Draft Order Would Require Utilities To List Comparison Of Retail Supply Charges, Shadow Billed Default Service Costs On Business Customer Bills

A draft Connecticut PURA decision would require that certain rate information, including a comparison of the customer's competitive supply cost versus the cost that would have been incurred under default service, be displayed on the first page of all Standard Service-eligible, consolidated billed business customer electric bills

Standard Service is available to business customers with demands under 500 kW.

The draft would require "Phase I" summary information to be added, "to the first page of all standard service eligible, consolidated billed business customer electric bills."

The Phase I summary information is:

• The electric generation service rate;

• The standard service rate;

• The term and expiration date of the standard service rate;

• The dollar amount that would have been billed for the electric generation services component had the customer been receiving standard service; and

• An electronic link or Internet website address to the Rate Board and the toll-free telephone number and other information necessary for a customer to obtain standard service.

"This information will enable business customers to compare pricing policies and charges among electric suppliers," the draft states

The draft would not, at this time, require Phase II summary information on business customer bills. The Phase II information, which is provided on residential bills, includes, among other things, the rate for the next applicable bill and the amount of any early termination fee (ETF).

"The Authority also notes that ETFs and the Next Rate are not part of Phase I Summary Information, and thus will not be required on business customer bills at this time," the draft states

Additionally, the draft would conclude that utilities must change how they present the Summary Information online.

Currently, for certain electronically billed customers, the Summary Information is only viewable by the customer when clicking on a PDF of the bill

"The Authority believes the Summary Information should be readily available to electronically billed customers without the extra step of clicking through and downloading a PDF file," the draft states

"Therefore the Authority will require each EDC to implement a website account summary page for both residential and business customers which reflects the front page of a customer’s paper billing statement and does not require additional steps for viewing. For residential customers, this website account summary page will include both Phase I and II of the Summary Information. For business customers, the page will be comprised of Phase 1 information only. The website account summary page should be a copy of the first page of a paper bill, or should closely resemble or duplicate it in design and layout. It should also be the first screen customers see after logging-in to view or pay an electric bill," the draft states

Docket 14-07-19-RE03