Relates to energy services companies; authorizes ESCO's to only enroll new or renew existing residential or small non-residential customers in gas or electric service if certain conditions are met.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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10347
IN ASSEMBLY
May 13, 2022
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Paulin) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to energy services
companies
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section
2 66-t to read as follows:
3 § 66-t. Energy services companies. 1. Energy services companies or
4 "ESCO", as defined in paragraph (b) of subdivision one of section three
5 hundred forty-nine-d of the general business law, shall only enroll new
6 or renew existing residential or small non-residential customers in gas
7 or electric service if at least one of the following conditions is met:
8 (a) the enrollment contract guarantees savings over the utility price;
9 (b) enrollment is for a fixed-rate commodity product, priced at no
10 more than five percent greater than the trailing twelve-month average
11 utility supply rate; or
12 (c) enrollment is for a renewably sourced electric commodity product
13 that:
14 (i) has a renewable mix that is at least fifty percent greater than
15 the ESCO's current renewable energy standard obligation; and
16 (ii) the ESCO complies with the renewable energy standard locational
17 and delivery requirements when procuring renewable energy credits or
18 entering into bilateral contracts for renewable commodity supply.
19 2. An ESCO shall be required to guarantee savings to all low-income
20 customers. In order to provide service to a low-income customer, prior
21 to enrollment in a contract, an ESCO shall submit to the department a
22 description which includes, at minimum:
23 (a) a calculation of what the customer would have paid to the default
24 utility;
25 (b) an assurance that the customer will be paying no more than they
26 would have paid to the default utility; and
27 (c) a description of how the ESCO will comply with reporting require-
28 ments in accordance with subdivision five of this section, including a
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15502-01-2
A. 10347 2
1 process for the department or customer to verify compliance with the
2 provisions of this section.
3 3. An ESCO shall receive affirmative consent from residential or small
4 non-residential customers prior to enrolling the customer into a
5 contract that provides renewable energy but does not guarantee savings.
6 4. An ESCO shall provide to customers a transparency of information
7 and disclosure statement with respect to pricing and commodity sourcing.
8 Such statement shall include calculations that show the price per kilo-
9 watt-hour the customer will pay and how that price compares with the
10 applicable default utility service price, the type of renewable energy
11 content in each product the ESCO offers and the percentage of renewable
12 electricity that will be advertised for that product. Such disclosure
13 statement shall be made publicly available on the ESCO's website.
14 5. The disclosure statement for each ESCO shall be made publicly
15 available on the commission's website. Such disclosure statement shall
16 include the relevant facts established and the reason for allowing the
17 ESCO to provide energy services to low-income customers.
18 6. Enrollment contracts between an ESCO and a customer, pursuant to
19 subdivisions one and two of this section, shall include a customer
20 notice statement in fourteen-point font. Such customer notice statement
21 shall disclose the calculation of what the customer would have paid to
22 the default utility and an assurance that the customer will be paying no
23 more than they would have paid to the default utility.
24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.