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| To enact section 4933.29 of the Revised Code to | 1 |
| restore discounts for customers using electricity | 2 |
| to heat their homes and for electric, | 3 |
| load-management programs, to specify that these | 4 |
| discounts run with the land and may be | 5 |
| transferred, to provide for refunds to customers | 6 |
| whose rate discounts were modified or | 7 |
| discontinued, and to declare an emergency. | 8 |
| Section 1. That section 4933.29 of the Revised Code be | 9 |
| enacted to read as follows: | 10 |
| Sec. 4933.29. (A) As used in this section: | 11 |
| (1) "Dual fuel heating program" means a program under which | 12 |
| an electric light company provides an incentive, including a | 13 |
| discounted rate, for a customer to use a heating system that | 14 |
| operates on both electricity and gas, the electric portion of | 15 |
| which may be controlled by the company. | 16 |
| (2) "Electric light company" has the same meaning as in | 17 |
| section 4905.03 of the Revised Code. | 18 |
| (3) "Load management water heating program" means a program | 19 |
| under which an electric light company provides an incentive, | 20 |
| including a discounted rate, for a customer to use an electric | 21 |
| water heater that may be controlled by the company. | 22 |
| (B) Every electric light company that modified or | 23 |
| discontinued, between December 31, 2006 and the effective date of | 24 |
| this section, discounts for residential customers using | 25 |
| electricity to heat their homes shall restore in full all such | 26 |
| modified or discontinued discounts to the discount amounts at the | 27 |
| time of the modification or discontinuance. | 28 |
| (C) Every electric light company that modified or | 29 |
| discontinued, between December 31, 2006 and the effective date of | 30 |
| this section, any dual fuel heating program or any load management | 31 |
| water heating program shall restore in full any such modified or | 32 |
| discontinued program. | 33 |
| (D) Every electric light company shall permanently maintain | 34 |
| the following after the effective date of this section: | 35 |
| (1) The ratio of the discounted rates for its residential | 36 |
| customers that use electricity to heat their homes to the rates | 37 |
| for its other customers; | 38 |
| (2) The ratio of the discounted rates for a dual fuel heating | 39 |
| program or load management water heating program to the rates for | 40 |
| its other customers. | 41 |
| (E) The discounted rates for using electricity for home | 42 |
| heating, and discounted rates for dual fuel heating programs and | 43 |
| load management water heating programs restored by an electric | 44 |
| light company under divisions (B) and (C) of this section shall | 45 |
| run with the land. Any current or future resident of the property, | 46 |
| for which a customer who previously resided at the property | 47 |
| received an electric light company rate discount pursuant to | 48 |
| divisions (B) and (C) of this section, shall receive the | 49 |
| discounted rate from the electric light company. Customers that | 50 |
| built or converted homes to use electricity for home heating after | 51 |
| December 31, 2006, but prior to the effective date of this | 52 |
| section, also shall receive the discounted rate restored under | 53 |
| those divisions. | 54 |
| (F) The electric light company shall refund the amount in | 55 |
| excess of the discounted rate under divisions (B) and (C) of this | 56 |
| section that was paid by a customer after the modification or | 57 |
| discontinuance of the discounted rate. The public utilities | 58 |
| commission shall determine how refunds pursuant to this section | 59 |
| shall be made. | 60 |
| Section 2. This act is hereby declared to be an emergency | 61 |
| measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public | 62 |
| peace, health, and safety. The reason for such necessity is that | 63 |
| electric-utility customers are experiencing sudden, drastic | 64 |
| increases in electricity rates. Therefore, this act shall go into | 65 |
| immediate effect. | 66 |