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From Letter:

[ *** ] Currently, in accordance with the Working Group Report that has been approved by PURA in this docket, Eversource said: “Eversource also proposes to establish an automated query to check daily for any hardship customer that is on a price higher than the standard service rate. For any such hardship customer that is identified, the customer would be returned to standard service as of the time of the customer’s last bill, so the customer would not receive a bill for a rate higher than standard service.”  PURA approved that proposal in its Final Interim Decision issued on April 4, 2024, in this docket and directed the EDCs to implement this proposal (among others) and did not direct the EDCs to make any changes to the proposal. Eversource will continue to follow this approach, returning the hardship customer to standard service at the time of the customer’s last bill, for hardship customers that are identified as being on a rate higher than the standard service rate at any time other than the Jan. 1 and July 1 standard service rate changes. The scope of this change, which benefits hardship customers, is described in greater detail below.

The Reason for the Change to Eversource’s Currently Approved Process

The reason the Company is making this change is that the unintended consequence of returning hardship customers to standard service on the first day of their current billing cycle when the standard service rate is going to be lower than their current supplier rates is that the customers would be charged the higher standard service rate for whatever part of their billing cycle occurred before the January 1 or July 1 rate change. With the approach we are now going to use for January 1 and July 1, where the hardship customer will be returned to standard service on January 1 or July 1, rather than on the first day of their current billing cycle, the customer will be charged their supply rate until, for example, July 1, and will then be charged the lower standard service rate beginning on July 1 when that lower standard service rate takes effect.

Eversource’s Revised Process Complies with the Law

This approach complies with Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-245o(m), as revised by Public Act 23-102, which states that hardship customers may now enroll with an electric supplier “provided all customer contracts with electric suppliers, for rates effective on and after January 1, 2024, shall be at or below the standard service rate for the duration of the contracts.” Both the plan we originally proposed in the Working Group Report, which was approved by PURA, and this adjustment to the timing of that plan for January 1 and July 1, comply with this statute because in both scenarios a hardship customer will never be paying a supply rate that is higher than the standard service rate. Further, based on the plain language of the statute it is the suppliers’ responsibility (not the EDCs’) to ensure their customer contracts are at or below the standard service rate for the duration of the contracts.

The Company is making this pro-consumer adjustment to its processes to help further ensure that hardship customers do not pay more than the then-current standard service rate. The Company appreciates the opportunity to inform PURA of its revised approach that will result in a financial benefit to hardship customers.

Eversource Letter (06/28/2024)
18-06-02RE02 (07/03/2023)
(Investigation of Appropriate Limitations on All Customer Contracts with Electric Suppliers Pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16- 245o(m))