Electricity Reliability Act

Prior to task force meetings, ALEC posts these legislative member-submitted draft model policies to our website. The draft model policies are then discussed, debated, and voted on by ALEC task force members. Policies that receive final approval by legislators on the ALEC Board of Directors become official ALEC model policy. Draft model policies that fail to become official ALEC model policy are removed from the website.

Policy Status

  • Type: Model Policy
  • Status: Draft
  • Date Introduced: December 4, 2025

Task Forces

  • Energy, Environment and Agriculture

    • Tags

  • SNPS 2025

    • Summary

    Municipalities impose varied and inconsistent requirements for residential energy backup installations, often adopting different versions of the state-adopted National Electric Code. This patchwork of regulations creates unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, delaying installations and increasing costs for homeowners. The resulting inefficiencies hinder residents' access to reliable backup power, particularly during emergencies, and create barriers for businesses providing these critical services. This legislation eliminates unnecessary regulatory barriers by aligning municipal rules with the streamlined process already in place for unincorporated areas, where local permits are not required for residential energy backup installations. By maintaining strict safety standards under the state-adopted National Electric Code, the bill ensures uniformity across the state, facilitating more efficient deployment of backup power solutions while preserving public safety. 
    Draft

    Electricity Reliability Act

    Section 1.Definitions

    A. “Residential energy backup system” means a backup energy system, and any associated infrastructure and equipment, installed at a residential property that is capable of providing no more than 50 kilowatts of electricity to the residence or has a storage capacity of no more than 100 kilowatt hours. 

    B. “Municipally owned utility” means a utility owned, operated, and controlled by a municipality or by a nonprofit corporation, the directors of which are appointed by one or more municipalities and includes any chilled water program operated by the utility. 

    Section 2. {Regulation of Residential Energy Backup Systems} 

    1. A municipality may not adopt or enforce an amendment to the National Electrical Code that would regulate the installation or inspection of a residential energy backup system. 
    2. A municipality may not adopt or enforce an ordinance, rule, or other measure that would regulate the installation or inspection of a residential energy backup system. 
    3. This section does not limit the authority of a municipally owned utility to regulate the installation or inspection of a residential energy backup system within the utility’s service area.