S.B. 236
128th General Assembly
(As Introduced)
Sens. Grendell and Patton, Cafaro
BILL SUMMARY
· Restores for residential customers with all-electric homes discounts discontinued by an electric company.
· Restores in full any dual fuel heating program or any load management water heating program discontinued by an electric company.
· Declares an emergency.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
The bill requires every electric light company[1] that discontinued discounts for residential customers with all-electric homes to restore them to the discount amounts in place at the time of the discontinuance. The bill applies to discounts that were discontinued during the time period beginning one year before the effective date of the bill and ending on the effective date of the bill.
The bill requires every electric light company that discontinued any dual fuel heating program or any load management water heating program to restore the discontinued program in full. The bill applies this requirement to any such program discontinued during the time period beginning one year before the effective date of the bill and ending on the effective date of the bill. Under the bill, "dual fuel heating program" means a program under which an electric light company provides an incentive, including a discounted rate, for a customer to use a heating system that operates on both electricity and gas, the electric portion of which may be controlled by the company. A "load management water heating program" under the bill means a program under which an electric light company provides an incentive, including a discounted rate, for a customer to use an electric water heater that may be controlled by the company.
The bill declares an emergency and takes effect immediately upon the Governor's signature. The bill states the reason for the emergency is the sudden, drastic increases in electricity costs that electric utility customers are experiencing during an economic recession.
COMMENT
The Public Utilities Commission regulates electric utilities and electric rates pursuant to Chapter 4928. of the Revised Code. Under that authority the PUCO approved a rate change that eliminated the discounted rate for electricity that certain First Energy customers in all-electric homes received and approved charging these customers the standard residential rate. On March 3, 2010, the PUCO ordered First Energy to provide temporary rate relief for all-electric residential customers commensurate with the discount that was in place on December 31, 2008, pending a report by the PUCO staff addressing appropriate long term rates for such customers.
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
03-03-10 |
s0236-i-128.docx/kl
[1] An "electric light company" includes any person, firm, copartnership, voluntary association, joint-stock association, company, or corporation, wherever organized or incorporated, engaged in the business of supplying electricity for light, heat, or power purposes to consumers within this state, including supplying electric transmission service for electricity delivered to consumers in this state, but excluding a regional transmission organization approved by the federal energy regulatory commission (R.C. 4905.03, not in the bill).