CONSOLIDATED UTILITY BILLING SERVICES
Section 1. Establishment and Maintenance of Consolidated Utility Billing.
Under Consolidated Utility Billing, Utility will include the DWR Charges with its Utility Charges on the Customer's Bill.
Section 2. Customer Billing Procedures.
2.1. Compliance with Metering Standards.
(a) Utility shall comply with all metering standards pursuant to Applicable Tariffs.
(b) Utility shall read and validate data from meters, and edit and estimate such data, under the terms of Applicable Tariffs.
(c) Utility shall maintain, store and provide current and historical meter and usage data as required by Applicable Tariffs.
2.2. Presentation of DWR Charges on Consolidated Utility Bill.
(a) DWR Charges shall appear on all Consolidated Utility Bills in the manner and at the time required by Applicable Law and Applicable Tariffs.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) above, the Utility may change the manner of bill presentation of DWR Charges upon the agreement of DWR or at the request of DWR and upon agreement by the Utility. Such agreement by DWR or Utility is not to be unreasonably withheld.
(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) above, no change shall be made to Consolidated Utility Bill formats without the approval of the Commission, if the Commission's approval is required under Applicable Law and Applicable Tariffs.
(d) Notwithstanding subsections (a), (b), and (c) above, the Consolidated Utility Bill shall (i) at all times contain a separate line item for Bond Charges and (ii) so long as DWR is providing Power to Customers, contain a statement to the effect that the Consolidated Utility Bill includes Charges for power provided by DWR for which DWR is collecting "X" cents per kilowatt hour (where X = the current Power Charge).
2.3. Billing Costs.
DWR agrees that Utility shall be reimbursed for the reasonable costs of the Billing Services it performs for DWR under this Servicing Order, except for those costs that would have been incurred in providing Billing Services for Customers in the absence of this Servicing Order. DWR agrees that the Commission has jurisdiction to address any dispute concerning the reasonableness of the costs of Billing Services charged to DWR under this Agreement.
2.4. Adjustments to DWR Charges.
Utility will resolve all disputes with Customers relating to DWR Charges consistent with Applicable Tariffs and prevailing industry standards. Utility will not waive any late payment fee or modify the terms of payment of any amounts payable by Customer unless such action is consistent with the action taken with respect to its own Charges and Applicable Tariffs. In the event that DWR is entitled by Applicable Law to collect a charge as a component of DWR Charges, DWR agrees, and PG&E is ordered to negotiate the amendment(s) to this Servicing Order that is (or are) appropriate in order to facilitate the calculation and collection of such a charge, and any such amendment shall be submitted to the Commission for approval. For purposes of this Section 2.4, "charge" means any amount that DWR is entitled, under Applicable Law, to assess and collect from a Customer in the event such Customer ceases purchasing DWR Power.
2.5. Format of Consolidated Utility Bills.
Utility shall conform to such requirements in respect of the format, structure and text of Consolidated Utility Bills as Applicable Law and Applicable Tariffs shall from time to time prescribe. Utility shall, subject to the requirements of Sections 1 and 2 of this Service Attachment 1, determine the format and text of Consolidated Utility Bills in accordance with its reasonable business judgment, and its policies and practices with respect to its own charges.
2.6. Customer Notices.
(a) If DWR Charges are revised at any time, Utility shall, to the extent and in the manner and timeframe required by Applicable Law, provide Customers with notice announcing such revised DWR Charges. Such notice shall, as appropriate, include publication, inserts to or in the text of the bills or on the reverse side of bills delivered to Customers, and/or such other means as Utility may from time to time use to communicate with its Customers. The format of any such notice shall be determined by the mutual agreement of the Parties, subject to approval by the Commission's public advisor.
(b) In addition, at least once each year, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, Utility shall cause to be prepared and delivered to Customers a notice stating, in effect, that DWR Power and DWR Charges are owned by DWR and not Utility. Such notice shall be included, in a manner and format to be agreed upon by the Parties, subject to approval by the Commission's public advisor, either as an insert to or in the text of the bills or on the reverse side of bills delivered to such Customers or shall be delivered to Customers by electronic means or such other means as Utility may from time to time use to communicate with its Customers.
2.7. Delivery.
Utility shall deliver all Consolidated Utility Bills (i) by United States Mail in such class or classes as are consistent with polices and practices followed by Utility with respect to its own charges or (ii) by any other means, whether electronic or otherwise, that Utility may from time to time use to present its own charges to its Customers. In the case of Consolidated Utility Billing Service, Utility shall pay from its own funds all costs of issuance and delivery of Consolidated Utility Bills, including but not limited to printing and postage costs as the same may increase or decrease from time to time, except to the extent that the presentation of DWR Charges and any associated bill messages or notices (including, without limitation, bill inserts and published notices) materially increase the costs in which case such increase in costs shall be borne solely by DWR. To the extent practicable, Utility agrees to give DWR seven calendar days prior written notice of any such additional costs. Any such increased costs shall be invoiced to DWR as Additional Charges and shall be subject to the provisions of Section 7 of the Servicing Order.
Section 3. Customer Payments.
Utility shall permit Customers to pay DWR Charges through any of the payment options then offered by Utility to Customers for payment of Utility Charges appearing on the Consolidated Utility Bill. Utility shall not permit Customers to direct how partial payments of balances due on Consolidated Utility Bills will be applied. Utility will credit all payments received from a Customer as set forth in Attachment B hereto.
Section 4. Collection and Nonpayment.
4.1. Collection of DWR Charges.
Utility will collect DWR Charges in accordance with its standard practices, and will notify Customers of amounts overdue for DWR Charges in accordance with such practices. Such collection practices shall conform to all requirements of Applicable Law and Applicable Tariffs. Utility will post all payments for DWR Charges as promptly as practicable, but in no case less promptly than Utility posts payments for Utility Charges.
4.2. Termination of Customer's Electrical Service.
Utility shall adhere to and carry out disconnection policies in accordance with Applicable Law.
Section 5. Taxes and Fees Service.
Subject to Section 7.3, Utility will collect and remit to the various authorities the taxes and fees assessed to Customers on the DWR Charges.
Section 6. Late Payments.
In the event that Utility receives late payment interest charges from a Customer, such payment shall be allocated to DWR based upon the same proportion that DWR Charges bear to the total Utility Charges on the Consolidated Utility Bill. Utility shall not allocate to DWR any other late payment service charges or collection fees (including but not limited to disconnection or reconnection services or similar charges related to Customer defaults).
SERVICE ATTACHMENT 2
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY
WHOLESALE TRADING, BILLING, COLLECTION OF SURPLUS POWER SALES
Section |
Title |
Page |
Section 1 |
Surplus Sales Transactions |
SA 2-2 |
Section 2 |
Wholesale Invoicing Procedures |
SA 2-2 |
Section 3 Wholesale Payments SA 2-4
Section 4 Collection and Nonpayment SA 2-4
Section 5 Taxes and Fees Service SA 2-4
Section 6 Late Payments SA 2-5
Section 7 Credit Risk Management SA 2-5
[To be provided by Utility]
