Riverside's Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously Monday to recommend closing an electric vehicle charging rate that never caught on; it also backed lifting the cap on the city's rooftop solar program and updating three electric rules covering service hookups, master metering and utility access to customer properties.
A charging rate few customers used
The Domestic Electric Vehicle Separately Metered rate, known as Schedule EV, has been open to new customers since January 2019. It let residents run their household electricity on a standard rate while their EV charging was billed separately under time-of-use pricing, with cheaper rates overnight.
However, the idea never took off. Riverside Public Utilities received 219 applications over the life of the program, but only 30 customers completed the installation and inspection process — an implementation rate of about 14%.
That customer count hasn't budged in four years, according to Brian Seinturier, the utility's assistant general manager of finance and administration, who presented the item to the board.
Seinturier said the shortfall traces back largely to the equipment. The rate requires a dedicated meter adapter, and many customers' electrical panels were too large for it to work.
"The adapters just didn't work out as good as we intended," Seinturier told board member Peter Wohlgamuth, who asked whether the rate had ever functioned as planned.
Wohlgamuth pressed further, asking whether a newer adapter could revive the program. Seinturier said the utility looked into it and isn't aware of another option on the market.
Under the board's recommendation, Schedule EV will close to new customers — along with the rebate that helped cover permitting and installation costs for the meter adapter.
Customers already on the rate won't be affected, and Riverside will continue to offer its standard Domestic Time-of-Use rate — which Seinturier described as functionally similar — giving EV owners and other customers a lower overnight rate without requiring a second meter.
Solar program has outgrown its cap
The board also recommended lifting the capacity cap on the Self-Generation Program — the rate structure that has governed most of the city's rooftop solar customers since November 2022.
Riverside created the Self-Generation Program after outgrowing its original net energy metering program, which was capped under state law at 32 megawatts of installed capacity. The newer program set a combined cap of 64 megawatts covering both remaining net-metering customers and newer self-generation customers, and that combined capacity has since climbed to 72 megawatts — exceeding the cap.
Seinturier said the program is functioning as intended and staff recommended removing the cap altogether so eligible customers can keep adding solar.
Board member Tom Evans asked staff to explain a presentation chart showing legacy net-metering customers shrinking as self-generation customers grow. Seinturier said that shift was intentional: net metering closed to new customers in 2022, and existing customers move over to the self-generation program if they expand their solar system by more than 25%, replace it, or if a new resident moves into a property with an existing system.
Net metering provided "a pretty large subsidy" for solar customers that other ratepayers effectively covered, Seinturier said. The newer program was designed to reduce that cost shift.
Board Chair Brian Siana noted that legacy net-metering customers have benefited as electric rates have risen over time, while the value of compensation under the newer self-generation program has declined.
Board member Christian Cruz asked about billing mechanics, noting that net-metering customers true up annually each December, while self-generation customers are billed monthly with no annual reconciliation.
Rule changes target ADUs, master metering and utility access
The board additionally recommended updates to three electric rules:
Electric Rule 11 — covering the design and fees for electric service facilities — will be revised to align with an existing rule on distribution system additions and to spell out requirements for accessory dwelling units.
Efrain Mejia, the utility's electrical engineering manager, told the board the current rule doesn't clearly address ADU construction, including how many services a property may need, sizing limits and when an existing electrical service can be reused.
"Our rules aren't really clear as to how to handle ADUs," Mejia said, adding that some single-phase services are limited to 600 amps even as some customers request larger 800-amp panels.
Electric Rule 12 governs master metering. Under this arrangement a single meter serves an entire property — such as an apartment building or mobile home park — and the owner bills individual tenants directly.
Under the change, Riverside Public Utilities will stop offering master metering to new accounts and developments, while existing master-metered properties will be unaffected.
Evans confirmed with staff that current arrangements would remain in place. Staff also confirmed the utility — not the property owner — would own the distribution infrastructure up to the meter for any new individually metered developments.
Electric Rule 13 — which addresses the utility's right to access customer properties to maintain and operate its infrastructure — will be revised to more clearly define the type of access allowed and to improve safety for utility crews.
Mejia said crews are sometimes challenged when trying to reach utility lines, poles or equipment on private property, and that the utility typically gives 72 hours' notice before accessing a site.
Evans and Cruz asked what recourse the utility has if a customer refuses access. Staff said the utility typically works directly with customers and, if necessary, involves the city attorney's office.
The board's action — taken after a public hearing that drew no comment — sends the changes to the City Council for final approval.
