FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC) Application for a Certificate of Public ...

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
restored.
FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC or the Company)
Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure Project
Response to British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC or the Commission)
Information Request (IR) No. 1
103.0 Reference: Project Costs and Benefits
Response:
Exhibit No. B-1, Tab 5.0, Section 6.4, pp. 102-103
Pre-Pay
Submission Date:
October 5, 2012
Page 240
103.1 Will FortisBC be filing an application related to Pre-Pay in 2016? If not, will it be
within the twenty-year window? If so, when?
As indicated in the Application at Tab 6.0, Section 6.4, p 103, “If AMI is approved, FortisBC
intends to fully investigate the potential development costs and potential savings associated
with a pre-pay system. If warranted, a proposal for a prepay system will be included in a future
application filing for possible submission in 2015 or later.”
FortisBC is interested in offering an optional pre-pay after AMI is implemented for several
reasons:
• Customers have the convenience and control of paying as much as they want, whenever
they want;
• Experience from utilities offering pre-pay programs shows that participating customers
tend to be highly satisfied with their utilities (http://www.elp.com/index/display/articledisplay/4104517685/articles/utility-automation-engineering-td/volume-16/issue-
10/departments/perspectives/pre-paid-metering-amis-killer-app.html);
• Pre-pay programs help consumers reduce their bills by raising awareness of energy
consumption;
• Customers would not need a credit check or deposit; and
• The risk of write-offs from pre-pay customers is reduced.
Response:
103.2 Will the current in-home devices on the market accommodate pre-payment or will
the customer have to purchase a new in-home device?