PECO Seeks Approval For Measures That Would Result In Additional Customers On CAP (Ineligible To Take Competitive Retail Electric Supply)

June 29, 2020

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Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

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PECO Energy Company petitioned the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for expedited approval of several temporary universal service measures, "designed to address the current economic hardships faced by low-income customers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide additional opportunities for electric usage reduction."

Among the proposals are measures that would result in additional customers being included in the Company's Customer Assistance Program (CAP).

CAP customers are ineligible to take service from a competitive retail electric supplier.

Specifically, PECO proposes to waive certain CAP enrollment and recertification requirements through December 1, 2020, in order to facilitate, "the prompt receipt and continuation of CAP benefits by low-income customers."

First, the Company proposes to temporarily waive the requirement that a customer supply written income documentation and instead accept income information that can be provided verbally by a customer during the CAP enrollment or recertification process.

Each customer enrolled or recertified in CAP under this expedited process will be asked to provide written income documentation six months after the enrollment or recertification. If a customer enrolled under the expedited process is receiving pre-program arrearage (PPA) forgiveness, but is no longer eligible for CAP after the six-month recertification, the customer will be offered a payment agreement for his or her remaining PPA balance.

Second, the Company proposes to temporarily waive the requirement that high-usage customers participate in PECO’s Low-Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP). At the time of the six-month recertification, if customers remain on CAP, they will be required to begin participation in LIURP.

PECO estimates that this expedited process will facilitate approximately 5,000 additional enrollments and recertifications and result in additional CAP benefits totaling $1.3 million in 2020.

In order to manage costs, the Company proposes to limit the number of enrollments and recertifications processed under the expedited process to 22,000 (20% of current CAP enrollment). Under this maximum enrollment scenario, the additional CAP costs would be $5.8 million for 2020.

Docket No. M-2015-2507139

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