Opinion ID: 2691342
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Impact on low-income customers

Text: {¶ 29} OCC first claims that the commission erred when it approved the SFV rate design by relying in part on the unsubstantiated theory that low-income customers benefited from SFV. {¶ 30} Contrary to OCC’s assertion, the commission did not find that all of Vectren’s low-income customers would benefit under the SFV rate design. What the commission found was that low-income customers are on average highuse customers. And because high-use customers benefit from the SFV rate design, the commission concluded that “low-income customers, on average, would actually enjoy lower bills under the [SFV] rate design.” {¶ 31} Evidence before the commission supported this finding. Staff witness Stephen Puican testified that “low-income customers are, on average, not low usage customers. Because high-usage customers will benefit from the SFV rate design, and low-income customers are more likely to be high-usage customers, it is reasonable to conclude that low-income customers are actually more likely to benefit from SFV.” Vectren witness H. Edwin Overcast corroborated Puican’s testimony. Overcast testified that “[b]ased on the analysis 9 SUPREME COURT OF OHIO of actual billing information for VEDO’s [Vectren’s] residential customer and available Census block group income data for VEDO’s service area,    low income customers in VEDO’s service area consume on average more natural gas annually than all but the highest income residential customers in VEDO’s service area.” He further testified that low-income customers would benefit by having lower winter gas bills under SFV. {¶ 32} OCC faults the PUCO for relying on Puican’s testimony while summarily dismissing the testimony of OCC’s expert witness Roger Colton. In essence, OCC is asking this court to reweigh the evidence and assign greater weight to Colton’s testimony than the commission did. But that is not our prerogative in PUCO appeals. See Util. Serv. Partners, Inc. v. Pub. Util. Comm., 124 Ohio St.3d 284, 2009-Ohio-6764, 921 N.E.2d 1038, ¶ 35.