Changes in law

Thank you for trusting us with your energy supply. This page provides a central repository for regulatory changes. We’ve included current-year changes, as well as an archive, so you can quickly locate any changes in law that may impact your business.

2024
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The following information is applicable to any service location(s) you have in the given regions denoted.


Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

NATURAL GAS:  Capacity Release Program cost changes

Utility territory/region impacted

NY: Orange & Rockland (O&R).

Explanation of change

Orange & Rockland (O&R) implemented its annual update of costs for its Mandatory Capacity Release Program (CRP), which went into effect on Nov. 1, 2024. The CRP is a natural gas delivery and storage service that we are required to purchase from O&R to serve our natural gas customers. As a result of the annual cost update, we will be passing through the change in costs on your invoice, which could be a charge or a credit, starting with your December 2024 usage.

How/when will I see the change

If you're billed by us: you will see the impact from the CRP costs as a separate line item labeled "Change in Law 11012024,” beginning with any usage from Dec. 1 forward. Please note that if you experienced a change in law in the past, you may have more than one change in law line item on your invoice.

If you're billed by the utility on our behalf: you will see the impact from the change in CRP costs as an adjustment in your unit price on your utility invoice, beginning with any usage from Dec. 1 forward.

 


Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

NATURAL GAS:  Capacity Release Program cost changes

Utility territory/region impacted

New England utilities: Berkshire Gas, Eversource-Yankee, Colonial Gas, Fall River Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas, Fitchburg Gas Company, Energy North, Keyspan - Boston, Essex Gas Company, Rhode Island Energy, Eversource - NSTAR, Northern Utilities Maine, Eversource-EGMA (the new Baystate), Northern Utilities New Hampshire, Southern Connecticut Gas Company.

Explanation of change

Earlier in 2024, the New England utilities reset the program requirements for the annual Capacity Release Program (CRP), which impacts the costs associated with Transportation, Capacity, Storage, and Peaking—natural gas supply components we are required to procure on behalf of our customers.

How/when will I see the change

The impact from the change in CRP requirements will be displayed as a separate line item labeled "Change in Law 11012024,” beginning with December usage. Although the CRP changes were effective on Nov. 1, 2024, we will not be billing retroactive cost changes.

 


Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

NATURAL GAS:  Algonquin pipeline rate increase

Utility territory/region impacted

New England utilities that receive all/part of their supply from Algonquin

Explanation of change

Earlier in 2024, Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC (the ownership entity of the Algonquin Pipeline), filed a transmission rate case (RP24-781)—the first one since 2019—that resulted in a rate increase. Pipeline transmission costs are a required component of natural gas supply service, and this rate increase impacts all natural gas consumption that flows through the Algonquin Pipeline—which serves all or part of most of New England’s local distribution companies (LDCs).

How/when will I see the change

The impact from the Algonquin transmission rate change will be displayed as a separate line item labeled “Change in Law 12012024,” beginning with January usage. Although this increase was effective Dec. 1, 2024, we will not be billing retroactive cost changes. In addition, since this rate case is still in progress, if there is a change in rate in the future, we will provide true-up adjustments for any billed cycles where the original rate was applied.


Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

NATURAL GAS: increase in Peaking Demand charge

Utility territory/region impacted

NY: National Grid—Niagara Mohawk (NiMo).

Explanation of change

National Grid-Niagara Mohawk (NIMO), implemented its annual update of costs for its Peaking Demand charge¹ on Nov. 1, 2024, which resulted in a cost increase. The Peaking Demand charge, applicable to National Grid’s Monthly Balancing Service, is a natural gas component that we are required to purchase in order to serve our natural gas customers. As a result of this, we will be passing through this change in costs on your invoice, starting with your November 2024 usage.

How/when will I see the change

You will see the impact of this Peaking Demand charge increase as a separate line item labeled "Change in Law 110124,” beginning with your first invoice with November billing dates or with your first billing cycle after service start.

¹ Source: NY Public Service Commission #219

 


Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

NATURAL GAS: Daily Delivery Service/Core Daily Balancing program cost changes

Utility territory/region impacted

NY: Consolidated Edison (ConEd), Brooklyn Union Gas (BUG), and Long Island Lighting Co. (LILCO).

Explanation of change

ConEd, BUG, and LILCO each implemented its annual update of costs for its Daily Delivery Service (DDS) program/Core Daily Balancing (CDB) program, which went into effect on Nov. 1, 2024. DDS/CDB is a natural gas delivery and storage service that we are required to purchase from the local utility to serve our natural gas customers. As a result of the annual cost update, we will be passing through the change in costs on your invoice, which could be a charge or a credit, starting with your November 2024 usage.

How/when will I see the change

If you're billed by us: you will see the impact from this program cost change (a charge or credit) as a separate line item labeled "Change in Law 110124,” beginning with any usage from Nov. 1 forward. Please note that if you experienced a change in law in the past, you may have more than one change in law line item on your invoice.

If you're billed by the utility on our behalf: you will see the impact from this program cost change as an adjustment in your unit price on your utility invoice, beginning with any usage from Nov. 1 forward.

 

 


Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

ELECTRICITY: ConEd peaking demand rate increase

Effective date of change: April 1, 2024

Utility territory/region impacted

Consolidated Edison (ConEd)

Explanation of change

ConEd implemented out-of-cycle changes to its peaking demand rates, which are part of natural gas daily delivery service (DDS) and which we are required to purchase from ConEd to serve our natural gas customers. Normally ConEd updates these rates annually and the changes are effective November 1—and they remain in place through the winter season. These out-of-cycle rate changes resulted in a net increase over the original annual rate change that was effective in November.

How/when will I see the change

If you're billed by us: you will see the impact from this increase in demand rate as a separate line item labeled "Change in Law 04012024,” beginning with any usage from April 1 forward. Please note that if you experienced a change in law in the past, you may have more than one change in law line item on your invoice.

If you're billed by ConEd on our behalf: you will see the impact from this increase in demand rate as an adjustment in your unit price on your ConEd invoice, beginning with any usage from April 1 forward.


 

Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

ELECTRICITY: ERCOT System Admin Fee increase

Effective date of change: Feb. 1, 2024

Utility territory/region impacted

ERCOT/Texas

Explanation of change

At its open meeting in November 2023, the Public Utility Commission of Texas voted to approve an increase in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas'(ERCOT’s) System Administration Fee. ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers, representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load. As a non-profit entity, ERCOT is funded by the System Administration Fee.

How/when will I see the change

This charge will appear in the prior period pass-thru section of the invoice, labeled as “TX-ERCOT Admin Fees – CIL” for any invoices that containing billing dates from Feb. 1, forward.

 


 

Change type/cost component, commodity impact and effective date

NATURAL GAS: change in Capacity Release Program requirements; cost changes associated with Transportation, Capacity, Storage, and Peaking

Utility territory/region impacted

New England: Berkshire Gas, Essex Gas Company, Keyspan–Boston, Fall River Gas, Eversource–NSTAR, Fitchburg Gas Company, Colonial Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas, National Grid Rhode Island, Eversource–EGMA (Baystate), Northern Utilities New Hampshire, Northern Utilities Maine, Eversource–Yankee, Southern Connecticut Gas Company, and Energy North

Explanation of change

In November, the New England utilities reset the program requirements for the annual Capacity Release Program (CRP),² which impacts the natural gas supply costs associated with Transportation, Capacity, Storage, and Peaking, which we are required to procure on behalf of our customers. Changes to the CRP parameters can increase or decrease the costs associated with procuring these components, which are assigned based on your individual usage profile. All customers, regardless of who supplies your natural gas (the utility or a retail supplier), are subject to these costs.

 

As a result of the annual update to the CRP requirements, we will be passing through the associated change in costs on your invoice starting with your February 2024 usage.

How/when will I see the change

If you're billed by us: you will see the impact from the CRP change (a charge or credit) as a separate line item labeled "Change in Law 02012024,” beginning with any billed usage from Feb. 1, forward. Please note that if you experienced a change in law/change to purchase price in the past, you may have more than one change in law line item on your invoice.

If you're billed by the utility on our behalf: you will see the impact from the CRP change (a charge or credit) as an adjustment on your utility invoice near your gas supply charges, beginning with any usage from Feb. 1, forward.

² Sample program change documentation from Berkshire Gas for reference purposes.