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State Opens Dockets on Electric Customer Protections, Standard Retail Electric Contract
Consistent with recent legislation, the Connecticut PURA has opened three dockets addressing electric customer protections, standard electric contracts, and billing design.
PURA assigned Docket 14-07-20 for an Investigation into the Development of Electric Supplier Consumer Standards
Public Act 14-75, An Act Concerning Electric Customer Consumer Protection (Act), §4(l)(2), requires the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to initiate a contested proceeding to develop and implement, or cause to be implemented, standards relating to abusive switching practices, solicitations and renewals by electric suppliers, the hiring and training of sales representatives, door-to-door sales, and telemarketing practices by electric suppliers.
"This docket will examine a disclosure statement for all electric suppliers to use on all promotional materials directed to residential customers that will direct consumers where they can find the highest and lowest electric generation service rate charged by such supplier as part of a variable rate offer in each of the preceding 12 months to any customer eligible for standard service," PURA said.
The Authority must issue its final decision in Docket 14-07-20 not later than six months after its initiation.
PURA assigned Docket 14-07-17 for an Investigation into the Development of a Standard Electric Supplier Residential Contract
Public Act 14-75, An Act Concerning Electric Customer Consumer Protection (Act), §4(e), requires the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to initiate a docket on or before January 1, 2015, to develop a standard summary form of the material terms and conditions of the contract for electric generation services signed by a residential customer. Such form shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) A description of the rate the customer will be paying; (2) whether such rate is a fixed or variable rate; (3) the term and expiration date of such rate; (4) whether the contract will automatically renew; (5) a notice describing the customer's right to cancel the service, as provided in this section; (6) information on air emissions and resource mix of generation facilities operated by and under long-term contract to the electric supplier; (7) the trade name of the electric supplier; (8) the toll-free telephone number for customer service of the electric supplier; (9) the Internet web site of the electric supplier; and (10) the toll-free telephone number for customer complaints of the Authority.
PURA assigned Docket 14-07-19 for an Investigation into the Redesign of Electric Supplier Bills
Public Act 14-75, An Act Concerning Electric Customer Consumer Protection (Act), §1(a)(2), requires the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to initiate a docket to redesign: (A) the standard billing format for residential customers to better enable them to compare pricing policies and charges among electric suppliers; and (B) the account summary page of a residential customer located on the electric distribution company's Internet web site. The Authority is required to issue a final decision in this docket not later than six months after its initiation.
The final decision must also include the placement of the following items on the first page of each residential customer's bill from an electric distribution company: (i) The electric generation service rate; (ii) the term and expiration date of such rate; (iii) any change to such rate effective for the next billing cycle; (iv) the cancellation fee, if applicable, provided there is such a change; (v) notification that such rate is variable, if applicable; (vi) the standard service rate; (vii) the term and expiration date of the standard service rate; (viii) the dollar amount that would have been billed for the electric generation services component had the customer been receiving standard service; and (ix) an electronic link or Internet web site address to the rate board Internet web site, and the toll-free telephone number and other information necessary to enable the customer to obtain standard service.
Additionally, the final decision must include the feasibility of: (I) an electric distribution company transferring a residential customer receiving electric generation service from an electric supplier to a different electric supplier in a timely manner and ensuring that the electric distribution company and the relevant electric suppliers provide timely information to each other to facilitate such transfer; and (II) allowing residential customers to choose how to receive information related to bill notices, including United States mail, electronic mail, text message, an application on a cellular telephone or a third-party notification service approved by the authority.
As part of this docket, the Authority will also review, and if appropriate, alter or repeal any relevant regulation in conjunction with the redesigned standard billing format approved in this docket.
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July 23, 2014
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Copyright 2010-14 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Karen Abbott • kabbott@energychoicematters.com
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