Utility Wants Retail Suppliers to Pay One-Half of EDC Billing Changes to Include Supplier Logo on Consolidated Bills

Retail suppliers should be assigned one-half of the cost of changes needed to accommodate retail electric supplier logos on utility consolidated bills, PECO said in comments filed with the Pennsylvania PUC.

The PUC had suggested a nonbypassable charge to recover such costs.

"PECO suggests that a 50/50 split between a purchase of receivable ('POR') discount and the Generation Supply Adjustment ('GSA') is more appropriate. As with many retail market enhancements, some of the enhancements benefit EGSs and some benefit all customers, therefore a sharing of the cost recovery avoids the need to evaluate each market-enhancement program, while providing a reasonable allocation of the costs for recovery," PECO said in comments filed with the PUC.

In contrast, the FirstEnergy Pennsylvania electric distribution companies said: "The Commission ... proposed that the costs associated with the modifications called for by the Tentative Order be fully recoverable from all distribution customers on a nonbypassable basis through a surcharge or other similar mechanism. The Companies agree with the Commission's proposed method of cost recovery."

Similarly, PPL said: "In its Tentative Order, the Commission proposed that 'the costs associated with these recommendations be recovered from all distribution customers on a non-bypassable basis through the EDC's Retail Market Enhancements surcharge or some similar mechanism.' PPL Electric agrees and proposes to recover all of the actual incremental costs of implementation through the use of its Competitive Enhancement Rider, which is [a] Commission-approved, nonbypassable surcharge."