National Energy Marketers Association Responds to COVID19 Pandemic; Competitive Retail Energy Industry Supports Measures to Enhance Reliability

April 6, 2020

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Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

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The following is a news release from the National Energy Marketers. EnergyChoiceMatters.com disclaims any responsibility for the content or data contained in the release below, and makes no averment as to its accuracy or statements.

NEWS RELEASE

National Energy Marketers Association Responds to COVID19 Pandemic

Competitive Retail Energy Industry Supports Measures to Enhance Reliability

Embracing Practices to Keep Communities Safe

Washington, DC (April 6, 2020) – The National Energy Marketers Association (NEM) and its members are closely monitoring the COVID19 emergency to proactively identify and manage the risks and ensure the continued reliability and safety of consumers and employees in the competitive retail energy industry. NEM has initiated regular member conference calls to identify and address the rapidly changing developments in each state. Retail energy marketers must be able to navigate the myriad of unique and complex regulations in each state that offers consumers choice.

Measures being taken in the industry in response to the COVID19 emergency include:

• Working with customers-in-need to address payments upon request;

• Ensuring the availability of customer service representatives to promptly respond to customer inquiries;

• Modifying and in certain cases eliminating door-to-door marketing and sales activities consistent with the emergency COVID19 requirements, as adopted by each state; and

• Maintaining and enforcing a safe and secure working environment for employees consistent with applicable federal, state and local requirements, and consistent with resilient and reliable business operations.

"Our industry is adapting well to the rapidly evolving emergency. The new generation of retail energy marketers are nimble, privately funded and intensely consumer focused. Regulators and consumers require basic gas and electricity service to be reliably supplied and our members necessarily meet the needs of the consumers and communities they serve. The safety and reliability of customer service is paramount," said Bill Kinneary, President of NEM.

As the emergency continues, the risk of customer nonpayment for competitively supplied energy, particularly in non-POR jurisdictions, will also continue to increase. "Many customers will be challenged financially, and retail energy marketers are prepared to work with customers to meet their needs with flexibility and compassion," said Kinneary.

Competitive retail suppliers must act prudently and smartly to match historic customer demands with the reality of the new marketplace. ISOs and utilities should adjust customer scheduling requirements consistent with the current usage realities to assure reasonable delivery volume settlements.

"NEM stands ready to work with regulators, utilities and other stakeholders during these challenging times to identify and implement solutions that best serve consumers and the competitive marketplace. Now more than ever, it is imperative to follow the best practices identified in NEM’s National Marketing Standards of Conduct," said Kinneary.

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