Regulator Commences Proceeding To Allocate, Recover Costs Of Utility Billing System Upgrades From Retail Suppliers

The Connecticut PURA has initiated a proceeding to assign costs of various EDC billing system upgrades to retail suppliers and develop a mechanism to recover such costs from suppliers (Docket 14-07-19RE07)

The EDC billing system changes were related to next cycle rate information and related provisions. A prior PURA decision directed that retail suppliers shall be assigned such costs.

Connecticut Light & Power reported that its costs related to the changes were approximately $1.77 million. United Illuminating reported that its costs were $641,000

In an earlier filing, CL&P noted that PURA previously directed that the EDCs' filing of such final cost information, "will precipitate a docket reopening and prudency review in which suppliers may participate."

Per PURA's prior decision, "The reopened docket will be a contested docket to review and approve all EDC costs associated with changes ordered in this Decision, will identify how much each supplier must pay, will identify each supplier meeting the payment criteria, will determine the mechanism the EDCs may use for cost recovery, and will address the EDC recourse for uncollectible suppliers.[] After the prudency review, costs will be allocated to each supplier licensed to serve residential customers and serving one or more customers as of the date of the reopened docket."

As required, to assist PURA with the allocation, CL&P filed a list of licensed suppliers serving residential customers for the twelve-month period ended March 30, 2021, the number of customers each served, and the twelve-month residential kWh sold.

In a 2020 compliance filing, UI filed a list of licensed suppliers serving residential customers as of September 2020, the number of customers each served, and each supplier's residential kWh sales for the period October 2019 through September 2020