Energy Choice
                            

Matters

RESA Seeks Further Extension For ESCO Compliance With Revised New York UBPs

September 13, 2018

Email This Story
Copyright 2010-17 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

The following story is brought free of charge to readers by EC Infosystems, the exclusive EDI provider of EnergyChoiceMatters.com

The Retail Energy Supply Association has sought from the New York PSC a further extension for ESCO compliance with the newly revised Uniform Business Practices (UBPs) that had been adopted on January 19, 2018

The compliance deadline had originally been 30 days from the PSC's January 19, 2018 order adopting the revised UBPs, which had resulted in a deadline of February 20, 2018. Various extensions were previously granted which extended the deadline to September 24, 2018.

As previously reported (see details here), among other things, the revised Uniform Business Practices now require ESCOs, for residential and small non-residential customers, to conduct, "an independent third party verification," for any sale resulting from a scheduled appointment, in addition to door-to-door and telephonic sales

The January order also clarified ESCO budget billing obligations, and used an older definition for small non-residential customer that ESCOs said is inconsistent with the definition from the 2016 reset order

Various parties have petitioned for rehearing or clarification of the January 19, 2018 order

RESA noted that various parties have challenged and/or sought clarification of many of the revised provisions of the UBP, including, inter alia:

• Section 2.G, which pertains to compliance with the Clean Energy Standard;

• Sections 5.A and 5.K.1, which address service provider changes for customers who want to opt out of community choice aggregation;

• Section 5.L.2, which pertains to voluntary budget billing and levelized payment plans;

• Section 5.B.2, which requires a third party verification for the enrollment of small non-residential customers resulting from door-to-door sales, telephonic enrollment and scheduled appointments;

• Section 5.B.4, which requires standard sales agreements to be in 10 point font;

• Section 5, Attachments 1.A and 2.A, which address TPV requirements;

• Sections 10.C.1.b.1 and 10.C.1.d, which change the information displayed on ESCO representatives' badges.

RESA sought an extension of the effective date of the revised Uniform Business Practices requirements, until ninety (90) days after the Commission issues a decision on the Petitions for Rehearing, Reconsideration and/or Clarification of the Order.

"[A] ninety-day extension of the effective date of the UBP revisions, commencing on the date the Commission issues a decision on the Petitions, is justified for two principal reasons. First, an extension is warranted in light of the potential for a ruling by the Commission on the pending Petitions that could result in further revisions to the UBP, and render efforts taken to come into compliance with the currently-revised UBP futile. Second, an extension is warranted because even after the Commission has issued a decision on rehearing, complying with the Order requires addressing numerous operational changes and thereafter implementing the appropriate solutions," RESA said

ADVERTISEMENT
NEW Jobs on RetailEnergyJobs.com:
• NEW! -- Supply Analyst -- Retail Supplier
• NEW! -- Controller -- Retail Supplier -- Houston
• NEW! -- Outside Sales Executive -- Retail Energy
• NEW! -- Channel Sales Manager -- Retail Supplier
• NEW! -- Sr Analyst, Supply and Pricing -- Retail Supplier -- Houston
• NEW! -- Customer Retention Analyst -- Retail Supplier -- Houston
• NEW! -- Energy Market Analyst - Pricing & Trading
• NEW! -- Manager, Power Supply -- Retail Supplier
• NEW! -- Renewable Energy Sales Representative -- Retail Supplier