Illinois Administrative Code › Title 83 - PUBLIC UTILITIES › Part 551 - CERTIFICATION OF ALTERNATIVE GAS SUPPLIERS › Section 551.70 - General Procedures for Applicants

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) An
			 applicant that seeks to serve residential or small commercial customers within a
			 geographic area that is smaller than a gas utility's service area shall demonstrate
			 that the designation of this smaller area does not violate any part of Section
			 19-115 of the Act [220 ILCS
			 5/19-115 ]. An applicant may state in its application for
			 certification any limitations that will be imposed on the number of residential or
			 small commercial customers or maximum load to be served [220 ILCS
			 5/19-110(d) ] and certify that it will not
			 deny service to a residential or small commercial customer or group of customers nor
			 establish any differences as to prices, terms, conditions, services, products,
			 facilities, or in any other respect, whereby such denial or differences are based
			 upon race, gender or income nor deny service to a residential or small commercial
			 customer or group of customers based on locality nor establish any unreasonable
			 difference as to prices, terms, conditions, services, products, or facilities as
			 between localities. [220 ILCS
			 5/19-115(e) ]
b) The applicant shall certify that it will comply
			 with the following requirements with respect to the marketing, offering and
			 provision of products or services to residential and small commercial customers:
1) Any marketing materials that make statements
			 concerning prices, terms and conditions of service shall contain information that
			 adequately discloses the prices, terms and conditions of the products or services
			 that the alternative gas supplier is offering or selling to the residential or small
			 commercial customer.
2) Before any
			 residential or small commercial customer is switched from another supplier, the
			 alternative gas supplier shall give the customer written information that adequately
			 discloses, in plain language, the prices, terms and conditions of the products and
			 services being offered andsoldto the customer.
3) The alternative gas supplier shall provide to
			 the residential customer accurate, timely, and itemized billing statements that
			 describe the products and services provided to the customer and their prices and
			 that specify the gas consumption amount and any service charges and taxes; and an
			 additional statement, at least annually, that adequately discloses the average
			 monthly prices, and the terms and conditions, of the products and services sold to
			 the residential customer.
4) The
			 alternative gas supplier shall provide refunds of any deposits with interest within
			 30 days after the date that the residential or small commercial customer changes gas
			 suppliers or discontinues service if the customer has satisfied all of its
			 outstanding financial obligations to the alternative gas supplier at an interest
			 rate set by the Commission which shall be the same as that required of gas
			 utilities.
5) The alternative gas
			 supplier shall provide timely refunds of any undisputed overpayments upon oral or
			 written request of the residential or small commercial customer. [220 ILCS
			 5/19-115(f) ]
6) The alternative gas supplier shall file with
			 the Commission and maintain procedures addressing the manner in which any disputed
			 amount for which a residential or small commercial customer is billed may be
			 resolved, stating that while the dispute is pending, the customer shall pay the
			 undisputed portion of the bill or an amount equal to last year's bill at the same
			 location for the same period, normalized for weather, whichever is greater. Any
			 disputed amount in excess of last year's bill for the same address adjusted for
			 weather shall not be included in the amount that must be paid by the due date. The
			 alternative gas supplier is required to inform its customers how to contact the
			 Commission's Consumer Services Division to pursue an unresolved dispute. The
			 alternative gas supplier's billing statements shall include a toll-free number and
			 other means by which a customer may contact it with inquiries or
			 complaints.
7) The alternative gas
			 supplier shall inform its residential and small commercial customers how to contact
			 the Commission to obtain consumer education materials provided pursuant to Section
			 19-125of the Act. [220 ILCS
			 5/19-125(b) ]