HB3549 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB094 11268 MKM 42121 b

94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
HB3549

Introduced 2/24/2005, by Rep. Elaine Nekritz

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

220 ILCS 5/16-101A
220 ILCS 5/16-102
220 ILCS 5/16-107

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires each electric utility to file, on or before February 1, 2006, a tariff or tariffs which allow residential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real-time pricing beginning January 1, 2007. Sets forth information required to be included in the tariff. Requires an electric utility providing real-time pricing to install an appropriate meter for customers who elect to use real-time pricing and in all new service locations unless the customer requests a watt-hour meter. Requires the electric utility to contract with an Illinois nonprofit corporation to develop a program of consumer outreach, education, and enrollment concerning real-time pricing and to establish and administer information and technical and customer assistance for management of electricity use. Authorizes the electric utility to impose a uniform charge on all residential customers in order to recover its reasonable costs in complying with the real-time pricing provisions. Defines "real-time pricing" to mean tariffed retail charges for delivered electric power and energy that vary hour-to-hour (now, that vary on an hour-to-hour basis for non-residential retail customers and that vary on a periodic basis during the day for residential retail customers) and that are determined from prices posted by the Independent System Operator or by a comparable methodology approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing Sections 16-101A, 16-102, and 16-107 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/16-101A)

Sec. 16-101A. Legislative findings.

(a) The citizens and businesses of the State of Illinois have been well-served by a comprehensive electrical utility system which has provided safe, reliable, and affordable service. The electrical utility system in the State of Illinois has historically been subject to State and federal regulation, aimed at assuring the citizens and businesses of the State of safe, reliable, and affordable service, while at the same time assuring the utility system of a return on its investment.

(b) Competitive forces are affecting the market for electricity as a result of recent federal regulatory and statutory changes and the activities of other states. Competition in the electric services market may create opportunities for new products and services for customers and lower costs for users of electricity. Long-standing regulatory relationships need to be altered to accommodate the competition that could fundamentally alter the structure of the electric services market.

(c) With the advent of increasing competition in this industry, the State has a continued interest in assuring that the safety, reliability, and affordability of electrical power is not sacrificed to competitive pressures, and to that end, intends to implement safeguards to assure that the industry continues to operate the electrical system in a manner that will serve the public's interest. Under the existing regulatory framework, the industry has been encouraged to undertake certain investments in its physical plant and personnel to enhance its efficient operation, the cost of which it has been permitted to pass on to consumers. The State has an interest in providing the existing utilities a reasonable opportunity to obtain a return on certain investments on which they depended in undertaking those commitments in the first instance while, at the same time, not permitting new entrants into the industry to take unreasonable advantage of the investments made by the formerly regulated industry.

(d) A competitive wholesale and retail market must benefit all Illinois citizens. The Illinois Commerce Commission should act to promote the development of an effectively competitive electricity market that operates efficiently and is equitable to all consumers. Consumer protections must be in place to ensure that all customers continue to receive safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally safe electric service.

(e) All consumers must benefit in an equitable and timely fashion from the lower costs for electricity that result from retail and wholesale competition and receive sufficient information to make informed choices among suppliers and services. The use of renewable resources and energy efficiency resources should be encouraged in competitive markets.

(f) The efficiency of electric markets depends both upon the competitiveness of supply and upon the price-responsiveness of the demand for service. Therefore, to ensure the lowest total cost of service and to enhance the reliability of service, all classes of the electricity customers of electric utilities should have access to and be able to voluntarily use real-time pricing and other price-and demand-response mechanisms.

(Source: P.A. 90-561, eff. 12-16-97.)

(220 ILCS 5/16-102)

Sec. 16-102. Definitions. For the purposes of this Article the following terms shall be defined as set forth in this Section.

"Alternative retail electric supplier" means every person, cooperative, corporation, municipal corporation, company, association, joint stock company or association, firm, partnership, individual, or other entity, their lessees, trustees, or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever, that offers electric power or energy for sale, lease or in exchange for other value received to one or more retail customers, or that engages in the delivery or furnishing of electric power or energy to such retail customers, and shall include, without limitation, resellers, aggregators and power marketers, but shall not include (i) electric utilities (or any agent of the electric utility to the extent the electric utility provides tariffed services to retail customers through that agent), (ii) any electric cooperative or municipal system as defined in Section 17-100 to the extent that the electric cooperative or municipal system is serving retail customers within any area in which it is or would be entitled to provide service under the law in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, (iii) a public utility that is owned and operated by any public institution of higher education of this State, or a public utility that is owned by such public institution of higher education and operated by any of its lessees or operating agents, within any area in which it is or would be entitled to provide service under the law in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, (iv) a retail customer to the extent that customer obtains its electric power and energy from that customer's own cogeneration or self-generation facilities, (v) an entity that owns, operates, sells, or arranges for the installation of a customer's own cogeneration or self-generation facilities, but only to the extent the entity is engaged in owning, selling or arranging for the installation of such facility, or operating the facility on behalf of such customer, provided however that any such third party owner or operator of a facility built after January 1, 1999, complies with the labor provisions of Section 16-128(a) as though such third party were an alternative retail electric supplier, or (vi) an industrial or manufacturing customer that owns its own distribution facilities, to the extent that the customer provides service from that distribution system to a third-party contractor located on the customer's premises that is integrally and predominantly engaged in the customer's industrial or manufacturing process; provided, that if the industrial or manufacturing customer has elected delivery services, the customer shall pay transition charges applicable to the electric power and energy consumed by the third-party contractor unless such charges are otherwise paid by the third party contractor, which shall be calculated based on the usage of, and the base rates or the contract rates applicable to, the third-party contractor in accordance with Section 16-102.

"Base rates" means the rates for those tariffed services that the electric utility is required to offer pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 16-103 and that were identified in a rate order for collection of the electric utility's base rate revenue requirement, excluding (i) separate automatic rate adjustment riders then in effect, (ii) special or negotiated contract rates, (iii) delivery services tariffs filed pursuant to Section 16-108, (iv) real-time pricing, or (v) tariffs that were in effect prior to October 1, 1996 and that based charges for services on an index or average of other utilities' charges, but including (vi) any subsequent redesign of such rates for tariffed services that is authorized by the Commission after notice and hearing.

"Competitive service" includes (i) any service that has been declared to be competitive pursuant to Section 16-113 of this Act, (ii) contract service, and (iii) services, other than tariffed services, that are related to, but not necessary for, the provision of electric power and energy or delivery services.

"Contract service" means (1) services, including the provision of electric power and energy or other services, that are provided by mutual agreement between an electric utility and a retail customer that is located in the electric utility's service area, provided that, delivery services shall not be a contract service until such services are declared competitive pursuant to Section 16-113; and also means (2) the provision of electric power and energy by an electric utility to retail customers outside the electric utility's service area pursuant to Section 16-116. Provided, however, contract service does not include electric utility services provided pursuant to (i) contracts that retail customers are required to execute as a condition of receiving tariffed services, or (ii) special or negotiated rate contracts for electric utility services that were entered into between an electric utility and a retail customer prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997 and filed with the Commission.

"Delivery services" means those services provided by the electric utility that are necessary in order for the transmission and distribution systems to function so that retail customers located in the electric utility's service area can receive electric power and energy from suppliers other than the electric utility, and shall include, without limitation, standard metering and billing services.

"Electric utility" means a public utility, as defined in Section 3-105 of this Act, that has a franchise, license, permit or right to furnish or sell electricity to retail customers within a service area.

"Mandatory transition period" means the period from the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997 through January 1, 2007.

"Municipal system" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 17-100.

"Real-time pricing" means tariffed retail charges for delivered electric power and energy that vary on an hour-to-hour and are determined from prices posted by the Independent System Operator or by a comparable methodology approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission basis for nonresidential retail customers and that vary on a periodic basis during the day for residential retail customers.

"Retail customer" means a single entity using electric power or energy at a single premises and that (A) either (i) is receiving or is eligible to receive tariffed services from an electric utility, or (ii) that is served by a municipal system or electric cooperative within any area in which the municipal system or electric cooperative is or would be entitled to provide service under the law in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, or (B) an entity which on the effective date of this Act was receiving electric service from a public utility and (i) was engaged in the practice of resale and redistribution of such electricity within a building prior to January 2, 1957, or (ii) was providing lighting services to tenants in a multi-occupancy building, but only to the extent such resale, redistribution or lighting service is authorized by the electric utility's tariffs that were on file with the Commission on the effective date of this Act.

"Service area" means (i) the geographic area within which an electric utility was lawfully entitled to provide electric power and energy to retail customers as of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, and includes (ii) the location of any retail customer to which the electric utility was lawfully providing electric utility services on such effective date.

"Small commercial retail customer" means those nonresidential retail customers of an electric utility consuming 15,000 kilowatt-hours or less of electricity annually in its service area.

"Tariffed service" means services provided to retail customers by an electric utility as defined by its rates on file with the Commission pursuant to the provisions of Article IX of this Act, but shall not include competitive services.

"Transition charge" means a charge expressed in cents per kilowatt-hour that is calculated for a customer or class of customers as follows for each year in which an electric utility is entitled to recover transition charges as provided in Section 16-108:

(1) the amount of revenue that an electric utility would receive from the retail customer or customers if it were serving such customers' electric power and energy requirements as a tariffed service based on (A) all of the customers' actual usage during the 3 years ending 90 days prior to the date on which such customers were first eligible for delivery services pursuant to Section 16-104, and (B) on (i) the base rates in effect on October 1, 1996 (adjusted for the reductions required by subsection (b) of Section 16-111, for any reduction resulting from a rate decrease under Section 16-101(b), for any restatement of base rates made in conjunction with an elimination of the fuel adjustment clause pursuant to subsection (b), (d), or (f) of Section 9-220 and for any removal of decommissioning costs from base rates pursuant to Section 16-114) and any separate automatic rate adjustment riders (other than a decommissioning rate as defined in Section 16-114) under which the customers were receiving or, had they been customers, would have received electric power and energy from the electric utility during the year immediately preceding the date on which such customers were first eligible for delivery service pursuant to Section 16-104, or (ii) to the extent applicable, any contract rates, including contracts or rates for consolidated or aggregated billing, under which such customers were receiving electric power and energy from the electric utility during such year;

(2) less the amount of revenue, other than revenue from transition charges and decommissioning rates, that the electric utility would receive from such retail customers for delivery services provided by the electric utility, assuming such customers were taking delivery services for all of their usage, based on the delivery services tariffs in effect during the year for which the transition charge is being calculated and on the usage identified in paragraph (1);

(3) less the market value for the electric power and energy that the electric utility would have used to supply all of such customers' electric power and energy requirements, as a tariffed service, based on the usage identified in paragraph (1), with such market value determined in accordance with Section 16-112 of this Act;

(4) less the following amount which represents the amount to be attributed to new revenue sources and cost reductions by the electric utility through the end of the period for which transition costs are recovered pursuant to Section 16-108, referred to in this Article XVI as a "mitigation factor":

(A) for nonresidential retail customers, an amount equal to the greater of (i) 0.5 cents per kilowatt-hour during the period October 1, 1999 through December 31, 2004, 0.6 cents per kilowatt-hour in calendar year 2005, and 0.9 cents per kilowatt-hour in calendar year 2006, multiplied in each year by the usage identified in paragraph (1), or (ii) an amount equal to the following percentages of the amount produced by applying the applicable base rates (adjusted as described in subparagraph (1)(B)) or contract rate to the usage identified in paragraph (1): 8% for the period October 1, 1999 through December 31, 2002, 10% in calendar years 2003 and 2004, 11% in calendar year 2005 and 12% in calendar year 2006; and

(B) for residential retail customers, an amount equal to the following percentages of the amount produced by applying the base rates in effect on October 1, 1996 (adjusted as described in subparagraph (1)(B)) to the usage identified in paragraph (1): (i) 6% from May 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002, (ii) 7% in calendar years 2003 and 2004, (iii) 8% in calendar year 2005, and (iv) 10% in calendar year 2006;

(5) divided by the usage of such customers identified in paragraph (1),

provided that the transition charge shall never be less than zero.

"Unbundled service" means a component or constituent part of a tariffed service which the electric utility subsequently offers separately to its customers.

(Source: P.A. 91-50, eff. 6-30-99; 92-537, eff. 6-6-02.)

(220 ILCS 5/16-107)

Sec. 16-107. Real-time pricing.

(a) Each electric utility shall file, on or before May 1, 1998, a tariff or tariffs which allow nonresidential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real-time pricing beginning October 1, 1998.

(b) Each electric utility shall file, on or before May 1, 2000, a tariff or tariffs which allow residential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real-time pricing beginning October 1, 2000.

(b-5) Each electric utility shall file, on or before February 1, 2006, a tariff or tariffs which allow residential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real-time pricing beginning January 1, 2007.

The tariff or tariffs filed pursuant to this subsection shall describe: (i) the methodology for determining the market price of energy to be reflected in the real-time rate; (ii) cost-based distribution and transmission charges that are no greater than the charges made to other residential customers; (iii) a customer charge no greater than that charged to other residential customers; and (iv) an information system that provides customers ready access to hourly market prices, including, but not limited to, day-ahead hourly energy prices, price change notification, and other information and technical assistance necessary to enable customers to manage electricity use.

Each electric utility providing real-time pricing shall install a meter capable of recording hourly interval energy use at the service location of each customer that elects real-time pricing pursuant to this subsection and shall install such a meter in all new service locations unless a watt-hour meter is specifically requested by the customer.

The electric utility shall contract with and shall fully and adequately compensate an Illinois nonprofit corporation in accordance with this subsection to develop and implement a program to provide consumer outreach, enrollment, and education concerning real-time pricing and to establish and administer an information system and technical and other customer assistance that is necessary to enable customers to manage electricity use. The Illinois nonprofit corporation: (i) shall be selected and compensated by the electric utility, subject to Commission approval; (ii) shall have demonstrated technical and managerial competence in the development and administration of demand management programs; and (iii) may develop and implement risk management, energy efficiency, and other services related to energy use management for which it shall be compensated by participants in the program. The electric utility shall provide the Illinois nonprofit corporation with all information and assistance necessary to perform its duties, including, but not limited to, customer, account, and energy use data. The electric utility shall permit the contractor to include inserts in residential customer bills at least 2 times per year to assist with customer outreach and enrollment.

The Illinois nonprofit corporation shall submit an annual report to the electric utility no later than April 1 of each year describing the operation and results of the program, including information concerning the number and types of customers using real-time pricing, changes in customers' energy use patterns, an assessment of the value of the program to both participants and non-participants, and recommendations concerning modification of the program and the tariff or tariffs filed under this subsection. This report shall be filed by the electric utility with the Commission within 30 days of receipt and shall be available to the public on the Commission's web site.

The electric utility and the Illinois nonprofit corporation shall each work to achieve the goal of enrolling at least 3% of residential retail customers in real-time pricing by the year 2010.

The electric utility shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs incurred by the electric utility in complying with the requirements of this subsection by imposing a uniform charge, included in its distribution charge, on all residential customers in its service territory.

(c) The electric utility's tariff or tariffs filed pursuant to this Section shall be subject to Article IX.

(Source: P.A. 90-561, eff. 12-16-97.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.