The House of Representatives has filed a bill that would remove permit and approval requirements currently imposed on Filipino households and businesses installing rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems for personal use.
House Bill No. 10431, known as the Sariling Kuryente Act, was filed by Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos and House Speaker and Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III. The bill amends the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 to separate electricity generated for personal consumption from power produced for commercial sale.
For Filipino homeowners exploring solar setups, the bill addresses a particular obstacle: many behind-the-meter systems currently fall under rules built for commercial power producers, even when the household never sells electricity back to the grid. Under the proposed law, an end-user operating a solar or battery system solely for personal use would no longer be classified as a generation company.
Systems that use equipment certified under Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) standards to prevent electricity from flowing into the distribution grid would no longer need a certificate of compliance or prior ERC authorization. Distribution utilities would also be barred from requiring prior approval, a technical study, meter replacement, or additional charges for these non-exporting systems. Under the bill, the owner would only need to notify the utility once installation is complete.
Systems designed to export electricity to the grid would still fall under existing interconnection rules, but utilities would be required to act on complete applications within 10 working days. An application would be considered automatically approved if the utility fails to issue a decision within that period.
“President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. wants energy policy to give people real choices, and Speaker Bojie Dy and I believe those choices should begin at home,” Marcos said on Sunday, Aug. 2.
“Kung kaya ng isang pamilya o negosyo na gumawa at mag-store ng sariling kuryente, government should clear the path instead of treating them like a commercial power producer,” Marcos said, adding that if a family or business can generate and store its own electricity, the government should clear the path instead of treating it like a commercial power producer.
The bill also directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to promote wider adoption of behind-the-meter systems, remove national and local administrative barriers, and improve access to financing, qualified installers, and equipment. Homeowners’ associations, subdivision developers, and property managers would be barred from prohibiting installations on property owned or exclusively controlled by the end-user, subject only to reasonable conditions covering structural safety, public safety, and common property.
“This bill protects consumers from needless delays without compromising safety, which is the balance President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has consistently demanded and Speaker Bojie Dy has helped us pursue in the House,” Marcos said. “Ang mensahe nito ay malinaw: families should be free to invest in their own power supply under fair and uniform rules.”
The DOE, in consultation with the ERC and concerned stakeholders, is directed to issue implementing rules within 90 days of the law’s passage. The measure would take effect 15 days after publication.
