An Act To Expand Access to Efficiency Maine Rebate Programs
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0845
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: ADAMS

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAl ELEGISLATURE 
FIRST REGULAR SESSIOr~-2009 
Legislative Document 
No. 845 
H.P.581 
House of Representatives, March 3, 2009 
, An Act To Expand Access to Efficiency Maine Rebate Programs 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative ADAMS of Portland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 3S-A MRS A §32H-C, sub-§l;,n is enacted to read: 
D. "State median household income" means the median household income for the 
State computed from the most current United States census information· available, as 
provided by the Executive Department, State Planning Office. 
Sec. 2. 35-A MRS A §32H-C, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2007, c. 661, Pt. D, § 1, 
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is further amended to read: 
3. Funding,level; fund. The commission shall assess transmission and distribution 
utilities to collect funds for the solar and wind energy rebate program in accordance with 
this subsection. The amount of all assessments by the commission under this subsection 
must result in total program expenditures by each transmission and distribution utility that 
do not exceed 0.005 cent per kilowatt-hour. To the extent practicable, the commission 
shall establish and collect the assessment in a manner that is consistent with the 
assessment made under section 3211-A. The commission shall establish a solar ~md wind 
energy rebate program fund. to be used solely for the purposes of this section. 
All 
assessments made under this subsection are deposited in the fund. _Any interest on funds 
in the fl,md must be credited to the fund. Funds not spent in any fiscal year remain in the 
fund to be used for the purposes of this section. 
The commission shall determine the 
allotment of the fund in each fiscal year between solar photovoltaic system rebates, solar 
thermal systerri rebates and qualified wind energy system rebates, with a minimum of 
20% of the fund provided to each of the 3 types of rebates. For the first 6 months of each 
fiscal year, the commission shall divide the available funds for each of the 3 types of 
rebates'. 
A. Fifty percent of the available funds must be allotted for rebates for oWners or 
tenants of residential property whose household income is at or below the state 
median household· income. 
B. Fifty percent of the available funds must be allotted for rebates for owners or 
tenants of residential property whose household income is above the state median 
household income and for owners or tenants of commercial property. 
. 
For the remaining 6 months of each fiscal year, the commission may distribute the· 
remaining funds available for each of the 3 types of rebates without reference to the 
restrictions in paragraphs A and B. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends the solar and wind energy rebate program administered by the 
Public Utilities Commission to set aside. 50% of the funds available for rebates to owners 
or tenants of residential or commercial property <;luring the first 6 months of each fiscal 
37. 
year specifically for rebates to residential applicants whose household income is at or 
below the state median household income. During the remainder of the year, the bill 
authorizes the commission to distribute the remaining funds available for rebates without 
reference to the applicant's income level or property type. 
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