TITLE 83: PUBLIC UTILITIES
CHAPTER I: ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISSION
SUBCHAPTER c: ELECTRIC UTILITIES
PART 421 ENVIRONMENTAL DISCLOSURE
SECTION 421.40 CUSTOMER BILLING DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS


 

Section 421.40  Customer Billing Disclosure Statements

 

a)         Every utility and ARES shall, on at least a quarterly basis, provide their customers the following information, in a clearly legible manner, to the maximum extent practicable:

 

1)         A break-down, on a percentage basis, of the known sources of electricity supplied in Illinois. This break-down shall provide percentages of biomass power, coal-fired power, hydro power, natural gas-fired power, nuclear power, oil-fired power, solar power, wind power, other resources and unknown resources purchased from other companies, respectively.

 

A)        The percentage used shall be rounded to the nearest whole number.

 

B)        Any source of electricity in subsection (a)(1) that is not used shall be listed in the table and depicted as "0%".

 

C)        This table shall be as depicted in Exhibit A.

 

2)         A pie-chart that graphically depicts the information in subsection (a)(1).

 

A)        Any source of electricity in subsection (a)(1) that is not used shall not be depicted in the pie-chart.

 

B)        Each segment in the pie-chart shall be depicted in the following colors: biomass power – light brown; coal-fired power – black; hydro power – blue; natural gas-fired power – grey; nuclear power – red; oil-fired power – dark brown; solar power – yellow; wind power – green; other resources – white; and unknown resources purchased from other companies – purple.

 

C)        This pie-chart shall be as depicted in Exhibit B.

 

3)         A table that depicts the amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions and high-level and low-level nuclear waste attributable to the aggregate known sources of electricity identified in subsection (a)(1).

 

A)        The carbon dioxide emissions, nitrogen oxide emissions, and sulfur dioxide emissions shall be stated in pounds per 1,000 kilowatt-hours (lbs/1,000 kWh).

 

B)        The high-level nuclear waste shall be stated in pounds of high-level nuclear waste per 1,000 kilowatt-hours (lbs/1,000 kWh).

 

C)        The low-level nuclear waste shall be stated in cubic feet of low-level nuclear waste per 1,000 kilowatt-hours (ft3/1,000 kWh).

 

D)        Any high-level nuclear waste that is less than "0.0001" shall be depicted as "<0.0001".

 

E)        The table shall include a footnote to disclose the percentage of total electrical power supplied for which the utility or ARES does not know the amount of emissions in subsection (a)(3)(A) or nuclear waste in subsections (a)(3)(B) and (C).

 

F)         A note shall be placed below the table and footnote and read as follows: "Additional information on companies selling electrical power in Illinois may be found at the Illinois Commerce Commission's World Wide Web site (www.icc.state.il.us)".

 

G)        This table and footnote shall be as depicted in Exhibit C with the addition of the note in subsection (a)(3)(F).

 

4)         After May 31, 2017, every electric utility shall also include a pie-chart that graphically depicts the quantity of zero emission credits from zero emission facilities procured under Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act [20 ILCS 3855] as a percentage of the actual load of retail customers within its service area. The pie-chart shall be in a format approved by the Commission.

 

b)         Any other information the utility or ARES believes to be relevant to the information required may be provided to the customer, but outside of the box surrounding the information required by subsection (a).

 

c)         A utility or ARES that has received the permission of the Commission to use postcard billing as of January 1, 1998 may disclose the required information to customers on a postcard sent at the same time as a customer's bill so long as that utility or ARES continues to use postcard billing.

 

d)         The information may be provided in a separate billing insert and, if so, shall be displayed with the following notation: "The disclosure of this information is required under Section 16-127 of the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 and the rules of the Illinois Commerce Commission, 83 Ill. Adm. Code 421."

 

e)         A utility or ARES mailing a separate billing insert shall identify itself on the insert.

 

f)         The separate billing inserts shall be clearly printed in a font no smaller than 12 point and shall be at least 6" x 9" in size.

 

g)         The information in subsection (a) shall be provided to customers to coincide with customer bill mailings beginning with the first billing cycle of April, July, October, and January.

 

1)         Information for the 12 month period ending March 31 of each year shall be included in July bills issued that year; information for the 12 month period ending June 30 of each year shall be included in October bills issued that year; information for the 12 month period ending September 30 of each year shall be included in bills issued in January of the following year; and information for the 12 month period ending December 31 of each year shall be included in bills issued in April of the following year.

 

2)         All the information required in subsection (a) shall be made available by the electric utilities or alternative retail electric suppliers either in an electronic medium, such as via a bill message or electronic mail, or through the U.S. Postal Service. If customers are directed to a website at which they can find the information required in subsection (a), the web address provided by the utility or ARES shall take the customer directly to the information required in subsection (a).

 

(Source:  Amended at 43 Ill. Reg. 9950, effective August 27, 2019)