PUC Adopts $72,000 Settlement With Retail Supplier

The Pennsylvania PUC issued an order adopting a previously reported settlement between Public Power LLC and the PUC's Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement under which Public Power will pay a civil penalty of $72,500 and issue certain customer refunds to resolve the charging of an incorrect rate to some 50 customers due to a billing error

The details of the proposed settlement were first reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com in October 2015 (click here for more details)

According to the settlement, I&E Staff determined that there were a total of 119 instances, impacting 50 customers, in which Public Power did not keep the customer's rate protected as promised under a legacy product which capped variable rate increases (15% Price Protection Plan), and which therefore resulted in customers being billed charges in excess of the guaranteed pricing.

The settlement stipulates that the errors resulted from a one-time operational error related to transition issues during Public Power's acquisition by Crius Energy

Public Power has already issued refunds in excess of $6,500 for the amount of the electric generation portion of the bill that was greater than the amount due based on marketed prices as set forth in the disclosure statement for all 119 instances of overbilling

Public Power provided the following statement: "Public Power is pleased to close this 2012 matter and provide refunds to the .02% of customers impacted by a merger-related billing error. We remain committed to offering Pennsylvania consumers a smart energy choice, plus powerful rewards, and appreciate the PA PUC’s efforts to help us address this past operational issue."

Docket M-2015-2439492