Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4901:1 - Utilities › Chapter 4901:1-21 - Competitive Retail Electric Service Providers › Section 4901:1-21-18 - Consolidated billing requirements

Current through all
			 regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) This rule applies to a competitive retail
			 electric service (CRES) provider that issues customers a consolidated electric
			 bill that includes both electric utility and CRES provider charges for electric
			 services. Nothing in this rule affects the obligations of the electric utility
			 to provide disconnection notices.
(B) A supplier agreement between an electric
			 utility and a CRES provider must provide that if the CRES provider collects
			 customer payments on behalf of the electric utility, the customer's liability
			 to the electric utility ceases to the extent of the payment made and applicable
			 to the customer's account.
(C)
			 Consolidated bills shall be accurate, rendered at monthly intervals, and
			  contain clear and understandable form
			 and language. All consolidated customer bills issued by or on behalf of an
			 electric utility and a CRES provider must include at least the following
			 information:
(1) The customer's name, billing
			 address, and service address.
(2)
			 The electric utility's twenty-four hour, local or toll-free number for
			 reporting service emergencies.
(3)
			 The dates of the service period covered by the bill.
(4) Current electric charges, separated from
			 gas charges, if these charges appear on the same bill, but only to the extent
			 that the biller provides both electric and gas services.
(5) Applicable billing determinants:
			 beginning meter read, ending meter read, demand meter read, multipliers,
			 consumption, and demand.
(6)
			 Identification of estimated bills.
(7) Any nonrecurring charge(s).
(8) Net-metered usage for customer
			 generators, if applicable.
(9) Each
			 charge for nontariffed and/or nonregulated service or product, if applicable,
			 and the name and toll-free number of each provider of such
			 service(s).
(10) Amount due for
			 previous billing period.
(11) Total
			 payments, late payment charges or gross/net charges, and total credits applied
			 during the billing period.
(12)
			 Total consolidated amount due and payable, or, if applicable, the total
			 consolidated budget bill amount.
(13) Due date for payment to keep the account
			 current. The due date for residential bills shall not be less than fourteen
			 calendar days from the date of postmark. For residential bills being issued
			 from outside the state of Ohio the due date shall not be less than twenty-one
			 calendar days.
(14) Name and
			 address of company to whom payments should be made.
(15) The following notice:
"If your complaint is not resolved after you have called your
				electric supplier and/or your electric utility, or for general utility
				information, residential and business customers may contact the public
				utilities commission of Ohio (PUCO) for assistance at 1-800-686-7826
				(toll-free) from eight a.m. to five p.m. weekdays, or at
http://www.puco.ohio.gov
. Hearing
				or speech impaired customers may contact the PUCO via 7-1-1 (Ohio relay
				service).
The Ohio consumers' counsel (OCC) represents residential
				utility customers in matters before the PUCO. The OCC can be contacted at
				1-877-742-5622 (toll- free) from eight a.m. to five p.m. weekdays, or at
http://www.pickocc.org
."
(16) An explanation of codes and
			 abbreviations used.
(17) At a
			 minimum, definitions for the following terms, or like terms used by the
			 company, if applicable: customer charge, delivery charge, estimated reading,
			 generation charge, kilowatt hour (kWh), shopping incentive or shopping credit,
			 late payment charge, and transition charge.
(18) The price-to-compare for residential
			 bills and a notice that such customers can obtain a written explanation of the
			 price-to-compare from their electric utility.