September 11, 2012, Introduced by Rep. Opsommer and referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology.
A bill to amend 1939 PA 3, entitled
"An act to provide for the regulation and control of public and
certain private utilities and other services affected with a public
interest within this state; to provide for alternative energy
suppliers; to provide for licensing; to include municipally owned
utilities and other providers of energy under certain provisions of
this act; to create a public service commission and to prescribe
and define its powers and duties; to abolish the Michigan public
utilities commission and to confer the powers and duties vested by
law on the public service commission; to provide for the
continuance, transfer, and completion of certain matters and
proceedings; to abolish automatic adjustment clauses; to prohibit
certain rate increases without notice and hearing; to qualify
residential energy conservation programs permitted under state law
for certain federal exemption; to create a fund; to provide for a
restructuring of the manner in which energy is provided in this
state; to encourage the utilization of resource recovery
facilities; to prohibit certain acts and practices of providers of
energy; to allow for the securitization of stranded costs; to
reduce rates; to provide for appeals; to provide appropriations; to
declare the effect and purpose of this act; to prescribe remedies
and penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,"
(MCL 460.1 to 460.11) by adding section 9e.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 9e. (1) An electric utility or natural gas utility shall
allow each customer to read and report that customer's energy usage
if the customer reports reasonably accurate energy usage on a
regular basis. An electric utility or natural gas utility shall
provide a customer a postage-paid, preaddressed postcard upon
request or permit a customer to report meter readings on a secure
website, by telephone, or by other reasonable means. At least once
every 12 months, an electric utility or natural gas utility shall
obtain an actual meter reading of a customer's energy usage to
verify the accuracy of readings reported under this section.
Notwithstanding this section, a representative of an electric
utility or natural gas utility may manually read a customer's meter
on a regular basis as otherwise permitted by law.
(2) An electric utility or natural gas utility shall not
charge a higher rate, impose an additional fee, or impose any
disincentive on a customer that chooses to read and report that
customer's energy usage under subsection (1). The commission shall
not approve a utility filing or application that charges customers
for declining the installation of an advanced meter if the
utility's cost estimates are based on more than 1 manual meter
reading per year by the utility.
(3) If a customer fails to report usage under subsection (1)
or the utility does not receive a customer's energy usage on time,
the utility shall charge that customer based on an estimate of
prior energy use in a manner approved the commission.
(4) As used in this section, "regular basis" means at least
once before each monthly billing cycle, or more frequently if
chosen by the customer.