wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2296 > Substitute Bill
Each electric utility must allow the installation and operation of no more than one customer-owned meter-mounted device between a retail electric customer's meter and meter socket, provided the retail electric customer ensures the conditions outlined in subsection (2) of this section are met and the meter-mounted device meets the conditions outlined in subsection (3) of this section.
A meter-mounted device must be installed in accordance with the national electrical code by a licensed electrical contractor and the installation must be approved by the local permitting authority. After a retail electric customer has identified a licensed electrical contractor to install a meter-mounted device, the retail electric customer must work with the servicing electric utility to schedule a mutually agreeable time for an electric utility representative to inspect and approve the meter for use with a meter-mounted device and then to remove and then reconnect the utility's meter to allow for the licensed electrical contractor to install the customer's meter-mounted device.
An installed meter-mounted device must:
Be qualified to be connected to the supply side of the service disconnect pursuant to the applicable provisions of the national electric code;
Be approved or listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and is suitable, according to the device's approval or listing documentation, for use in meter sockets that are rated up to 200 amperes;
Be certified to meet all applicable standards, as determined by a nationally recognized testing laboratory;
Be compatible with advanced metering infrastructure;
Not impede access to the sealed meter socket compartment or the pull section of the service section of the electric meter or switchboard, as applicable, and not otherwise interfere with the ability to perform maintenance and testing;
Not interfere with meter functions or communication networks; and
Be approved by the electric utility in accordance with subsection (4) of this section.
An electric utility must approve or disapprove a request from a manufacturer for approval of a specific model of meter-mounted device for installation in its service area based on the requirements outlined in subsection (3) of this section. Upon receiving such a request for approval, an electric utility with more than 25,000 customers must make an approval decision within 90 days, and an electric utility with 25,000 customers or fewer must make an approval decision within 180 days. An electric utility must post on the utility's website all decisions approving a model of a meter-mounted device.
An electric utility may recover the cost of service work on any customer-owned meter-mounted device, or maintenance or repair work on any electric utility-owned equipment necessary due to the installation of a customer-owned meter-mounted device, by charging the customer directly.
Each electric utility must implement the provisions of this section no later than six months after the effective date of this section.
An electric utility may not be held liable for damage, attributable to a customer-owned meter-mounted device installed pursuant to this section, to any person or property.
An electric utility may have a qualified utility employee or a licensed electrical contractor remove any customer-owned meter-mounted device that inhibits the utility's ability to provide service or read the meter, or that does not meet the requirements outlined in subsection (3) of this section.
A city, county, or other local jurisdiction may not prohibit the installation and operation of a meter-mounted device as described in this section.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the utilities and transportation commission to initiate a new rule-making proceeding, unless such a requirement is explicitly stated within the act. In the event that a specific provision of this section or its application directly and substantively conflicts with the subject matter of an ongoing rule-making proceeding at the utilities and transportation commission, the commission may, at its discretion, modify its proposed rule to conform to the requirements of this section without being required to restart the rule-making process, except as necessary to provide a meaningful opportunity for public comment.