Colorado Bill: Improve Customer Use of Distributed Energy Resources

CO Legislature Bill Search

Published January 1st, 2026

Detected March 4th, 2026

Summary

Colorado Bill HB26-1007 aims to improve customer use of distributed energy resources by defining portable-scale solar generation devices and prohibiting utilities from requiring prior approval for their installation or use. The bill mandates that commission-regulated utilities, as well as municipally owned utilities and cooperative electric associations, must allow customer ownership and use of meter collar adapters and prohibit production meters as an interconnection condition for customer-sited distributed energy resources.

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What changed

Colorado Bill HB26-1007 introduces new requirements concerning the use of distributed energy resources, specifically focusing on portable-scale solar generation devices and meter collar adapters. The bill prohibits retail electric or wholesale energy providers from requiring customer approval before installing or using these devices and from imposing unreasonable restrictions. It mandates that commission-regulated utilities, municipally owned utilities, and cooperative electric associations must allow customer ownership and use of meter collar adapters and cannot require a production meter for interconnection of customer-sited distributed energy resources.

This legislation will require energy providers in Colorado to update their interconnection standards and practices to comply with the new prohibitions and requirements by December 31, 2026. Regulated utilities must revise their interconnection rules, and all covered entities must ensure their policies do not restrict the installation or use of portable-scale solar generation devices or meter collar adapters. Failure to comply could result in regulatory action by the Public Utilities Commission or other relevant authorities.

What to do next

Review and update interconnection standards to allow customer ownership of meter collar adapters.
Prohibit requirements for prior approval or production meters for portable-scale solar generation devices and customer-sited distributed energy resources.
Ensure policies do not impose unreasonable conditions on the installation, use, or operation of these devices.

Source document (simplified)

HB26-1007

Improve Customer Use Distributed Energy Resources

| Type | Bill |
| --- | --- |
| Session | 2026 Regular Session |
| Subjects | Energy |
Concerning measures to improve a customer's ability to use distributed energy resources.

Recent Bill (PDF) Recent Fiscal Note (PDF) Bill Summary:

The bill defines, and creates requirements for, portable-scale solar generation devices. In addition, the bill prohibits a provider of retail electric service or wholesale energy from, among other things, requiring a customer to obtain the provider's approval before installing or using a portable-scale solar generation device. The bill also prohibits a person from restricting, prohibiting, or imposing unreasonable conditions on the installation, use, or operation of a portable-scale solar generation device.

Under current law, a utility that is subject to regulation by the public utilities commission (commission) must allow for customer ownership and use of a meter collar adapter through the utility's interconnection standards. The bill requires the commission, on or before December 31, 2026, to revise existing commission interconnection rules to explicitly require commission-regulated utilities to allow for customer ownership and use of meter collar adapters and to prohibit commission-regulated utilities from requiring a production meter as a condition of interconnection for a customer-sited distributed energy resource.

The bill requires municipally owned utilities and cooperative electric associations to also allow for customer ownership and use of meter collar adapters and prohibits municipally owned utilities and cooperative electric associations from requiring a production meter as a condition of interconnection for a customer-sited distributed energy resource.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)