PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
ENERGY DIVISION RESOLUTION G-3372
As modified by D.05-09-046
(September 28, 2005)
Resolution G-3372, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) seeks revisions to Gas and Electric Rule 17.1 - Adjustment of Bills for Billing Error and Rule 17.2 - Adjustment of Bills for Unauthorized Use, and addition of Gas and Electric Rule 17.3 - Limitation on Adjustment of Bills for Energy Use. Approved with modifications.
By Advice Letter (AL) 2581-G/2568-E filed on October 15, 2004.
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SUMMARY
PG&E proposes to modify electric and gas Rules 17.1 and 17.2 to limit a residential customer's exposure to three months for undercharges resulting from PG&E's failure to deliver an actual or estimated bill. PG&E also proposes new Rule 17.3 to address when customers may be back billed for up to 3 years. We grant PG&E's proposal in part and deny the proposed new Rule 17.3 as summarized below:
_ Consistent with the policy underlying its existing tariffs, failure to issue a bill shall be treated as a billing error. If billing error has occurred, Rule 17.2 addressing unauthorized use shall not apply, and PG&E may back bill residential customers for undercharges for a period limited to 3 months.
_ As specified in this resolution PG&E shall revise gas and electric Rules 9 and 17 to show when the issuance of estimated bills constitutes billing error for purposes of applying Rule 17.1; PG&E shall also remove the reference to "unusual conditions" in the portion of Rule 9 which addresses estimated bills.
_ The billing delays and billing estimates resulting from PG&E's implementation of a new billing system may be reviewed in Application (A.) 02-11-017, et. al., PG&E's test year 2003 general rate case.
_ PG&E shall modify Rule 17.2 to reflect that PG&E shall bill for unauthorized use the person who benefited from the unauthorized use for the full period of that person's unauthorized use.
_ The tariff changes we authorize today are consistent with existing CPUC policy and requirements as set forth in Decision (D.) 86-06-035 and with existing PG&E tariffs.
_ PG&E's proposed Rule 17.3 is denied. The rule as proposed by PG&E is overly broad and vague.
_ PG&E shall file a report explaining the reasons for the large number of delayed and estimated bills over the past five years and its plan for reducing the number of these bills in A.02-11-017, et. al. The report shall also include an estimate of the numbers of customers affected by delayed and estimated bills over this time period and the associated dollar amounts.
