Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Public Utilities Regulatory Authority

Connecticut Department
of Public Utility Control
 
Electric Supplier/Aggregator Handbook
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
     A. Connecticut General Statutes 
     B. Regulations Of Connecticut State Agencies
DEFINITIONS
APPLICATION PROCESS
     A. Electric Suppliers 
     B. Aggregators
Ongoing Filing Requirements
Contact Information
Code of Conduct
CTEnergyInfo.com
Renewable Portfolio Standards
SUPPLIER/AGGREGATOR-RELATED DECISIONS
     A. Customer Switching Rules
     B. Purchase of Receivables
    
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Connecticut Department of Public Utility (Department) Control licenses, and oversees the activities of, Electric Suppliers and Aggregators in the state.  The Department has compiled this Handbook to provide information about the Statutes, Regulations and Department Decisions that govern the licensing process and activities of Supplier and Aggregators.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
A. CONNECTICUT GENERAL STATUTES
The following is a listing of, and links to, the Connecticut General Statutes that apply to Electric Supplier and Aggregators.   
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-49.  Expenses of Department of Public Utility Control and Office of Consumer Counsel. Assessment of regulated companies.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-243h. Credit to residential customers who generate electricity; metering.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245a.  Renewable energy portfolio standards.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-243q.  Class III renewable energy portfolio standards.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-243w.  Advanced metering system plan and deployment.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-244c.  Standard offer. Transitional standard offer. Standard service. Alternative transitional standard offer and standard service. Supplier of last resort. Back-up generation service. Participating electric suppliers.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-244h.  Code of conduct for electric distribution companies, generation entities or affiliates and electric suppliers. Contents of code. Penalties, damages.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-244i.  Duties of electric distribution companies.
    Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245. Licensing of electric suppliers. Procedures. Penalties. Registration of electric aggregators. Procedures. Penalties.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245d.  Billing of electric service; standard format; contents.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245o.  Restrictions on use of customer information for marketing. Promotional inserts in electric bills prohibited. Procedures for entering and terminating service contracts. Penalties.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245p.  Information re electric supplier and electric distribution company to be provided to customers.
    Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245q.  Changing electric suppliers.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245r.  Discrimination by electric suppliers prohibited.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245s.  Switching electric suppliers; procedures; penalties; regulations.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-245u.  Unfair and discriminatory conduct and unfair trade practices in electric market prohibited. Investigations.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-259a.  Inaccurate billing. Financial liability of customer. Payment plan.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-262c.  Termination of utility service for nonpayment, when prohibited. Amortization agreements. Moneys allowed to be deducted from customers' accounts and moneys to be included in rates as an operating expense. Hardship cases. Notice. Regulations. Annual reports. Privacy of individual customer utility usage and billing information.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-262d.  Termination of residential utility service on account of nonpayment. Notice. Nontermination in event of illness during pendency of customer complaint or investigation. Amortization agreement. Appeal. Notice re credit rating information.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-262e.  Notice furnished tenants re intended termination of utility service. Assumption by tenants of liability for future service. Liability of landlords for certain utility services. Deduction from rent.
  • Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-262j.  Refusal of residential utility service. Regulations. Refusal of telecommunications service to a candidate or committee. Interest on customer security deposits. Deposit index.
    Conn. Gen. Stat. §16-262x.  Customer ID required when requesting termination of residential utility service; notice to customer of record is required prior to termination of service;
B. REGULATIONS OF CONNECTICUT STATE AGENCIES
The following is a listing of, and links to, the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies that apply to Electric Supplier and Aggregators.  
DEFINITIONS
Electric supplier - Any person, including an electric aggregator or participating municipal electric utility that is licensed by the Department of Public Utility Control in accordance with section 16-245, that provides electric generation services to end use customers in the state using the transmission or distribution facilities of an electric distribution company, regardless of whether or not such person takes title to such generation services, but does not include: (A) A municipal electric utility established under chapter 101, other than a participating municipal electric utility; (B) a municipal electric energy cooperative established under chapter 101a; (C) an electric cooperative established under chapter 597; (D) any other electric utility owned, leased, maintained, operated, managed or controlled by any unit of local government under any general statute or special act; or (E) an electric distribution company in its provision of electric generation services in accordance with subsection (a) or, prior to January 1, 2004, subsection (c) of section 16-244c.
Electric aggregator - (A) a person, municipality or regional water authority that gathers together electric customers for the purpose of negotiating the purchase of electric generation services from an electric supplier, or (B) the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, if it gathers together electric customers for the purpose of negotiating the purchase of electric generation services from an electric supplier, provided such person, municipality or authority is not engaged in the purchase or resale of electric generation services, and provided further such customers contract for electric generation services directly with an electric supplier, and may include an electric cooperative established pursuant to chapter 597.
APPLICATION PROCESS
A.   SUPPLIERS
The DPUC reviews license applications to determine if an applicant has the technical, financial and managerial capability to operate as an Electric Supplier.  If the information in the application is sufficient, the Department grants the applicant an Electric Supplier License to serve residential, commercial, industrial, municipal and governmental (any combination) customers throughout Connecticut.
The application is filed pursuant to §16-245 of the General Statutes of Connecticut and §§16-245-1 to 16-245-6, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.
Click here to access the Supplier Licensing Application.
For guidance, the DPUC provides these links to recent Supplier licensing dockets:
Docket No. 10-04-03, Application of Choice Energy, LLC For an Electric Supplier License; and,
Docket No. 10-03-11, Application of Spark Energy, L.P. For an Electric Supplier License.
B.   AGGREGATORS
The DPUC reviews applications for a Certificate of Registration for Electric Aggregators. If the information in the application is sufficient the DPUC grants a Certificate of Registration to provide electric aggregation services to residential, commercial, industrial, municipal and governmental (or any combination) customers in the state.
The application is filed pursuant to §16-245(l) of the General Statutes of Connecticut.
Please note that the DPUC has suspended the application process for Electric Aggregators pending a ruling in Docket No. 10-06-24.
For guidance, the DPUC provides these links to recent Aggregator registration dockets:
Docket No. 10-06-26, Application of Polaris Energy, LLC For a Certificate of Registration As an Electric Aggregator;
Docket No. 10-07-01, Application of I.C. Thomasson Associates, Inc. For a Certificate of Registration As an Electric Aggregator; and,
Docket No. 10-07-04, Application of Ness Energy Services, LLC For an Electric Aggregator Certificate of Registration.
 

SUPPLIER-RELATED DECISIONS

The Department of Public Utility Control has issued several Supplier and Aggregator-related Decisions since the passage of Public Act 98-28.  These Decisions have addressed a number of issues, such as customer switching rules, disclosure label requirements and more.  This section of the Handbook identifies and summarizes these issues and provides a link to the Decision(s) in which the Department ruled on individual issues.

A.   Customer Switching Rules

Disclosure Labels - Docket No. 06-10-22

Retail Price Filings - Docket 05-07-33

Customer Switching Information - Docket 06-10-22

Referral Program

 DPUC Final Decision Library - 05-08-05RE02