Montgomery County - Community Choice Aggregation Pilot Program - Alterations MC 17-26

New timeline for Montgomery County energy pilot

The law sets the timeline and review rules for Montgomery County’s Community Choice Aggregation energy pilot. The program remains limited to Montgomery County, with authority to form an aggregator starting December 31, 2023. The pilot starts when the County notifies the Public Service Commission that it intends to begin forming an aggregator, or April 1, 2026, whichever comes first. It ends nine years after that start date, but not before April 1, 2031. By April 1 of the seventh year after the start, the Commission must report to the General Assembly on the pilot’s status and effectiveness. After the pilot ends, the Commission must study its overall costs and benefits. It must also study extra costs for customers using standard utility supply when customers switch between that service and the pilot. The study must examine ways to shield standard utility supply customers from those extra costs. The Commission must seek advice from the Community Choice Energy Workgroup and report findings to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2035. The law takes effect October 1, 2026; it provides no new funding or guaranteed household savings.