I can see then why they fight tooth and nail against net metering: They don't want to buy power at retail cost themselves!

If they go through with their little scheme then you should help defray the cost of the new metering equipment by allocating the cost accross a larger PV array...That is to say, at the same time that you spend $$ on the new meters, you should at the same time invest more $$ in expanding your PV arrays so that you generate even more power... Hopefully much more power than you could ever consume!

What they are doing is increasing the fixed/up-front cost of installing a small PV array...They want to make it so that unless you do it large, you just can't do it (at least not economically).

Sorry to hear it, because if adopted, this will be a real alternative energy killer. Contact your congressmen as well (at both the State and Federal level). You might even try writing a letter to the President himself explaining how rules like this stiffle our nations investment in real energy alternatives. No guarantee that he will read your specific letter, but someone on the Whitehouse staff will. Developing Alternative energy sources is in all of our best interests! Including the fools at the power company who have put short term profits ahead of supporting a long term energy stategy.

Also, don't just lobby the liberal members of congress. Sometimes to get things done, it is actually best to start by lobbying those members whom you would initially think are naturally allied against your agenda. Find reasons for them to support you (Patriotism, money staying in your state as opposed to flowing to out of state producers, etc...) and you will be suprised by the response you can get. Once you have their ear, let them know that there are viable comprimises. For example, maybe "Net Meter" power sent over the course of a year to the grid could be purchased instead at a "middle rate" instead of the retail rate (somewhere in between wholesale and retail pricing). Yes the net power producers would lose something there, but the majority who still pull some power off the grid in the course of a year would see no effective change in their $/year spending.

Good luck.

Scott Evil