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Pa. PUC Denies Rehearing Of Prior Decision Regarding Proposal To Require Utility To Send Letters To Choice Customers About How To Compare Rates
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The Pennsylvania PUC denied rehearing, sought by consumer advocates, of the PUC's recent order in which the PUC declined to require that Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania send letters to low-income customers who are served by a competitive retail supplier at a price which exceeds the default service rate.
The PUC also denied rehearing of the PUC's prior decision in which the PUC declined to order Columbia to send targeted messages to choice customers about how to compare retail supplier rates
As previously reported, such policies were proposed by CAUSE-PA [Coalition for Affordable Utility Services and Energy Efficiency in Pennsylvania] and the Office of the Consumer Advocate, with an ALJ in a prior recommended decision proposing to, generally, adopt the required communications to shopping customers
However, as more fully detailed in our prior story, the PUC rejected the consumer advocate messaging proposals, in a Columbia Gas rate case order
See full background here
The consumer advocates sought rehearing on the messaging proposals, and the PUC denied rehearing, finding that no novel arguments were raised on rehearing
The PUC reiterated that the consumer advocates erred in arguing that Columbia was legally required to propose solutions to address what the consumer advocates characterized as excessive rates paid by shopping customers. Consumer advocates had argued that Columbia has an obligation to "provide adequate information" to customers concerning the price to compare and retail supplier rates, while the ALJs in a recommended decision would have found that the consumer advocate proposals were required to be adopted in order for Columbia to meet its obligation to provide safe, adequate and reasonably continuous service
However, the PUC had in its order held that, "we do not find that
Columbia’s obligation to provide safe, adequate, and reasonable service under
Section 1501 of the Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § 1501, supports any requirement to provide the
additional consumer education proposed by the OCA and CAUSE-PA".
Affirming its prior decision, the PUC on rehearing said that, "we held that Columbia should not be required to undertake a proposal when there is no underlying duty to do so," and the PUC found no error in such prior determination that warrants rehearing
The PUC reiterated the Commission's view that a separate proceeding, with all stakeholders, is the appropriate approach to address the retail market messaging, communication, education, and related issues (as noted in our prior story, no retail supplier or supplier group was a party to the Columbia rate case; the messaging issue was raised by consumer advocates, and not by Columbia in Columbia's filed rate proposal)
"[W]e reiterate our determination that the better approach -- to address the issue of whether changes or additions to the consumer education activities of NGDCs are necessary and which potentially implicate issues outside the regulatory authority of the Commission -- would be through a separate proceeding, if a party chooses to pursue it," the PUC said
Such separate proceeding could address customer education and communication on an industry-wide basis, the PUC observed
Docket R-2025-3053499
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February 19, 2026
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Copyright 2026 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com
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