06/08: New Pepco electric generation rates became effective with bills issued
on June 1, 2008 for Pepco’s Standard Offer Service (SOS) customers
in the District; that is, customers who have not chosen an alternative generation
supplier. Since generation rates account for nearly 80% of residential customers’ bills,
Pepco anticipates that residential customers will see an average annual increase
in bills of 15.5% or about $12.75 per month. Small commercial customers’ annual
bills will increase, on average, by approximately 11.9% (about $24.35 per
month).
Source: District of Columbia Public Service Commission
http://www.dcpsc.org/
01/08: On January 30, 2008, the Public Service Commission of the District
of Columbia issued Order No. 14712, which approved an increase in the Potomac
Electric Power Company’s (PEPCO’s) distribution service rates in
the District of Columbia by $28.3 million; approximately 59 percent of the
Company’s revised request of $47.9 million. The Commission also approved
an overall rate of return for PEPCO of 7.96 percent and a rate base of $978.3
million.
Source: District of Columbia Public Service Commission
http://www.dcpsc.org/
07/06: The Public Service Commission issued Order No. 14006 on July 21, 2006.
In particular, the Commission established a two-phased approach addressing
improvements to SOS procurement process for the next solicitation and initiating
a proceeding to review the SOS process and consider the benefits of a portfolio
management approach.
Source: District of Columbia Public Service Commission
03/06: PEPCO proposed new SOS rates. Based on a March 10th filing, beginning
with the June 2006 bills, PEPCO anticipated that residential customers would
see an annual average increase of 12 percent in their bills (about $8 per month).
Small commercial customers' bills would increase, on average, by about 10 percent.
The Commission approved PEPCO's new SOS rates on March 22, 2006. The new SOS
rates became effective June 1, 2006.
Source: District of Columbia Public Service Commission
01/05: The Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Act was enacted. The Act “established
a renewable energy portfolio standard (“RPS”) through which a minimum
percentage of District electric providers’ supply would be derived from
renewable energy sources beginning January 1, 2007, with an ultimate goal of
11% by 2022. Specified examples of renewable energy sources were: solar energy;
wind; qualifying biomass; methane; geothermal; ocean; fuel cells; hydroelectric
power other than pumped storage generation; and waste-to-energy.”
Source: District of Columbia Public Service Commission
http://www.dcpsc.org/customerchoice/whatis/electric/elec_restruc.shtm#Link1
03/04: The PSC issued Order No. 13118, which adopted the wholesale Standard
Offer Service model to govern the implementation of SOS in the District of
Columbia.
Source: District of Columbia Public Service Commission
http://www.dcpsc.org/pdf_files/commorders/orderpdf/ordno_13118.pdf
02/03: The PSC issued Order No. 12655 to initiate a proceeding to establish
a procedure for selecting a new Standard Offer Service provider, given that
PEPCO’s obligation to serve as the District’s SOS provider was
set to expire by the end of 2004. In this order, the Commission directed all
interested parties to review the list of SOS parameters in the order and to
file proposed issues and comments no later than March 2003.
Source: District of Columbia Public Service Commission
http://www.dcpsc.org/pdf_files/commorders/orderpdf/ordno_12655.pdf
12/01: According to the Commission's latest status report, 8 electricity suppliers
and 3 aggregators (brokers for large groups of customers/communities) had been
certified, but only 2 suppliers, Washington Gas Energy Services and Pepco Energy
Services, and 1 aggregator were providing service. As of November 2001, these
companies were supplying 3.1 percent of customers, representing 43.2 percent
of MW demand, and 42.7 percent of MWh energy usage. The PSC provided information
on the status of retail competition on its website.
10/01: The PSC issued Order No. 12159 and Order No. 12203, which mandated
PEPCO distribute the net proceeds (in excess of the asset's book value) of
the sale of its assets to its customers. Order 12159 allowed the customers
to receive $50.1 million, but Order 12203 stated that PEPCO should revise the
rate schedule and add 9.09 percent interest and begin distribution "on
October 22, 2001 or the first billing cycle after October 22, 2001." According
to the PSC website, residential customers received $75.39 per household and
commercial customers received 0.393 cents per kWh for the annual usage ending
March 31, 2001. The total credits distributed to customers amounted to $51.85
million.
09/01: Order 12186 provided the guidelines and procedures for posting the
price-to-compare information on the Commission's website. Consumers could calculate
their savings on the Commission's website.
01/01: The District of Columbia began allowing customers direct access to
competitive electricity suppliers on January 1, 2001. The PSC established interim
shopping credits ranging from 3.68 to 5.18 cents/kWh. Pepco, the only utility
in DC, recently sold its power plants; the shopping credits would be adjusted
based on the sale of the power plants. The PSC also reviewed marketer licensing
applications and consumer protection measures.
12/00: Order 11845 unbundled retail rates into separate categories, generation,
transmission, and distribution functions. Unbundling allowed customers to compare
prices among electricity suppliers, and helped the Commission to determine "shopping
credits" or "price to compare."
09/00: The District of Columbia Public Service Commission issued Order No.
11796 on September 18, 2000 providing the implementation plan for retail choice.
Effective January 1, 2001, all residential and commercial electricity customers
in the District of Columbia would be able to choose an electricity supplier.
PEPCO was scheduled to continue to provide delivery services. Order 11796 also
included the licensing requirements for alternative electricity suppliers.
01/00: The DC City Council passed legislation (13-284) to allow retail competition.
The PSC was also scheduled to review PEPCO’s restructuring settlement.
Under that settlement, commercial and government consumers would have retail
direct access and residential consumers would begin a retail access pilot by
January 2001.
12/99: According to the PSC's website, Order No. 11576 authorized a 7-percent
reduction in rates for residential customers and a 6.5-percent reduction in
rates for commercial customers, to be implemented in three phases. The first
rate reduction occurred on January 1, 2000 and reflected the elimination of
the Demand-Side Management surcharge. This represented a 2-percent rate reduction
for residential customers and a 3.5-percent rate reduction for commercial customers.
The second rate reduction occurred on July 1, 2000, and it reflected a 1.5
percent across the board base rate reduction for both residential and commercial
customers. The third rate reduction occurred on February 8, 2001. Residential
ratepayers received another 3.5-percent rate reduction and commercial ratepayers
received another 1.5-percent reduction. Order No. 11576 also capped rates after
all of the rate reductions were implemented. The caps were effective until
January 1, 2007 for low and moderate-income Residential Aid Discount customers;
for all other residential and commercial customers, rates were proposed to
be capped until January 1, 2005.
03/99: Potomac Electric Power Co stated that it planned to sell its power
plants and purchase power contracts. PEPCO intended to become a "wires" company,
concentrating on power delivery, retailing power, cable TV, and Internet services.
02/99: PEPCO filed a plan with the PSC to allow retail competition in its
service territory in the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland. The plan
would allow retail choice in DC by 1/01, included an estimate of stranded costs
and a method for recovery, proposed unbundled rates, and a rate freeze through
1/05. PEPCO planed to sell its DC power plants to recoup stranded costs.
12/98: The PSC requested PEPCO to file a restructuring plan with stranded
costs and unbundled rates studies.
08/98: A report was issued by the PSC on electric restructuring issues. The
report requested a restructuring plan from PEPCO and recommended retail access
be phased-in over 3 years beginning January 2001.
09/97: The PSC issued a notice of inquiry for issues to investigate on retail
competition.
