Ohio Administrative Code|Rule 4901:1-10-29 | Coordination with competitive retail electric service (CRES) providers.

                                                
(A) Each electric utility shall
		  coordinate with CRES providers to promote nondiscriminatory access to electric
		  services, to ensure timely enrollment with CRES providers to maintain a
		  customer's electric service, and to timely and correctly switch the
		  customer's electric service between CRES providers.
(B) Each electric utility shall adopt a
		  supplier tariff containing standardized requirements to the extent such
		  standardization is feasible. At a minimum, such tariff shall include
		  requirements for imbalances, load profiles, scheduling, billing (between the
		  electric utility and CRES provider), customer billing (options, collection, and
		  application of customer payments), metering, retail settlements, scheduling
		  coordinators, losses, customer information (procedures for disclosing load
		  profile, account information, and payment history), dispute resolution
		  processes (between the electric utility and CRES provider), standard operating
		  rules, performance incentives and standards, creditworthiness and default
		  security, supplier agreement, electronic data interchange protocols, CRES
		  provider enrollment with the electric utility, service termination and
		  disconnection (of end-user customer), certified CRES provider lists, return to
		  standard offer, customer enrollment and switching, supplier training, and
		  supplier proof of certification.
(C) An electric utility shall execute
		  with each CRES provider a supplier agreement to operate under the terms of the
		  supplier tariff. At minimum, the supplier agreement shall include
		  representations and warranties, indemnification, limitations on liability,
		  default (breach), remedies, force majeure, form/format of scheduling
		  coordinators, commencement, and term.
(D) The electric utility and CRES
		  provider shall execute a standardized trading partner agreement, as required by
		  the standard electronic transmission protocols.
(E) Pre-enrollment. Electric utilities
		  shall make eligible-customer lists available to certified CRES providers in
		  spreadsheet, word processing, or an electronic non-image-based format, with
		  formula intact, compatible with personal computers. Such lists shall be updated
		  quarterly. The eligible customer list shall, at a minimum, contain customer
		  name, service and mailing address, rate schedule (class and sub-class),
		  applicable riders, load profile reference category, meter type, interval meter
		  data indicator, net metering indicator, budget bill indicator, PIPP plus
		  indicator, meter read date or schedule, and historical monthly customer energy
		  usage data (actual energy usage plus any applicable demand) for each of the
		  most recent twelve months.
(F) Customer enrollment.
(1) Within two business
			 days after confirming the validated electronic data file for a CRES
			 provider's customer enrollment request, the electric utility shall mail or
			 email with an electronic notification of receipt, the customer a competitively
			 neutral confirmation notice stating:
(a) That the electric utility has received a request to enroll
				the customer for competitive electric service with the named CRES
				provider.
(b) The date such service is expected to begin.
(c) That residential and small commercial customers have seven
				days from the postmark date on the notice to contact the electric utility to
				rescind the enrollment request or notify the electric utility that the change
				of service provider was not requested by the customer.
(d) The electric utility's toll-free telephone
				number.
(2) Such notice shall not
			 be used as an opportunity for the electric utility to convince customers to
			 remain on or return to the electric utility's standard offer
			 service.
(3) Each electric utility
			 shall have a twenty-four hour per day capability for accepting CRES residential
			 and small commercial customer enrollment rescission by telephone.
(4) When a residential or
			 small commercial customer calls the electric utility to rescind enrollment with
			 a CRES provider, the electric utility shall provide the customer a unique
			 cancellation number.
(5) Within two business
			 days after receiving a customer's request to rescind enrollment with a
			 CRES provider, the electric utility shall initiate such rescission and mail or
			 email with an electronic notification of receipt, the customer confirmation
			 that such action has been taken.
(G) Customer billing.
(1) Electric utilities
			 shall make consolidated billing available to CRES providers and shall not take
			 any actions to inhibit or prohibit dual billing by CRES providers.
(2) Consolidated billing
			 shall include budget billing of utility and CRES charges as a customer-elected
			 option.
(H) Customers returning to standard offer.
(1) Any customer
			 returning to the standard offer due to a CRES provider's default,
			 abandonment, slamming, certification rescission of a CRES provider, or the end
			 of their contract term with a CRES provider, will not be liable for any costs
			 or penalties associated with the customer's return to the standard
			 offer.
(2) Within two business
			 days after confirming the validated electronic data file for a CRES
			 provider's customer-drop request, the electric utility shall mail or email
			 with an electronic notification of receipt, the customer a notice
			 stating:
(a) That the electric utility has received a request to drop the
				customer from competitive electric service with the named CRES
				provider.
(b) The deadline date for the electric utility to receive a CRES
				provider's request to enroll the customer.
(c) That the electric utility is available to address any
				questions the customer may have.
(d) The electric utility's local and toll-free telephone
				number.
(I) Percentage of income payment plan
		  (PIPP) customers will be coordinated exclusively by the Ohio development
		  services agency pursuant to section 4928.54 of the Revised Code.
(1) Electric utilities
			 shall not switch PIPP and graduate PIPP program customers to CRES
			 providers.
(2) Customers pending
			 enrollment with a CRES provider who subsequently become approved for PIPP or
			 the electric utility's arrearage crediting program shall not be switched
			 to the CRES provider.
(3) Electric utility
			 customers who have switched to a CRES provider and subsequently become approved
			 for the electric utility's graduate PIPP program shall be transferred to
			 the electric utility's standard offer service at the next regularly
			 scheduled meter read date after the electric utility enrolls the customer in
			 the program.
(4) Customers who have
			 switched to a CRES provider and subsequently become approved for PIPP shall be
			 dropped by the electric utility to standard offer service at the next regularly
			 scheduled meter read date after the electric utility receives notice of the
			 customer's participation in PIPP. The electric utility shall notify the
			 affected CRES provider within ten business days of the customer's transfer
			 to a new electric service provider to participate in PIPP. Any switching fees
			 shall be added to the customer's arrearages, not current
			 charges.
(5) When the host
			 electric utility is not purchasing the receivables of the affected CRES
			 provider, the electric utility shall submit to Ohio development services
			 agency, on behalf of the affected CRES provider(s), the pre-PIPP arrearages of
			 customers transferred to the PIPP program.
(6) The host electric
			 utility shall transfer the pre-PIPP arrearages received from the Ohio
			 development services agency, on behalf of the affected CRES provider, to the
			 appropriate CRES provider within ten business days after receipt from the Ohio
			 department of development.


Last updated November 1, 2021 at 1:36 AM