Texas PUC Commissioner Requests Project Be Opened To Review High Bill Complaints at Sharyland

Texas Public Utility Commissioner Brandy Marty Marquez has requested that the Commission open a project to investigate factors which have led to several recent complaints about high bills in the Sharyland Utilities, LP service area, which transitioned to retail choice a year ago.

RetailEnergyX.com noted yesterday that complaints regarding high bills at Sharyland received coverage in the local news (including a story on NewsWest 9), with higher delivery rates cited as the cause.

As EnergyChoiceMatters.com reported in the run-up to the transition to competition, several REPs had warned of the potential for rate shock from the implementation of the new delivery rates coincident to customer choice, but thus far there had been few complaints since the introduction of the new delivery rates last spring, likely due to lower commodity costs and a relatively mild summer.

In a memo requesting a project to review the complaints, Commissioner Marquez said, "I would like our project to investigate all of the factors that may be leading to higher rates in this area, including weather, usage, the effects of delivery rates, etc."