Illinois Administrative Code › Title 83 - PUBLIC UTILITIES › Part 512 - OBLIGATIONS OF ALTERNATIVE GAS SUPPLIERS › Subpart A - GENERAL › Section 512.10 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
"Act" means the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS
				  5].
"Alternative gas supplier" or "AGS" means Alternative Gas Supplier
				  as defined in Section 19-105 of the Act.
"AGS sales agent" means "sales agent" as defined in Section 19-105
				  of the Act (220
				  ILCS 5/19-105). "AGS sales agent" does not include any
				  agent, broker or consultant that is acting as agent for the customer and not
				  soliciting enrollments on behalf of any individual AGS.
"Commission" means the Illinois Commerce Commission.
"Commission Approved Savings Guarantee Plan" means a savings
				  guarantee plan offered to recipients of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
				  (LIHEAP) funding
,
Low Income Home Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)
				  funding, or Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) funding which is approved by
				  the Commission and which offers natural gas supply to customers at an amount that is
				  less than the utility gas supply price.
"Complaint" means an objection made to an AGS by a customer or
				  other entity as to its charges, facilities or service, the disposal of which
				  complaint requires investigation or analysis.
"Customer," when used without additional modifying language, shall
				  mean small commercial customers and residential customers collectively, as those
				  terms are defined herein.
"Early termination fee" or "ETF" means a fee or penalty for
				  terminating an agreement or contract for natural gas supply products or services
				  provided by the AGS before the end of the contract term.
"Enrollment" means the process by which an AGS in any gas utility
				  service area where customers are able to choose their natural gas supplier submits
				  or executes a change in a customer's selection of a natural gas provider, enters
				  into and effectuates a contract with a customer, and enrolls the consumer as a
				  customer in the residential or small commercial gas transportation service program
				  of the applicable gas utility.
"Fixed rate" means that the per-therm charge for natural gas
				  supply remains the same for the term of the contract.
"Gas utility" means a gas utility as defined in Section 19-105 of
				  the Act.
"Goodwill and institutional advertising" means any advertising
				  either on a local or national basis designed primarily to bring the AGS' name before
				  the general public in such a way to improve the image of the AGS or to promote the
				  AGS or the industry, and that does not:
contain information about prices, terms, or conditions of retail
				  gas supply products or services offered by an AGS to customers; or
direct or induce customers to sign up for such products or
				  services.
"Inbound enrollment call" means a telephone call to an AGS sales
				  agent initiated by a customer that results in either an enrollment or a change of
				  provision of the customer's natural gas supply service.
"In-person solicitation" means any enrollment attempt initiated or
				  completed when an AGS sales agent is physically present with the customer.
"Letter of Agency" or "LOA" means the document described in
				  Section 19-115(c)(1) of the Act.
"Pending enrollment" means a valid enrollment request has been
				  submitted by an AGS and accepted by a gas utility but the beginning meter reading
				  date upon which the switch will become effective has not yet occurred.
"Public utility" means "public utility" as defined by Section
				  3-105 of the Act.
"Rescission" or "to rescind" means the cancellation of an
				  agreement or contract with an AGS before the AGS has submitted an enrollment request
				  to the gas utility or within 10 business days after the date on the gas utility's
				  written notice to the customer confirming the switch.
"Residential customer" means a residential customer as defined in
				  Section 19-105 of the Act.
"Send" or "Sent", when used in this Part to describe the action to
				  be taken by an AGS of sending a document to a customer, may include, if agreed to by
				  the receiving customer, transmission of the document to the customer via electronic
				  delivery (e.g., fax or email).
"Small commercial customer" means small commercial customer as
				  defined in Section 19-105 of the Act.
"Tariffed service" means tariffed service as defined by Section
				  19-105 of the Public Utilities Act (220 ILCS 5/19-105).
"Third party verification" or "TPV" means the process prescribed
				  by Section 19-115(c)(2) of the Act.
"Transferred call" means any enrollment call to an AGS in which
				  the customer did not directly dial an AGS Sales Agent. This includes calls that
				  originate as live or automated calls to the customer, who then might select an
				  option that results in the call being forwarded to an AGS Sales Agent. "Transferred
				  call" does not include enrollment calls in which the customer directly dials an AGS
				  call center and selects to be forwarded to an AGS Sales Agent from a call center
				  menu or live operator. For purposes of enrollment compliance, transferred calls
				  shall be treated as telemarketing within the meaning of Section
				  512.130.
"Transportation services" means transportation services as defined
				  by Section 19-105 of the Act.
"Utility assistance recipient"
means a utility customer
				  that received financial assistance in the previous 12 months from either the Low
				  Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Low Income Home Water Assistance
				  Program (LIHWAP), or, at the time of enrollment is participating in the Percentage
				  of Income Payment Plan (PIPP).
[220 ILCS
				  5/19-116]
"Utility gas supply cost" means the price per therm available from
				  the Illinois Commerce Commission website applicable at the time the AGS offers or
				  sell the products or services to the customer, including the date the price became
				  effective and the date the price will expire.
"Variable rate" means that the per-therm charge for natural gas
				  supply is subject to change during the term of the contract.
"Written" or "in writing" means a paper copy. When this Part
				  requires information to be "written" or "in writing", an electronic copy satisfies
				  that requirement so long as both the AGS and the customer have agreed to electronic
				  communication.