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Energy Competition Rulemaking Meeting Scheduled
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) issued a notice of stakeholder meeting and request for comments regarding proposed rule changes that if adopted would directly impact retail competition and suppliers.
DATE: July 30, 2025 TIME: 10:00 a.m. EST
LOCATION: Zoom Virtual Webinar REGISTER: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jpcWIyfeS3ma9b-lHD4R5g.
Please note that the meeting will be conducted virtually. You must register before attending the meeting at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled date.
Note: The Board is also accepting written and/or electronic comments. All public comments should be filed under BPU Docket No. EX25040201, In the Matter of the Proposed Readoption with Amendments to N.J.A.C.14:4 et seq., Energy Competition. The deadline for comments on this matter is 5:00 p.m. ET on August 13, 2025.
In considering the readoption of N.J.A.C. 14:4 – Energy Competition, the NJ BPU is seeking comments on several proposed amendments to existing rule. See proposed rule changes here.
Future Switch Restrictions
The BPU is proposing a new section 2.6A plus additional amendments to incorporate “preferred supplier freezes,” where customers elect “to restrict any future switch from one provider of electric generation service or gas supply service to another provider.” The Board proposes to add new subsection (d) to provide a description of the notice a customer may receive when they have a preferred supplier freeze pursuant to new section N.J.A.C. 14:4-2.6A.
Customer Billing Reporting Obligations
The BPU is also proposing a new section 7.14 that requires suppliers to “report customer billing errors that affect [10] or more customers to the Board Secretary and requires [them] to credit residential customers that it overbills with interest.”
Subchapter 6. Government Energy Aggregation Program
N.J.A.C. 14:4-6.4 sets forth the provisions for municipal and/or county energy aggregation programs. The Board proposes to amend the section by recodifying subsection (g) as subsection (e) for clarity purposes; amend new recodified subsection (e)1i.(3) to exempt from automatic enrollment a residential customer with a third party supplier freeze; amend new recodified subsection (e)1.iii to clarify the status of a residential customer decision to opt-out of an Option 1 government-private energy aggregation program; amend new recodified subsection (e)2i.(3) to exempt from automatic enrollment a residential customer with a third party supplier freeze; amend new recodified subsection (e)2.iii to clarify the status of a residential customer decision to opt-out of a Option 2 government-private energy aggregation program; recodify the remaining affected subsections accordingly; and amend subsection (j)1 to change the name “Division of Energy” to “Division of Revenue and Rates”.
N.J.A.C. 14:4-7.6 sets forth the requirements for contracts between a TPS and a customer.
The Board proposes to amend subsection (k) to clarify that a TPS must provide its customers with 10 contracts that contain a fixed rate element or both a fixed rate element and a variable rate element written notice of certain prescribed information.
N.J.A.C. 14:4-7.6A sets forth TPS contract summary requirements.
The Board proposes to amend subsection (a)6 to require the TPS contract summary to include both fixed rate and variable rate elements and subsection (a)7 to require the TPS contract summary to include a brief explanation of the historical variable rates billed by the TPS for the three preceding months.
N.J.A.C. 14:4-6.5 sets forth the provisions for an option 1 government–private energy aggregation program.
The Board proposes to amend subsection (d)1 to exempt from notice requirements of subsection (c) electric and gas customers who have a third party supplier freeze in place and to add a new subsection (f)3 to include notice by LDC to customer of the ramification of an opt-out response.
N.J.A.C. 14:4-7.13 sets forth the penalties for violating this subchapter.
The Board proposes no changes. 11 N.J.A.C. 14:4-7.14 is a new section which requires TPS to report customer billing errors that affect ten (10) or more customers to the Board Secretary and requires TPSs to credit residential customers that it overbills with interest. The proposed new rule sets forth how the billing errors must be reported and the information that must be included in the reports. The proposed new rule sets forth the interest rate that must be used by the TPSs for the bill credits.
Revised License Application
The BPU also seeks comments on license related proposals including (1) allowing the return of a surety bond at the request of a suppler whose license has expired or been withdrawn, provided the licensee does not have: (i) outstanding tax debt; and (ii) outstanding investigations or customer complaints; and (2) increases to license fees, including, for Nonrefundable Annual Information Update Fees: (i) for electric suppliers, from $500 to $750; (ii) for gas suppliers, from $400 to $600; and (iii) for private energy agents, from $200 to $300.
BPU Docket No. EX25040201
(Readoption of N.J.A.C. 14:4 – Energy Competition.)
