§ 16-19f — Rate design standards for electric public service companies and municipal electric companies. Determination of appropriateness. Implementation. Electric vehicle charging stations.

Connecticut § 16-19f

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 16: Public Service Companies
• Ch. 277: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Office of Consumer Counsel. Miscellaneous Provisions

Text

(a) As used in this section: (1) “Cost of service” means an electric utility rate for a class of consumer which is designed, to the maximum extent practicable, to reflect the cost to the utility in providing electric service to such class; (2) “Declining block rate” means an electric utility rate for a class of consumer which prices successive blocks of electricity consumed by such consumer at lower per-unit prices; (3) “Time of day rate” means an electric utility rate for a class of consumer which is designed to reflect the cost to the utility of providing electricity to such consumer at different times of the day; (4) “Seasonal rate” means an electric utility rate for a class of consumer designed to reflect the cost to the utility in providing electricity to such consumer during different seasons of the year; (5) “Electric vehicle time of day rate” means an electric utility rate for a class of consumer designed to reflect the cost to the utility of providing electricity to such consumer charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station at different times of the day, but shall not include demand charges; (6) “Electric vehicle charging station” means an electric component assembly or cluster of component assemblies designed specifically to charge batteries within electric vehicles by permitting the transfer of electric energy to a battery or other storage device in an electric vehicle; (7) “Public electric vehicle charging station” means an electric vehicle charging station located at a publicly available parking space; (8) “Publicly available parking space” means a parking space that has been designated by a property owner or lessee to be available to, and accessible by, the public and may include on-street parking spaces and parking spaces in surface lots or parking garages, but shall not include: (A) A parking space that is part of, or associated with, a private residence; (B) a parking space that is reserved for the exclusive use of an individual driver or vehicle or for a group of drivers or vehicles, such as employees, tenants, visitors, residents of a common interest development, or residents of an adjacent building; or (C) a parking space reserved for persons who are blind and persons with disabilities as described in section 14-253a ; (9) “Interruptible rate” means an electric utility rate designed to reflect the cost to the utility in providing service to a consumer where such consumer permits his service to be interrupted during periods of peak electrical demand; and (10) “Load management techniques” means cost-effective techniques used by an electric utility to reduce the maximum kilowatt demand on the utility. (b) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, with respect to each electric public service company, shall (1) within two years, consider and determine whether it is appropriate to implement any of the following rate design standards: (A) Cost of service; (B) prohibition of declining block rates; (C) time of day rates; (D) seasonal rates; (E) interruptible rates; and (F) load management techniques, and (2) not later than June 1, 2017, consider and determine whether it is appropriate to implement electric vehicle time of day rates for residential and commercial customers. The consideration of said standards by the authority shall be made after public notice and hearing. Such hearing may be held concurrently with a hearing required pursuant to subsection (b) of section 16-19e . The authority shall make a determination on whether it is appropriate to implement any of said standards. Said determination shall be in writing, shall take into consideration the evidence presented at the hearing and shall be available to the public. A standard shall be deemed to be appropriate for implementation if such implementation would encourage energy conservation, optimal and efficient use of facilities and resources by an electric public service company and equitable rates for electric consumers. (c) Each municipal electric company shall (1) not later than July 1, 2018, consider and determine whether it is appropriate to implement any of the following rate design standards: (A) Cost of service; (B) prohibition of declining block rates; (C) time of day rates; (D) seasonal rates; (E) interruptible rates; and (F) load management techniques, and (2) not later than June 1, 2017, consider and determine whether it is appropriate to implement electric vehicle time of day rates for residential and commercial customers. The consideration of said standards by each municipal electric company shall be made after public notice and hearing. Each municipal electric company shall make a determination on whether it is appropriate to implement any of said standards. Said determination shall be in writing, shall take into consideration the evidence presented at the hearing and shall be available to the public. A standard shall be deemed to be appropriate for implementation if such implementation would encourage energy conservation, optimal and efficient use of facilities and resources by a municipal electric company and equitable rates for electric consumers. No municipal electric company that completed such consideration and determination regarding any rate design standard or electric vehicle time of day rate before July 1, 2017, shall be required to conduct another consideration and determination regarding the same such rate design standard or electric vehicle time of day rate. (d) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, with respect to each electric public service company, and each municipal electric company may implement any standard determined under subsection (b) of this section to be appropriate or decline to implement any such standard. If the authority or a municipal electric company declines to implement any standard determined to be appropriate, it shall state in writing its reasons for doing so and make such statement available to the public. (e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any municipal electric company which has total annual sales of electricity for purposes other than resale of five hundred million kilowatt-hours or less. See chapter 101 re municipal electric companies.

Legislative History

(P.A. 79-554, S. 1–5; P.A. 80-482, S. 4, 40, 345, 348; P.A. 88-220, S. 1, 11; P.A. 05-288, S. 65; P.A. 11-80, S. 1, 28; P.A. 13-298, S. 64; P.A. 16-135, S. 4; P.A. 18-18, S. 1; 18-50, S. 30.) History: P.A. 80-482 made division of public utility control an independent department and abolished department of business regulation; P.A. 88-220 deleted Subsec. (e) containing obsolete 1980 reporting requirement; P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 11-80 replaced “Department of Public Utility Control” with “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” and replaced “department” with “authority”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-298 amended Subsec. (a) to add new Subdivs. (5) and (6) defining “electric vehicle time of day rate” and “public electric vehicle charging station” and to redesignate existing Subdivs. (5) and (6) as Subdivs. (7) and (8), and amended Subsec. (b) to designate existing provision re implementation of rate design standards as new Subdiv. (1), to redesignate existing Subdivs. (1) to (6) as Subparas. (A) to (F) and to add new Subdiv. (2) re implementation of electric vehicle time of day rates, effective July 8, 2013; P.A. 16-135 amended Subsec. (a) by adding new Subdiv. (6) defining “electric vehicle charging station”, redesignating existing Subdiv. (6) as Subdiv. (7) and amending same to redefine “public electric vehicle charging station”, adding new Subdiv. (8) defining “publicly available parking space” and redesignating existing Subdivs. (7) and (8) re interruptible rate and load management techniques, respectively, as Subdivs. (9) and (10), amended Subsec. (b) by deleting references to municipal electric company and, in Subdiv. (2), by replacing “within one year” with “not later than June 1, 2017” and adding “for residential and commercial customers”, added new Subsec. (c) re municipal electric company rate design standards, and redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (d) and (e), effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 18-18 amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “within two years” with “not later than July 1, 2018” and adding provision re municipal electric companies that completed consideration and determination before July 1, 2017, effective May 24, 2018; P.A. 18-50 made identical changes as P.A. 18-18, effective May 24, 2018.