Section 500

Section 500.330 Information to Customers

1) Except as hereinafter set forth, bills rendered to customers for metered service shall clearly show at least the following:

A) The reading of the meter at the beginning and the date and the reading of the meter at the end of the period for which the bill is rendered, the number of days in the billing period, the volume of gas used, the equivalent number of therms and the conversion factor used (where charges are on a per-therm basis), the meter constant if applicable, the type of service rendered, a complete description of the rate classification under which the customer receives service, and the type of reading which was taken;

B) The total amount of the bill and those portions that make it up, listed vertically for easy readability:

i) the monthly customer charge or portion thereof;

ii) the demand charges, if any;

iii) the cost of gas detailed by the number of therms used and the price per therm for each change in the unit price;

iv) the cost of gas adjustment;

v) any other applicable adjustments (other charges not under catergories of charges but relating to services, energy, or other programs provided to customers by the utility);

vi) state tax;

vii) municipal tax, if any;

C) The average use per day for the period over which the bill is rendered and for the comparable period one year earlier, and an indication of the difference in temperatures between the two periods. If such information is not available for a customer, the bill shall so state;

D) Definitions or explanations of any abbreviations and technical words used on the bill.

A) All utilities shall file with the Commission a proposed tariff under Section 9-201 of The Public Utilities Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 111⅔, par. 9-201) which contains a bill form complying with the requirements of subsection (a)(1). All billings after January 1, 1989 shall comply with the requirements of subsection (a)(1).

B) In cases , however, where these requirements would place an undue burden upon small utilities, "small" being defined as those utilities serving 15,000 or fewer customers in the State of Illinois, a utility may file with the Commission, in accordance with 83 Ill. Adm. Code 200, a petition for approval of an alternative proposed form of billing. In deciding whether to approve an alternative form of billing, the Commission will weigh the cost of adding the information against the small utility's operating budget. In the event that the utility in question serves more than half of its customers in another state, the alternative proposed form of billing may take the form of the bill used in the other state, provided that this bill contains substantially the same information required subsection (a)(1). Otherwise, this proposed form of billing shall include such information set forth in subsection (a)(1) as can reasonably be placed on such a bill. In determining what information can reasonably be placed on such a bill, the Commission shall consider the following:

i) the benefit to customers of including various types of information, and

ii) the cost of providing these types of information to customers.

b) Each utility shall, upon request, specifically inform any customer as to the conditions under which efficient and economical service may be secured from its system.

1) Attention is invited to Section 8-302 of The Public Utilities Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 111⅔, par. 8-302), which reads as follows:

The Commission shall require that every public utility furnishing natural or artificial gas, electricity or water to the public, where the individual consumption is measured by meter, shall, upon written request of any consumer, cause the meter reader at the time of reading such consumer's meter to leave at such meter a card showing the present reading of the meter, the last previous reading, and the dates of such two readings.

2) The Commission hereby requires that each public utility so furnishing gas service cause its meter readers to leave a card showing such meter readings and dates, on written request, in accordance with the foregoing provision of the Act.

1) Each gas utility shall transmit to each of its customers a clear and concise summary of the existing rate schedules applicable to that customer and shall identify any rate schedules not summarized which are available to that customer. The summary shall be transmitted, at a minimum, within the second complete billing cycle after increased rates become totally effective following the issuance of a final order in any rate proceeding. In the case of the utility that uses a bi-monthly system, the summary shall be transmitted within the first complete billing cycle after increased rates become totally effective following the issuance of a final order in any rate proceeding. If summaries are sent during a period in which proration occurs, a statement such as the following shall be incorporated in the text of the summary:

"This summary is being sent during a period in which proration occurs. Proration is when part of your bill is charged on old rates and part of your bill is charged on new rates. If an attempt is made to calculate your bill using this rate summary, your calculation will not yield the proper billing amount for this billing period, but will do so in subsequent months. We recommend that you retain this summary for future reference in computing proper billing amounts."

2) This summary shall be transmitted to each new customer, not later than 60 days after the date of commencement of service, through a billing insert, separate mailing or direct customer contact by a utility representative.

e) The summary shall contain the following minimum requirements:

1) A description of the rates or charges for the rate classification under which the customer receives service;

2) An identification and explanation of optional or experimental rates or classifications available to customers; and

3) An identification and explanation of all charges that are not related to costs incurred in service and the supply of energy to that customer.

f) In addition, for customers served under the residential and commercial classifications, this summary shall contain the following:

1) An explanation of the terms appearing on the customer's bill form; and

2) An example of how to calculate a bill using the customer's existing rate; and

g) Each gas utility, upon request by a customer, shall transmit at a minimum a clear and concise statement of the actual consumption of energy by such customer at the customer's present billing address for each billing period during the immediately preceding twelve-month period for which that customer was receiving service.

(Source: Amended at 11 Ill. Reg. 8976, effective May 1, 1987)