20250902Comment_1.pdf

From: Garth Hillman <[e-mail]>
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2025 6:51 PM
To: secretary<[e-mail]>
Subject: Rocky Mountain Power Case# PAC-E-25-02
B Garth Hillman
5E 1st N
Sugar City, Idaho 83448
[e-mail]
08/29/2025
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
11331 W. Chinden Blvd, Bldg 8, Suite 201-A
Boise, ID 83714
Re: Case# PAC-E-25-02 Rebuttal to Rocky Mountain Power's Proposed Change in Solar
Reimbursement Rates
Dear Honored Commissioners and Staff Members,
I am writing as a concerned customer of Rocky Mountain Power regarding the company's
proposed changes to solar reimbursement rates currently before the Idaho Public Utilities
Commission. These changes will cause a 72% increase (as stated in their application) in
my monthly power bill despite my recent, carefully planned, and significant investment in
rooftop solar.
When I installed my solar system, it was based on the 85% reimbursement rate that existed
at the time. I understood that legacy customers had been granted a 25-year grandfather
clause at a one-to-one reimbursement rate, and while I did not qualify for that exact
treatment, I accepted the 85% rate as a fair and workable compromise. I made this
investment in good faith, with the expectation that the terms in place when I signed on
would remain stable and reliable.
To have Rocky Mountain Power propose a drastic change mere weeks after my system
became operational undermines not only my financial investment but also the trust that
Idaho consumers must be able to place in regulated utilities and the oversight of this
Commission.
I respectfully urge the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to consider the following points as
you review Rocky Mountain Power's filing:
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Fairness and Good Faith-Customers who installed solar under a particular rate structure
did so in reliance on those terms. It is equitable and just to grandfather these customers at
the rate they signed up for,just as legacy solar customers were previously protected.
Encouraging Renewable Energy-Steeply reducing reimbursement rates discourages new
adoption of solar and undermines Idaho's ability to diversify energy supply, strengthen grid
resilience, and support customer-driven clean energy investments.
Consumer Protection-A sudden 72% increase in monthly bills is not onlyfinancially
devastating but also raises questions of reasonableness. At a minimum, customers who
invested before the filing of this application should be shielded from its impact.
Public Interest and Energy Stability-National energy policy, as well as Idaho's long-term
interest, points toward reducing costs and expanding clean energy options. Penalizing
those who proactively invested in solutions that benefit the grid and the environment is
counterproductive.
For these reasons, I respectfully request that the Idaho Public Utilities Commission deny
Rocky Mountain Power's proposal in its current form, or at the very least, require that
customers who invested under the existing reimbursement framework be grandfathered
into that rate structure. Anything less would render the significant personal investments of
Idaho families meaningless and discourage others from contributing to our state's energy
independence.
Thank you for your attention and for upholding the principles of fairness, transparency, and
consumer protection that Idahoans depend upon. This is the second comment I have
submitted. After reviewing the application more fully, I wished to voice other concerns I
had. I will be living on a structured budget not far into the future and am concerned about
the effect this rate change will have.
Sincerely,
B Garth Hillman
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