Customer Education Legislation Summary
The Customer Education legislation finds that:
- Customers lack sufficient information about how to compare offers from electricity suppliers in order to make an informed decision about switching electricity suppliers;
- Customer education is essential for Maryland customers to realize the significant savings currently available through the competitive electricity supply market;
- The Public Service Commission and the Maryland Energy Administration are the appropriate agencies to educate customers about how to select an electricity supplier that best meets the customers' needs.
The legislation requires the Maryland Public Service Commission and the Maryland electric utilities to undertake certain activities to educate consumers about customer choice.
The Commission must prominently display on its website a link to a user-friendly customer choice website devoted to providing consumers with information they need about how to shop for electricity supply. The site must include information such as: what is choice, how to shop, FAQs, the kinds of choices available, questions customers should ask competitive retail electricity suppliers' offers, disclosures retail electricity suppliers are required to make to customers, and an easily searchable list of all retail suppliers offers in a customer's area accessible through a simple ZIP code search tool. Suppliers will update this information on a monthly basis through a secure portal on the Commission's website.
The Commission is also required to work with media outlets to develop and air public service announcements about customer choice and direct consumers to the Commission's customer choice website for more information. The Commission must convene a stakeholder workgroup to develop the requirements for educational materials/information provided by the Maryland electric utilities. The Commission must submit annual reports to the General Assembly regarding the success of its education efforts. Cost recovery for incremental costs incurred to implement these measures will occur through the standard methodology prescribed in current law for the assessment of companies subject to the PSC's jurisdiction.
The electric utilities are required to utilize existing education campaigns and communication tools to educate customers about competition and their ability to shop. Their materials will direct consumers to the PSC's website for more information. They must use bill inserts or other customer newsletters to deliver these messages. Further, existing education campaigns focused on energy efficiency and conservation must be supplemented/expanded with messages about customer choice and shopping, and direct consumers to the PSC website for more information. Cost recovery for any incremental costs that result from implementing these measures will be from all customers through rate recovery mechanisms designed for such purposes and deemed most appropriate by the Commission.
Learn More:
©2010 Washington Gas Energy Services. All rights reserved.
