Cal. PUC § 394.5 — California Code / Code puc / Division 1 / Part 1 / Chapter 2.3 / Article 12 / Section 394.5
Section 394.5
Status: in_force

(a) Except for an electrical corporation as defined in Section 218, or a local publicly owned electric utility offering electrical service to residential and small commercial customers within its service territory, each electric service provider offering electrical service to residential and small commercial customers shall, prior to the commencement of service, provide the potential customer with a written notice of the service describing the price, terms, and conditions of the service. A notice shall include all of the following:

(1) A clear description of the price, terms, and conditions of service, including:

(A) The price of electricity expressed in a format that makes it possible for residential and small commercial customers to compare and select among similar products and services on a standard basis. The commission shall adopt rules to implement this subdivision. The commission shall require disclosure of the total price of electricity on a cents-per-kilowatthour basis, including the costs of all electric services and charges regulated by the commission. The commission shall also require estimates of the total monthly bill for the electric service at varying consumption levels, including the costs of all electric services and charges regulated by the commission. In determining these rules, the commission may consider alternatives to the cents-per-kilowatthour disclosure if other information would provide the customer with sufficient information to compare among alternatives on a standard basis.

(B) Separate disclosure of all recurring and nonrecurring charges associated with the sale of electricity.

(C) If services other than electricity are offered, an itemization of the services and the charge or charges associated with each.

(2) An explanation of the applicability and amount of the competition transition charge, as determined pursuant to Sections 367 to 376, inclusive.

(3) A description of the potential customer’s right to rescind the contract without fee or penalty as described in Section 395.

(4) An explanation of the customer’s financial obligations, as well as the procedures regarding past due payments, discontinuance of service, billing disputes, and service complaints.

(5) The electric service provider’s registration number, if applicable.

(6) The right to change service providers upon written notice, including disclosure of any fees or penalties assessed by the supplier for early termination of a contract.

(7) A description of the availability of low-income assistance programs for qualified customers and how customers can apply for these programs.

(b) The commission may assist electric service providers in developing the notice. The commission may suggest inclusion of additional information it deems necessary for the consumer protection purposes of this section. On at least a semiannual basis, electric service providers shall provide the commission with a copy of the form of notice included in standard service plans made available to residential and small commercial customers.

(c) An electric service provider offering electric services who declines to provide those services to a consumer shall, upon request of the consumer, disclose to that consumer the reason for the denial in writing within 30 days. At the time service is denied, the electric service provider shall disclose to the consumer the right to make this request. A consumer shall have at least 30 days from the date service is denied to make the request.