Young Energy Asks PUCT to Authorize Use of Estimated Charges for Prepaid Service if Smart Meter Moratorium Adopted

Young Energy, LLC d/b/a Payless Power asked that the Public Utility Commission of Texas deny a petition for emergency rulemaking from various customers who are seeking a prohibition on the installation of advanced meters and removal of already installed meters, or, alternatively, an ability for customers to decline the use of a smart meter (see 2/23).

Young Energy cited several procedural deficiencies in the petition for rulemaking which merit dismissal.

If the Commission wants to develop a record concerning the allegations made by petitioners, then a workshop should be held with invitations made for participation by stakeholders including requests for responses to particular questions or issues, Young Energy said.

Most notably, Young Energy said that if any changes are made to the deployment of advance meters, then the Commission should simultaneously revise Substantive Rule 25.498 to restore the ability of a REP to base charges on estimated usage.

"In Project 38675, the Commission prohibited REPs from basing charges on estimate usage based upon the expectations that most consumers would soon have settlement provisioned meters allowing REPs to rely on the actual usage data provided by the advanced meter rather than an estimate of usage. The Commission specifically found that: 'Financial prepaid service has served a demand by customers for a payment option that does not require a deposit.' The commission therefore does not want to disrupt prepaid service provided to existing customers.' If a moratorium on deployment of advance meters is issued as requested by Petitioners, consumers would effectively be denied the prepaid payment option. Any moratorium, then, should be coupled with restoration of the ability of REPs to based charges on estimated usage. This would be accomplished by repeal of Substantive Rule 25.498(c)(11)(E)," Young Energy asked.