Briefly

Syracuse.com: ESCO-Default Service Cost Comparison Tool Wrong, Erroneously Made Default Service Appear Cheaper

Syracuse.com reported that Niagara Mohawk temporarily removed from its website its recently launched calculator allowing ESCO customers to compare their competitive supply costs with shadow-billed default service costs after an ESCO noted that the tool, "underestimated how much ESCO customers would have paid if they had continued to purchase electricity or natural gas from the utility," meaning that default service costs appeared lower than they actually were.

Ashland Opt-Out Aggregation Selects Supplier

The Town of Ashland, Mass. announced the selection of Verde Energy USA as its competitive power supplier for the town's opt-out municipal electric aggregation program. Ashland has about 7,000 electricity customers, located in the Nstar territory. The aggregation is managed by Colonial Power Group, Inc.

PUC Votes Against Establishing Rates for San Francisco Community Choice Aggregation

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission voted 3-2 to not accept a maximum rate of 11.5 cents per kWh for CleanPowerSF, the city's pending community choice aggregation program. The city's Board of Supervisors, with a veto-proof majority, had previously approved a contract with Shell Energy North America for the aggregation, but the contract cannot be executed until certain maximum rates are approved. The relative position of CleanPowerSF rates, which reflect renewable energy that is part of the program, versus Pacific Gas & Electric tariffed rates has changed over time, and now exceed the utility rates. Opposition to the aggregation includes Pacific Gas & Electric and labor unions.

Pennsylvania Removes Conditions from Supplier's License

The Pennsylvania PUC removed from Just Energy Pennsylvania Corp.'s electric supplier license certain conditions imposed on the supplier at licensure, due to prior concerns about complaints in other states. The conditions included, among other things, a $50 cap on early termination fees and an extended period of 30 days after the first bill during which the customer could cancel without penalty. The PUC found that Just Energy has acted in good faith since licensure and maintained an appropriate complaint ratio and customer service level commitments. Last month the PUC removed similar conditions from Just Energy's natural gas supplier license, as previously reported.