Utilities must show customers what makes up their rates

Utilities must prepare a table showing each customer class’s total rate and its parts. Each table covers a customer class served by the utility and lists the numerical rate parts using the same units as customer bills. The Commission may reject a table it finds incomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent with approved rates. Utilities must update the table in those locations at least 30 days after any rate part changes.

The Commission must provide for management audits of regulated electric distribution companies. The audits examine management effectiveness and operating efficiency at electric distribution companies regulated by the Commission. The Commission may find a specific audit unnecessary. If it hires an outside firm, the utility must pay the firm’s reasonable audit costs, which cannot be recovered from customers through rates. A public summary must be released. The utility may review draft findings, comment on material errors, and request that protected information be removed from the public version. Each audit must take place at least once every five years unless the Commission finds that audit unnecessary.

Regulated electric distribution companies may not recover some yearly capital spending above set limits through rates. The limits apply to annual non-mandatory capital spending by Commission-regulated electric distribution companies. The Commission may order otherwise. The limits exclude spending on vegetation care, inspections and maintenance, new business or customers, facility moves, legal or regulatory requirements, and emergency failures. The $70 million limit applies in 2026 and 2027. From 2028 onward, the limit is 5% of the company’s rate base approved in its latest base rate case.