Here's How Many Residential Customers Are Still Served Under a Variable Rate In Connecticut

The Connecticut utilities has responded to a PURA interrogatory and have reported the number of residential customers still served under a variable rate

As previously reported, the interrogatory had directed the EDCs to provide the number of "residential accounts" currently identified as being served under a variable rate for each supplier. It was not clear if this term included incidental residential accounts.

Although suppliers are prohibited from enrolling residential customers onto new variable rate products in Connecticut, suppliers are permitted to continue serving, with a variable rate, customers who were on a variable rate plan at the time the state's variable rate ban was enacted.

Connecticut Light & Power reported that 19,051 residential accounts were being served by a supplier under a variable rate. For comparison, about 255,000 residential customers at CL&P were served by retail suppliers in December 2019

United Illuminating reported that there were 4,299 "residential contracts identified as being variable." For comparison, about 85,000 residential customers at UI were served by retail suppliers in December 2019

The responses from CL&P and UI also included the number of residential accounts with a variable rate served by each specific supplier. For the supplier-specific variable rate residential account numbers, see the utilities responses linked below:

CL&P

UI

PURA's direction for the EDCs to file the variable rate customer counts was issued in its current uncollectibles account investigation, Docket 18-04-25

In such proceeding, the issue of purchase of receivables, and unique discount rates for individual suppliers has been raised, and, as exclusively first reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com (story here), PURA recently assigned a new docket reviewing the POR programs as a result -- Docket 20-01-33 - PURA Review of Electric Distribution Companies’ Method of Payment to Licensed Electric Suppliers for Uncollectible Customer Accounts

In the uncollectibles proceeding (Docket 18-04-25), the Office of Consumer Counsel has issued an interrogatory directing the utilities to file the actual variable rates billed to the residential customers included in the interrogatory responses discussed above

While the specific rates (and number of customers served under each rate) charged by retail suppliers are filed in the monthly migration reports, the reports do not identify if such rates are fixed or variable