1. Electric Service for Residential and Small Business Customers
It’s Basic
Electric Service for Residential and Small Business Customers
Joseph W. Rogers
Chief, Utilities Division
Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General

2. Default Service Principles
The overall objective of restructuring was and remains to produce real benefit for all customers, and all proposals for change must be measured against this standard.
Smaller customers have not had significant access to competitive retail electric markets; residential, and especially low-income customers, may not have viable, reasonably priced retail competitive options.

3. Principles (cont.)
Default Service provided by local utilities may be the only viable energy option for small, residential and low-income customers for the foreseeable future; such service provides a valuable means of delivering the benefits of the competitive market to those customers, and should continue to be offered to them.
Retail choice should be maintained.

4. Basic Electric Service
“Electricity service is essential to the health and well-being of all residents of the commonwealth, to public safety, and to orderly and sustainable economic development,” and that “affordable electric service should be available to all consumers on reasonable terms and conditions.” Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1997
New England has some of the highest rates in the country
Need to provide a Basic Electric Service for small customers on reasonable terms and conditions - A bare bones service at bare bones prices

5. Attorney General’s Framework
Portfolio of Contracts
Statewide Auction
Renaming of Default Service to Basic Service

6. Portfolio of Contracts
Portfolio should contain both long term and short term contracts
Long term contracts to diversify the risk and temper volatility
Spot purchases to mitigate migration and balance the portfolio
Uncertain future requires flexibility in the creation and maintenance of the portfolio
Annual procurements
Laddering of contracts
e.g. spot, one-year, two-year, and three-year
Flexible percentages of each

7. Statewide Auction New Jersey Style Auction Transparent and Efficient
Conducted by an independent consultant
Reviewed by another independent consultant for approval by DTE
Transparent and Efficient
An open and transparent process will attract more bidders
Uniform process and results across the state
Allows aggregation of small loads
Prevents market concentration and the potential for market power abuses.