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Customer
Enrollments & Drops
To assist
electricity suppliers in
the enrollment and termination (drop) processes, BGE has divided
the information into the following categories:
A.
Initial Electricity Supplier Enrollments
B.
Customer Switching Electricity Suppliers
C.
Electricity Supplier & Non-Residential Customer Initiated Drops
D.
Customer Closing Existing BGE Account
E. New
or Transfer Customers
F.
Sample Enrollment & Drop Letters
Electricity suppliers should also familiarize themselves with
Maryland's Electric Choice rules that are covered in
Section 7 of the
BGE Electricity Supplier Coordination Tariff.
A. Initial
Electricity Supplier Enrollments
Customer Selects Electricity Supplier
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When a customer initiates a contract
by internet, telephone, or direct mail, the electricity supplier must maintain a record of the
contract in accordance with Maryland Public Service Commission rules
and regulations.
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Only one electricity supplier may serve a customer during a billing
period. Electricity suppliers are responsible for supplying 100 percent of the
customer's load.
Electricity Supplier Enrollment Transaction
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The electricity supplier must submit a valid electronic 814E-Enrollment transaction
(See
EDI Implementation Guidelines) to
BGE. To be effective the next
scheduled meter reading date, BGE must receive the transaction by 5PM
ET at least 17 days prior to the customer's next scheduled meter
reading date. If the 17th day falls on a Saturday or
Sunday, BGE must receive the transaction by 5PM ET on the last
business day (Friday) to be effective on the customer's next scheduled
meter reading date.
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It is strongly
recommended that electricity suppliers do not wait until the
17th
day to submit their enrollment as this does not provide the
electricity supplier sufficient time to verify that the enrollment was
valid through the enrollment response. BGE will not correct
invalid enrollments or give any latitude to late enrollments. In
these cases, the enrollment will become effective with the customer's
subsequent meter reading date.
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Enrollments received less than 17 days prior to the
customer's next scheduled meter reading date will become effective on
the customer's subsequent meter reading date. BGE will not accept any
future dated enrollment transactions.
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Electricity
suppliers must designate which type of billing option the customer
will be using in the 814E-Enrollment transaction. These include Dual
Billing, BGE Consolidated Billing or Electricity Supplier Consolidated Billing.
For more information on these billing types, see the Customer Billing
& Payment section.
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Electricity suppliers may request historical usage at the time of
enrollment using the 814E-Historical Usage request
(See
EDI Implementation Guidelines). BGE will
provide the data, where applicable via the 867HU-Historical Usage response
(See
EDI Implementation Guidelines).
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Enrollment requests for accounts with interval meters will
default to detail data. This means that the electricity supplier will receive
monthly usage summarized on the 867MU-Monthly Usage
(See
EDI Implementation Guidelines)
and will have to access the
interval data via the CDWeb application on this web site.
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BGE will confirm
receipt of the 814E-Enrollment request via a 997 Acknowledgement transaction.
BGE Enrollment Response - Confirmation or Rejection
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Within one (1) business day, BGE will forward to the new electricity
supplier an 814E-Enrollment Response transaction. The transaction
will either be an acceptance of the enrollment transaction and will
indicate the effective date of energy flow (scheduled meter read
date), or will reject the enrollment transaction with an appropriate
rejection code.
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If BGE reads
the customer's meter up to 3 days before the first scheduled meter
reading date or up to 15 days after the first scheduled meter
reading date, BGE will modify the customer's effective date with the
electricity supplier to reflect the actual reading date.
Multiple Electricity Supplier Enrollments
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If BGE
receives multiple enrollments
(enrollment of
the
same customer from different electricity suppliers), the last
transaction received before
5PM ET 17 days prior to the customer's next scheduled meter
reading date
will
become effective.
Customer Enrollment Notification
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Within two (2) business days of receiving the enrollment response
from BGE, the electricity supplier must advise the customer of their
enrollment status in the form of a written communication. The
content of this notification can be electricity supplier specific,
but should include the scheduled meter read date of energy flow for
all successful enrollment transactions, or notification of the
reason for the rejection of the enrollment transaction.
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Within one (1) business day of the enrollment, BGE will notify the
customer when their choice of a new electricity supplier will become
effective. This notification will include rescission
information for all non-residential customers. The notification will
also include the date and process describing how the customer may
elect to rescind their decision to switch to the new electricity supplier.
(See below for samples of BGE's Enrollment Confirmation letters.
Customer Rescinds
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Maryland regulations grant all non-residential customers choosing an
electricity supplier a ten-day rescission period. Any
non-residential customer who wishes to rescind their initial choice
of an electricity supplier must do so by calling BGE at 410-265-4100. The rescission must occur by the date
specified in BGE's Enrollment Confirmation letter.
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If a
non-residential customer has been with BGE and the latest pending enrollment
is rescinded by them, they will return to BGE. This is true
even if there are multiple pending enrollments. Maryland rules
require that when an enrollment is rescinded, the customer returns
to the last active relationship - not to the last pending relationship.
Note:
Effective January 1, 2006,
in accordance with the new
COMAR Subtitle 53-
Electricity Supplier and Gas Supplier - Residential Consumer
Protection regulations,
all residential customers are
prohibited from rescinding electricity supplier enrollments.
BGE
Notification of Customer Rescission
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If
BGE receives the rescission from the non-residential customer within
the rescission period, an 814D-Drop transaction
(See
EDI Implementation Guidelines)
will
be sent within one (1) business day to the new electricity supplier.
This notification will inform the new electricity supplier that the
customer has rescinded.
B.
Customer Switching Electricity Suppliers
A
customer may elect to switch licensed electricity suppliers as often
as they choose to be effective with their meter read date.
All of
the processes and rules for customers switching to a new electricity supplier will
be the same as an Initial Enrollment described above with the
following exceptions:
Drop Transaction
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Within
two (2) business days of receiving the new electricity supplier's
enrollment, BGE will send an 814D-Drop transaction to
notify the customer's current electricity supplier of the customer's choice of a
new electricity supplier and the scheduled meter read date of the transaction.
This step will not occur if the current electricity supplier has previously
submitted a drop transaction, which will become effective on or
before the scheduled meter read date of the switch being processed.
Notification of Customer Rescission
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If
the non-residential customer rescinds their choice of the new
electricity supplier within the rescission period, BGE will send an 814D-Drop transaction, within one (1) business day, to the
new electricity supplier. This notification will inform the new
electricity supplier that the
customer has rescinded.
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Also
within one (1) business day of the customer rescission, BGE will send
an 814R-Reinstatement transaction
(See
EDI Implementation Guidelines)
to
notify the current electricity supplier of the customer's choice to
rescind their switch to a new electricity supplier and that the
customer's relationship with the current electricity supplier will be
reinstated. The current electricity supplier does not have the
option to reject the reinstatement. This step will not occur if a drop
transaction has been received by BGE from the current electricity
supplier prior to receiving the original enrollment transaction from
the new electricity supplier. The enrollment transaction must also
become effective on or before the scheduled meter read date of the
transaction being rescinded or the current electricity supplier will
be reinstated until the effective date of the drop transaction.
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If a non-residential
customer is currently with a supplier and the latest pending enrollment is
rescinded by them, they will return to their current supplier.
This is true even if there are multiple pending enrollments.
Maryland rules require that when an enrollment is rescinded, the
customer returns to the last active relationship - not to the last pending relationship.
C.
Electricity Supplier & Customer Initiated Drops
Electricity Supplier
Initiated Drop Transaction
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Notification must be provided to the customer
by the electricity supplier
no less than 35 calendar-days prior to the effective date of the
termination and must include the reason for termination.
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The
electricity supplier must send an 814D-Drop transaction to BGE. A 35
calendar-day deadline prior to the next effective meter read date has
been established to notify BGE of a pending drop. Drops received after
the 35 calendar-day window will become effective with the subsequent
meter read date.
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Electricity supplier initiated drops cannot be rescinded by the
customer.
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If the
customer switches to a new electricity supplier after the drop transaction
is forwarded to BGE and subsequently rescinds the enrollment, the previous existing
relationship with the electricity supplier will not be reinstated. Instead, after
the rescission period has expired, the customer will be automatically
enrolled in Standard Offer Service (SOS).
Electricity Supplier
Initiated Drop Confirmation
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BGE
will confirm the receipt of the 814D-Drop transaction by sending to
the electricity supplier an 814D-Drop Response transaction to the
electricity suppler within one business day of receiving the 814D-Drop
transaction. The 814D-Drop Response Transaction will establish the
effective date that the electricity supplier will no longer be
supplying electric energy to the customer.
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Within one (1) business day of the drop, BGE will notify the
customer in writing and indicate the effective date of the drop. (See
Electricity Supplier Initiated Drop Letter samples below)
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The
termination of the customer's relationship with the electricity
supplier may take effect on an estimated or an actual meter reading.
Non-Residential Customer
Initiated Drop
Note:
Effective January 1, 2006,
in accordance with the new
COMAR Subtitle 53-
Electricity Supplier and Gas Supplier - Residential Consumer
Protection regulations,
all residential customers are
prohibited from initiating drops of their electricity supplier.
Non-Residential Customer
Initiated Drop Confirmation
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BGE
will send to the electricity supplier an 814D-Drop transaction to the
electricity suppler within one business day of receiving the Drop
notification from the customer. The 814D-Drop transaction will
establish the effective date that the electricity supplier will no
longer be supplying electric energy to the customer.
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Within one (1) business day of the drop, BGE will notify the
customer in writing and indicate the effective date of the drop.
(See the Non-Residential Customer Initiated Drop Letter samples
below)
Non-Residential Customer Initiated
Drop Who Rescind Their Drops
D.
Customer Closing Existing Account
Electricity Supplier
is Notified of Closed Account
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When BGE
is notified that the customer has closed their account (This step may
occur through a customer communication or other processes such as
through a service denial, etc.), BGE
will perform the necessary internal business process to close the account,
such as securing the appropriate meter and billing information, and
initialize the 814D-Drop transaction.
Drop Transaction
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BGE
will send the 814D-Drop transaction to the electricity supplier notifying them that
the customer's account is being closed. The drop will be noted as a
permanent drop indicating that the customer's account has been
closed and final billing data is forthcoming.
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When available, the
814D-Drop transaction will include the customer's new mailing or
forwarding address.
E.
New or Transfer Customers
New Customers
Customers Who Transfer Addresses
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Customers who
transfer their service to another address within BGE's territory are
unable to transfer their electricity supplier's relationship to their
new address. The customer must have their electricity supplier
submit a new 814E-Enrollment transaction for the new address once
BGE has made the account active. The transfer of a supplier
relationship also known as a "Seamless Move" is currently not
available from Maryland utilities.
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This means that the
customer who transfers to a new address
will be
placed
on BGE's Standard Offer Service for their first billing cycle at the
new address in order to accommodate the 17 day enrollment window.
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BGE
will send the 814D-Drop transaction to the electricity supplier notifying them that
the customer's old account is being closed. The drop will be noted as a
permanent drop indicating that the customer's account has been
closed and final billing data is forthcoming. No drop
confirmation letter will go out to the customer.
Customers Who Change Account Names
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Customers who remain
at the same address but contact BGE to have the name on the BGE
account changed are unable to transfer their electricity supplier's
relationship to their new name. The customer must have their
electricity supplier submit a new 814E-Enrollment transaction for
the new name once the new account has been made active.
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This means that a
change name at an existing address will cause the customer to
be
placed
on BGE's Standard Offer Service for their first billing cycle to
accommodate the 17 day enrollment window.
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BGE
will send the 814D-Drop transaction to the electricity supplier notifying them that
the customer's old account with the old name is being closed. The drop will be noted as a
permanent drop indicating that the customer's account has been
closed and final billing data is forthcoming. No drop
confirmation letter will go out to the customer.
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The only exception
to these rules is what BGE refers to as a "Change Name Record Only".
In this scenario a customer is only changing the name due to a marriage, the result of the loss of a spouse or
something similar where the same parties are responsible for the bill.
In these cases, BGE is able to change the name without creating a new
account and maintain the supplier relationship.
F.
Sample Enrollment & Drop Letters
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