Working Group Proposes Start Date For Supplier Consolidated Billing, Implementation Schedule

A Maryland Supplier Consolidated Billing (SCB) Work Group has filed with the Maryland PSC a proposed timeline for the implementation of Supplier Consolidated Billing.

EnergyChoiceMatters.com was first to report that the Maryland PSC authorized Supplier Consolidated Billing for electricity and natural gas in Maryland, though the PSC directed a working group to address implementation

See our prior story for more details on the PSC's order authoring SCB, including certain policy issues concerning SCB addressed in the PSC's order

In a consensus document, the SCB working group plans for SCB to begin on September 1, 2022.

Specifically, the working group proposes the following timeline: "By June 1, 2020, the SCB Work Group will file draft regulations and business processes with the Commission and request that a Rulemaking be implemented. Once the draft regulations and business processes are filed with the Commission, the Work Group will continue to meet to finalize EDI and XML standards and to finalize tariffs by December 1, 2020. It is envisioned that the rulemaking process will begin no later than June 1, 2020 and will take three months, ending by September 1, 2020, at which point the proposed rules will be published. Six months are dedicated to the regulation review process, and it is hoped that the proposed regulations will be adopted by March 1, 2021. Once the regulations are adopted as final, approximately 18 months will be dedicated to developing SCB systems and customer education materials. The Work Group plans for SCB to begin September 1, 2022," the working group said

The proposed SCB implementation schedule is below:

Among other things, the working group noted that:

(1) Certain parties agree to develop strawman regulations and business process plans by August 30, 2019 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

(2) The utilities and suppliers will provide documentation and presentations to the SCB Work Group before September 3, 2019 that describe the current utility consolidated billing business processes. This will ensure that the participating Work Group members understand the current billing processes currently in effect.

(3) Before September 3, 2019, a review of Texas, Ohio, and Georgia’s supplier consolidated billing will be provided to the Work Group by the supplier stakeholders so that best practices of other states can inform Maryland's SCB.

Case No. 9461