Texas PUC Staff Proposing Higher Fixed Customer Charge, Lower Volumetric Rate For Residential Customers At Sharyland Utilities

In testimony in Sharyland Utilities' (SU) rate case, which is to set system-wide rates for both of Sharyland Utilities' service areas, Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas have proposed increasing the fixed customer charge for residential customers versus Sharyland's proposal, while decreasing the volumetric residential rate

For the residential customer charge and metering charge, Staff proposed, in aggregate, a nearly $15 per month flat charge for Sharyland residential customers. Sharyland had proposed a combined $10 for these charges.

Specifically, Staff proposes that retail delivery rates for the residential class be set as follows:

Residential               Staff Proposal
Customer charge           $9.53 per customer
Metering charge           $5.44 per customer
Distribution charge       $0.047713/kWh

For comparison, Sharyland Utilities had proposed that retail delivery rates for the residential class be set as follows:

Residential               Sharyland Proposal
Customer charge           $5.69 per customer
Metering charge           $4.31 per customer
Distribution charge       $0.060317/kWh

Note that the current level for the customer charge and metering charge, for residential customers, at the ex-Cap Rock territories is $10 per month, but only $6.74 per month at the McAllen division

Staff also recommended that Sharyland's proposed new Rider Deferred Cost Recovery Charge (DCRC) be disallowed and proposed new Rider Transition to Competition Charge 2 (TTCC2) be disallowed.

Sharyland's proposed levels for Rider DCRC had been:

Residential          $0.000573 per kWh
Secondary ≤ 10 kW    $0.000557 per kWh
Secondary > 10 kW    $0.101798 per NCP kW
Primary              $0.090959 per NCP kW
Transmission         $0.001400 per NCP kW
Lighting             $0.251924 per Light

Sharyland's proposed levels for Rider TTCC2 had been:

Residential          $0.000237 per kWh
Secondary ≤ 10 kW    $0.000220 per kWh
Secondary > 10 kW    $0.041750 per NCP kW
Primary              $0.035477 per NCP kW
Transmission         $0.000118 per NCP kW
Lighting             $0.105249 per Light