide for a Commercial enterprise.

You won't be running a business so no worries.
You'll be building your home, that isn't commercial, and it doesn't take that much power to build a house.
There is nothing with regards to solar systems in this. The Coop can't say much in that regard with the exception if you want to provide power to them.... County/Region "may" have issues & these days some are dumb enough to.

Once your built get rid of the Coop power and live off the solar, but it is nice to have Grid power available "just in case" and for resale value down the road if/when that comes up.

Take a good look at the Power CoOp's website, see what their policies are and how their billing is setup. Find out what they say about Solar to Grid feed-in (just to know where they stand) and if there is anything related to unconnected (non-export) offgrid with Grid power service to home. Next, check out if the Country/Region has any "STOOPID" ideations... best be aware from all angles.

 

[robbob2112]

I would check with the coop website and also these - just to know what rules your state has. At a glance it looks like they are required to allow you to interconnect which by deffinition means you are allowed to install solar.

https://www.iowaeda.com/userdocs/programs/15302_IEC_SolarEnergyGuide_Web.pdf

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ico/chapter/476.pdf

 

[DIYrich]

State law supercedes contract provisions. Given that Iowa passed a right to a solar easement, I am sure there are rules to require power companies to allow residential solar.

Also:

Distributed Generation | Southwest Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative

Planning for a home distributed generation system is a multistep process that begins with talking to your electric cooperative, and requires significant analysis and fact-finding, and then careful evaluation of the information that you learn in the process. If you are considering investing in...

www.swiarec.coop

 

[Q-Dog]

There could be other clauses that supersede this one. That's why we need to see the entire contract.

 

[Partimewages]

In our area that just means you have to buy power from them. You can't go out on the open market and buy. It's a Coop. They can't survive if everyone buys from someone else. Most of them are also pro conservation and solar.

 

[NC_hydro]

I’d have the meter removed. One less overlord you have to be beholden to

 

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

Sorry for the delay guys, my day got crazy.....

Neither the contract or their website has anything regarding solar. I have perused nearly every single page on their site and have not found the word solar anywhere.

I'm in Iowa at the moment, however moving to south Tennessee with a PoCo based in Georgia. It is TriState Electrical Membership Corporation.

Tri-State Electric Membership Corporation | Serving our members since 1948

Serving our Electric Cooperative members in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina since 1948.

www.tsemc.net

I've got to do more digging, but yes @NC_hydro that is exactly my thought. I've no intentions of monthly bills.

 

[NC_hydro]

Sorry for the delay guys, my day got crazy.....

Neither the contract or their website has anything regarding solar. I have perused nearly every single page on their site and have not found the word solar anywhere.

I'm in Iowa at the moment, however moving to south Tennessee with a PoCo based in Georgia. It is TriState Electrical Membership Corporation.

Tri-State Electric Membership Corporation | Serving our members since 1948

Serving our Electric Cooperative members in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina since 1948.

www.tsemc.net

I've got to do more digging, but yes @NC_hydro that is exactly my thought. I've no intentions of monthly bills.

Must be Polk County TN…

 

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

Yep. Beautiful country

 

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

So we will be keeping the power only at the campsite until we have our systems in place then calling them to come get their meter.

I am very curious though if this sort of language will become the norm moving forward as net metering rules are pulled back effectively rendering grid tie useless. I know some areas already prevent going off grid altogether.

 

[1201]

So we will be keeping the power only at the campsite until we have our systems in place then calling them to come get their meter.

I am very curious though if this sort of language will become the norm moving forward as net metering rules are pulled back effectively rendering grid tie useless. I know some areas already prevent going off grid altogether.

I think you're over thinking this

 

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

I think you're over thinking this

That is entirely possible. It sparked my curiosity as well as my defiance.

 

[NC_hydro]

Yep. Beautiful country

I’m two counties over on the north side of Hamilton county. Have a plumber/builder friend with mini excavator that lives over in Polk County.

 

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

I’m two counties over on the north side of Hamilton county. Have a plumber/builder friend with mini excavator that lives over in Polk County.

I just adore the people as much as the land. The old Gent we bought the property from asked me to call him after the closing. We have had to lengthy conversations and he has been texting me a list of everyone he can think of that he had any dealings with that may be able to assist us in our adventure. It's been 2 years since I left NC and came to Iowa. I miss the southern hospitality and the mountains something fierce!

 

[Mattb4]

I think you're over thinking this

I don't. The words are there and though his CoOp may not enforce them it always leaves open the possibility that they can. Never minimize a Contract that you agree to. It can end up biting you in the butt.

Certainly he can use the CoOp power during his construction phase of everything and most likely after he gets his PV up and working. Just like you can exceed the speed limit with impunity until you pass a cop doing enforcement.

 

[Q-Dog]

You can't infer such an ironclad interpretation of one line in a contract without reading the entire contract.

 

[1201]

I don't. The words are there and though his CoOp may not enforce them it always leaves open the possibility that they can. Never minimize a Contract that you agree to. It can end up biting you in the butt.

Certainly he can use the CoOp power during his construction phase of everything and most likely after he gets his PV up and working. Just like you can exceed the speed limit with impunity until you pass a cop doing enforcement.

How will they enforce it? Sue him? Arrest him? pull the meter? Or something else?

 

[Mattb4]

You can't infer such an ironclad interpretation of one line in a contract without reading the entire contract.

Perhaps not but I would read the agreement carefully and if that sentence is not modified elsewhere I would take it as it reads. People all too often agree to things and do not understand what they are agreeing to or think it won't ever apply (that would be mean) to them.

 

[Mattb4]

How will they enforce it? Sue him? Arrest him? pull the meter? Or something else?

I would guess they demand he stop using another source of electricity and shut off his meter if he failed to comply. It would be within their right to do so.

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

Using the bolded sentence in OP, a search reveals that this sentence is in lots of other co-op agreements. That, to me, makes it feel more like a protection for the co-op, as in, we provided service to your property at great expense to ourselves (and you through the setup fees), so don't go bringing in any other service, and leave our infrastructure dangling with no further payments.

Seems reasonable (from an already unreasonable overlordship basis) ... but, probably not much can be done about it. I have high doubts that you can pull the meter, or otherwise cancel service. Once the original property owner checked in, future property owners probably can't check out ... the contracts of the co-op, and the state PUC above it, are extensive and maddening in many ways, and few read all the interconnected agreements.

I agree with others that a grid connection has uses (backup/reserve power), especially as previous owner paid all the startup fees. The startup fees are what blocked me from getting a grid conn to our property.

Hold this card in reserve and pay the minimal monthly fee to maintain the connection, now that its been dealt to you ...

 

[1201]

I would guess they demand he stop using another source of electricity and shut off his meter if he failed to comply. It would be within their right to do so.

Then let them do it. Op should not voluntarily ask to have a $5/month meter removed when he doesn't Even know for sure whether or not solar is allowed.

If they have a problem with solar they can come and remove the meter later, it they may never say anything about it and op keeps his very valuable meter connection