Article XVI - Electric Service Customer Choice And Rate Relief Law Of 1997


      (220 ILCS 5/Art. XVI heading)
ARTICLE XVI. ELECTRIC SERVICE CUSTOMER CHOICE AND RATE
RELIEF LAW OF 1997

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑101)
    Sec. 16‑101. Short title and applicability.
    (a) This Article may be cited as the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 and shall apply to electric utilities and alternative retail electric suppliers as defined in this Article. Except to the extent modified or supplemented by the provisions of this Article, or where the context clearly renders such provisions inapplicable, the other Articles of the Public Utilities Act pertaining to public utilities, public utility rates and services and the regulation thereof, are fully and equally applicable to the tariffed services electric utilities provide.
    (b) The provisions of subsections (a) through (h) of Section 16‑111 of this Act shall not be applicable to any electric utility which elects to file biennial rate proceedings before the Commission in the years 1998, 2000 and 2002. An electric utility electing this option shall do so by filing a notice of such election with the Commission within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, or its right to make such election shall be irrevocably waived. An electric utility electing the option specified in this paragraph shall file its rate proceeding with the Commission no later than August 1 of the years 1998, 2000, and 2002. The electric utility's filing shall comply with all requirements of 83 Illinois Administrative Code Parts 255 and 285 as though the electric utility were filing for an increase in its rates, without regard to whether such filing would produce an increase, a decrease or no change in the electric utility's rates and the Commission shall review the electric utility's filing and shall issue its order in accordance with the provisions of Section 9‑201 of this Act.
(Source: P.A. 90‑561, eff. 12‑16‑97.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑101A)
    Sec. 16‑101A. Legislative findings.
    (a) The citizens and businesses of the State of Illinois have been well‑served by a comprehensive electrical utility system which has provided safe, reliable, and affordable service. The electrical utility system in the State of Illinois has historically been subject to State and federal regulation, aimed at assuring the citizens and businesses of the State of safe, reliable, and affordable service, while at the same time assuring the utility system of a return on its investment.
    (b) Competitive forces are affecting the market for electricity as a result of recent federal regulatory and statutory changes and the activities of other states. Competition in the electric services market may create opportunities for new products and services for customers and lower costs for users of electricity. Long‑standing regulatory relationships need to be altered to accommodate the competition that could fundamentally alter the structure of the electric services market.
    (c) With the advent of increasing competition in this industry, the State has a continued interest in assuring that the safety, reliability, and affordability of electrical power is not sacrificed to competitive pressures, and to that end, intends to implement safeguards to assure that the industry continues to operate the electrical system in a manner that will serve the public's interest. Under the existing regulatory framework, the industry has been encouraged to undertake certain investments in its physical plant and personnel to enhance its efficient operation, the cost of which it has been permitted to pass on to consumers. The State has an interest in providing the existing utilities a reasonable opportunity to obtain a return on certain investments on which they depended in undertaking those commitments in the first instance while, at the same time, not permitting new entrants into the industry to take unreasonable advantage of the investments made by the formerly regulated industry.
    (d) A competitive wholesale and retail market must benefit all Illinois citizens. The Illinois Commerce Commission should act to promote the development of an effectively competitive electricity market that operates efficiently and is equitable to all consumers. Consumer protections must be in place to ensure that all customers continue to receive safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally safe electric service.
    (e) All consumers must benefit in an equitable and timely fashion from the lower costs for electricity that result from retail and wholesale competition and receive sufficient information to make informed choices among suppliers and services. The use of renewable resources and energy efficiency resources should be encouraged in competitive markets.
    (f) The efficiency of electric markets depends both upon the competitiveness of supply and upon the price‑responsiveness of the demand for service. Therefore, to ensure the lowest total cost of service and to enhance the reliability of service, all classes of the electricity customers of electric utilities should have access to and be able to voluntarily use real‑time pricing and other price‑response and demand‑response mechanisms.
    (g) Including cost‑effective renewable resources and demand‑response resources in a diverse electricity supply portfolio will reduce long‑term direct and indirect costs to consumers by decreasing environmental impacts and by avoiding or delaying the need for new generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. It serves the public interest to allow electric utilities to recover costs for reasonably and prudently incurred expenses for electricity generated by renewable resources and demand‑response resources.
    (h) Including electricity generated by clean coal facilities, as defined under Section 1‑10 of the Illinois Power Agency Act, in a diverse electricity procurement portfolio will reduce the need to purchase, directly or indirectly, carbon dioxide emission credits and will decrease environmental impacts. It serves the public interest to allow electric utilities to recover costs for reasonably and prudently incurred expenses for sourcing electricity generated by clean coal facilities.
(Source: P.A. 94‑977, eff. 6‑30‑06; 95‑481, eff. 8‑28‑07; 95‑1027, eff. 6‑1‑09.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑102)
    Sec. 16‑102. Definitions. For the purposes of this Article the following terms shall be defined as set forth in this Section.
    "Alternative retail electric supplier" means every person, cooperative, corporation, municipal corporation, company, association, joint stock company or association, firm, partnership, individual, or other entity, their lessees, trustees, or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever, that offers electric power or energy for sale, lease or in exchange for other value received to one or more retail customers, or that engages in the delivery or furnishing of electric power or energy to such retail customers, and shall include, without limitation, resellers, aggregators and power marketers, but shall not include (i) electric utilities (or any agent of the electric utility to the extent the electric utility provides tariffed services to retail customers through that agent), (ii) any electric cooperative or municipal system as defined in Section 17‑100 to the extent that the electric cooperative or municipal system is serving retail customers within any area in which it is or would be entitled to provide service under the law in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, (iii) a public utility that is owned and operated by any public institution of higher education of this State, or a public utility that is owned by such public institution of higher education and operated by any of its lessees or operating agents, within any area in which it is or would be entitled to provide service under the law in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, (iv) a retail customer to the extent that customer obtains its electric power and energy from that customer's own cogeneration or self‑generation facilities, (v) an entity that owns, operates, sells, or arranges for the installation of a customer's own cogeneration or self‑generation facilities, but only to the extent the entity is engaged in owning, selling or arranging for the installation of such facility, or operating the facility on behalf of such customer, provided however that any such third party owner or operator of a facility built after January 1, 1999, complies with the labor provisions of Section 16‑128(a) as though such third party were an alternative retail electric supplier, or (vi) an industrial or manufacturing customer that owns its own distribution facilities, to the extent that the customer provides service from that distribution system to a third‑party contractor located on the customer's premises that is integrally and predominantly engaged in the customer's industrial or manufacturing process; provided, that if the industrial or manufacturing customer has elected delivery services, the customer shall pay transition charges applicable to the electric power and energy consumed by the third‑party contractor unless such charges are otherwise paid by the third party contractor, which shall be calculated based on the usage of, and the base rates or the contract rates applicable to, the third‑party contractor in accordance with Section 16‑102.
    "Base rates" means the rates for those tariffed services that the electric utility is required to offer pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 16‑103 and that were identified in a rate order for collection of the electric utility's base rate revenue requirement, excluding (i) separate automatic rate adjustment riders then in effect, (ii) special or negotiated contract rates, (iii) delivery services tariffs filed pursuant to Section 16‑108, (iv) real‑time pricing, or (v) tariffs that were in effect prior to October 1, 1996 and that based charges for services on an index or average of other utilities' charges, but including (vi) any subsequent redesign of such rates for tariffed services that is authorized by the Commission after notice and hearing.
    "Competitive service" includes (i) any service that has been declared to be competitive pursuant to Section 16‑113 of this Act, (ii) contract service, and (iii) services, other than tariffed services, that are related to, but not necessary for, the provision of electric power and energy or delivery services.
    "Contract service" means (1) services, including the provision of electric power and energy or other services, that are provided by mutual agreement between an electric utility and a retail customer that is located in the electric utility's service area, provided that, delivery services shall not be a contract service until such services are declared competitive pursuant to Section 16‑113; and also means (2) the provision of electric power and energy by an electric utility to retail customers outside the electric utility's service area pursuant to Section 16‑116. Provided, however, contract service does not include electric utility services provided pursuant to (i) contracts that retail customers are required to execute as a condition of receiving tariffed services, or (ii) special or negotiated rate contracts for electric utility services that were entered into between an electric utility and a retail customer prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997 and filed with the Commission.
    "Delivery services" means those services provided by the electric utility that are necessary in order for the transmission and distribution systems to function so that retail customers located in the electric utility's service area can receive electric power and energy from suppliers other than the electric utility, and shall include, without limitation, standard metering and billing services.
    "Electric utility" means a public utility, as defined in Section 3‑105 of this Act, that has a franchise, license, permit or right to furnish or sell electricity to retail customers within a service area.
    "Mandatory transition period" means the period from the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997 through January 1, 2007.
    "Municipal system" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 17‑100.
    "Real‑time pricing" means tariffed retail charges for delivered electric power and energy that vary hour‑to‑hour and are determined from wholesale market prices using a methodology approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
    "Retail customer" means a single entity using electric power or energy at a single premises and that (A) either (i) is receiving or is eligible to receive tariffed services from an electric utility, or (ii) that is served by a municipal system or electric cooperative within any area in which the municipal system or electric cooperative is or would be entitled to provide service under the law in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, or (B) an entity which on the effective date of this Act was receiving electric service from a public utility and (i) was engaged in the practice of resale and redistribution of such electricity within a building prior to January 2, 1957, or (ii) was providing lighting services to tenants in a multi‑occupancy building, but only to the extent such resale, redistribution or lighting service is authorized by the electric utility's tariffs that were on file with the Commission on the effective date of this Act.
    "Service area" means (i) the geographic area within which an electric utility was lawfully entitled to provide electric power and energy to retail customers as of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997, and includes (ii) the location of any retail customer to which the electric utility was lawfully providing electric utility services on such effective date.
    "Small commercial retail customer" means those nonresidential retail customers of an electric utility consuming 15,000 kilowatt‑hours or less of electricity annually in its service area.
    "Tariffed service" means services provided to retail customers by an electric utility as defined by its rates on file with the Commission pursuant to the provisions of Article IX of this Act, but shall not include competitive services.
    "Transition charge" means a charge expressed in cents per kilowatt‑hour that is calculated for a customer or class of customers as follows for each year in which an electric utility is entitled to recover transition charges as provided in Section 16‑108:
        (1) the amount of revenue that an electric utility
     would receive from the retail customer or customers if it were serving such customers' electric power and energy requirements as a tariffed service based on (A) all of the customers' actual usage during the 3 years ending 90 days prior to the date on which such customers were first eligible for delivery services pursuant to Section 16‑104, and (B) on (i) the base rates in effect on October 1, 1996 (adjusted for the reductions required by subsection (b) of Section 16‑111, for any reduction resulting from a rate decrease under Section 16‑101(b), for any restatement of base rates made in conjunction with an elimination of the fuel adjustment clause pursuant to subsection (b), (d), or (f) of Section 9‑220 and for any removal of decommissioning costs from base rates pursuant to Section 16‑114) and any separate automatic rate adjustment riders (other than a decommissioning rate as defined in Section 16‑114) under which the customers were receiving or, had they been customers, would have received electric power and energy from the electric utility during the year immediately preceding the date on which such customers were first eligible for delivery service pursuant to Section 16‑104, or (ii) to the extent applicable, any contract rates, including contracts or rates for consolidated or aggregated billing, under which such customers were receiving electric power and energy from the electric utility during such year;
        (2) less the amount of revenue, other than revenue
     from transition charges and decommissioning rates, that the electric utility would receive from such retail customers for delivery services provided by the electric utility, assuming such customers were taking delivery services for all of their usage, based on the delivery services tariffs in effect during the year for which the transition charge is being calculated and on the usage identified in paragraph (1);
        (3) less the market value for the electric power and
     energy that the electric utility would have used to supply all of such customers' electric power and energy requirements, as a tariffed service, based on the usage identified in paragraph (1), with such market value determined in accordance with Section 16‑112 of this Act;
        (4) less the following amount which represents the
     amount to be attributed to new revenue sources and cost reductions by the electric utility through the end of the period for which transition costs are recovered pursuant to Section 16‑108, referred to in this Article XVI as a "mitigation factor":
            (A) for nonresidential retail customers, an
         amount equal to the greater of (i) 0.5 cents per kilowatt‑hour during the period October 1, 1999 through December 31, 2004, 0.6 cents per kilowatt‑hour in calendar year 2005, and 0.9 cents per kilowatt‑hour in calendar year 2006, multiplied in each year by the usage identified in paragraph (1), or (ii) an amount equal to the following percentages of the amount produced by applying the applicable base rates (adjusted as described in subparagraph (1)(B)) or contract rate to the usage identified in paragraph (1): 8% for the period October 1, 1999 through December 31, 2002, 10% in calendar years 2003 and 2004, 11% in calendar year 2005 and 12% in calendar year 2006; and
            (B) for residential retail customers, an amount
         equal to the following percentages of the amount produced by applying the base rates in effect on October 1, 1996 (adjusted as described in subparagraph (1)(B)) to the usage identified in paragraph (1): (i) 6% from May 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002, (ii) 7% in calendar years 2003 and 2004, (iii) 8% in calendar year 2005, and (iv) 10% in calendar year 2006;
        (5) divided by the usage of such customers
     identified in paragraph (1),
provided that the transition charge shall never be less than zero.
    "Unbundled service" means a component or constituent part of a tariffed service which the electric utility subsequently offers separately to its customers.
(Source: P.A. 94‑977, eff. 6‑30‑06.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑103)
    Sec. 16‑103. Service obligations of electric utilities.
    (a) An electric utility shall continue offering to retail customers each tariffed service that it offered as a distinct and identifiable service on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997 until the service is (i) declared competitive pursuant to Section 16‑113, or (ii) abandoned pursuant to Section 8‑508. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as limiting an electric utility's right to propose, or the Commission's power to approve, allow or order modifications in the rates, terms and conditions for such services pursuant to Article IX or Section 16‑111 of this Act.
    (b) An electric utility shall also offer, as tariffed services, delivery services in accordance with this Article, the power purchase options described in Section 16‑110 and real‑time pricing as provided in Section 16‑107.
    (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, each electric utility shall continue offering to all residential customers and to all small commercial retail customers in its service area, as a tariffed service, bundled electric power and energy delivered to the customer's premises consistent with the bundled utility service provided by the electric utility on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997. Upon declaration of the provision of electric power and energy as competitive, the electric utility shall continue to offer to such customers, as a tariffed service, bundled service options at rates which reflect recovery of all cost components for providing the service. For those components of the service which have been declared competitive, cost shall be the market based prices. Market based prices as referred to herein shall mean, for electric power and energy, either (i) those prices for electric power and energy determined as provided in Section 16‑112, or (ii) the electric utility's cost of obtaining the electric power and energy at wholesale through a competitive bidding or other arms‑length acquisition process.
    (d) Any residential or small commercial retail customer which elects delivery services is entitled to return to the electric utility's bundled utility tariffed service offering provided in accordance with subsection (c) of this Section upon payment of a reasonable administrative fee which shall be set forth in the tariff, provided, however, that the electric utility shall be entitled to impose the condition that such customer may not elect delivery services for up to 24 months thereafter.
    (e) The Commission shall not require an electric utility to offer any tariffed service other than the services required by this Section, and shall not require an electric utility to offer any competitive service.
(Source: P.A. 90‑561, eff. 12‑16‑97.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑103.1)
    Sec. 16‑103.1. Tariffed service to Unit Owners' Associations. An electric utility that serves at least 2,000,000 customers must provide tariffed service to Unit Owners' Associations, as defined by Section 2 of the Condominium Property Act, for condominium properties that are not restricted to nonresidential use at rates that do not exceed on average the rates offered to residential customers on an annual basis. Within 10 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, the electric utility shall provide the tariffed service to Unit Owners' Associations required by this Section and shall reinstate any residential all‑electric discount applicable to any Unit Owners' Association that received such a discount on December 31, 2006. For purposes of this Section, "residential customers" means those retail customers of an electric utility that receive (i) electric utility service for household purposes distributed to a dwelling of 2 or fewer units that is billed under a residential rate or (ii) electric utility service for household purposes distributed to a dwelling unit or units that is billed under a residential rate and is registered by a separate meter for each dwelling unit.
(Source: P.A. 95‑481, eff. 8‑28‑07.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑104)
    Sec. 16‑104. Delivery services transition plan. An electric utility shall provide delivery services to retail customers in accordance with the provisions of this Section.
    (a) Each electric utility shall offer delivery services to retail customers located in its service area in accordance with the following provisions:
        (1) On or before October 1, 1999, the electric
     utility shall offer delivery services (i) to any non‑residential retail customer whose average monthly maximum electrical demand on the electric utility's system during the 6 months with the customer's highest monthly maximum demands in the 12 months ending June 30, 1999 equals or exceeds 4 megawatts; (ii) to any non‑governmental, non‑residential, commercial retail customers under common ownership doing business at 10 or more separate locations within the electric utility's service area, if the aggregate coincident average monthly maximum electrical demand of all such locations during the 6 months with the customer's highest monthly maximum electrical demands during the 12 months ending June 30, 1999 equals or exceeds 9.5 megawatts, provided, however, that an electric utility's obligation to offer delivery services under this clause (ii) shall not exceed 3.5% of the maximum electric demand on the electric utility's system in the 12 months ending June 30, 1999; and (iii) to non‑residential retail customers whose annual electric energy use comprises 33% of the kilowatt‑hour sales, excluding the kilowatt‑hour sales to customers described in clauses (i) and (ii), to each non‑residential retail customer class of the electric utility.
        (2) On or before October 1, 2000, the electric
     utility shall offer delivery services to the eligible governmental customers described in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 16‑125A if the aggregate coincident average monthly maximum electrical demand of such customers during the 6 months with the customers' highest monthly maximum electrical demands during the 12 months ending June 30, 2000 equals or exceeds 9.5 megawatts.
        (2.5) On or before June 1, 2000, an electric utility
     serving more than 1,000,000 customers in this State shall offer delivery services to retail customers whose annual electric energy use comprises 33% of the kilowatt hour sales to that group of retail customers that are classified under Division D, Groups 20 through 39 of the Standard Industrial Classifications set forth in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual published by the United States Office of Management and Budget, excluding the kilowatt‑hour sales to those customers that are eligible for delivery services pursuant to clause (1)(i), and shall offer delivery services to its remaining retail customers classified under Division D, Groups 20 through 39 on or before October 1, 2000.
        (3) On or before December 31, 2000, the electric
     utility shall offer delivery services to all remaining nonresidential retail customers in its service area.
        (4) On or before May 1, 2002, the electric utility
     shall offer delivery services to all residential retail customers in its service area.
    The loads and kilowatt‑hour sales used for purposes of this subsection shall be those for the 12 months ending June 30, 1999 for nonresidential retail customers. The electric utility shall identify those customers to be offered delivery service pursuant to clause (1)(iii) and paragraph (2.5) of subsection (a) of this Section and Section 16‑111(e)(B)(iii) pursuant to a lottery or other random nondiscriminatory selection process set forth in the electric utility's delivery services implementation plan pursuant to Section 16‑105, which process may include a registration process giving each nonresidential customer the opportunity to register for eligibility for delivery services under this Section, with a lottery of registered customers to be conducted if the annual electric energy use of all registered customers exceeds the limit set forth in clause (1)(iii) or clause (2.5) or Section 16‑111(e)(B)(iii), as applicable; provided that the provision of this amendatory Act of 1999 as it relates to the registration and lottery process under clause (1)(iii) is not intended to nor does it make any change in the meaning of this Section, but is intended to remove possible ambiguities, thereby confirming the existing meaning of this Section prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1999. Provided, that non‑residential retail customers under common ownership at separate locations within the electric utility's service area may elect, prior to the date the electric utility conducts the lottery or other random selection process for purposes of clause (1)(iii), to designate themselves as a common ownership group, to be excluded from such lottery and to instead participate in a separate lottery for such common ownership group pursuant to which delivery services will be offered to non‑residential retail customers comprising 33% of the total kilowatt‑hour sales to the common ownership group on or before October 1, 1999. For purposes of this subsection (a), an electric utility may define "common ownership" to exclude sites which are not part of the same business, provided, that auxiliary establishments as defined in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual published by the United States Office of Management and Budget shall not be excluded.
    (b) The electric utility shall allow the aggregation of loads that are eligible for delivery services so long as such aggregation meets the criteria for delivery of electric power and energy applicable to the electric utility established by the regional reliability council to which the electric utility belongs, by an independent system operating organization to which the electric utility belongs, or by another organization responsible for overseeing the integrity and reliability of the transmission system, as such criteria are in effect from time to time. The Commission may adopt rules and regulations governing the criteria for aggregation of the loads utilizing delivery services, but its failure to do so shall not preclude any eligible customer from electing delivery services. The electric utility shall allow such aggregation for any voluntary grouping of customers, including without limitation those having a common agent with contractual authority to purchase electric power and energy and delivery services on behalf of all customers in the grouping.
    (c) An electric utility shall allow a retail customer that generates power for its own use to include the electrical demand obtained from the customer's cogeneration or self‑generation facilities that is coincident with the retail customer's maximum monthly electrical demand on the electric utility's system in any determination of the customer's maximum monthly electrical demand for purposes of determining when such retail customer shall be offered delivery services pursuant to clause (i) of subparagraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Section.
    (d) The Commission shall establish charges, terms and conditions for delivery services in accordance with Section 16‑108.
    (e) Subject to the terms and conditions which the electric utility is entitled to impose in accordance with Section 16‑108, a retail customer that is eligible to elect delivery services pursuant to subsection (a) may place all or a portion of its electric power and energy requirements on delivery services.
    (f) An electric utility may require a retail customer who elects to (i) use an alternative retail electric supplier or another electric utility for some but not all of its electric power or energy requirements, and (ii) use the electric utility for any portion of its remaining electric power and energy requirements, to place the portion of the customer's electric power or energy requirement that is to be served by the electric utility on a tariff containing charges that are set to recover the lowest reasonably available cost to the electric utility of acquiring electric power and energy on the wholesale electric market to serve such remaining portion of the customer's electric power and energy requirement, reasonable compensation for arranging for and providing such electric power or energy, and the electric utility's other costs of providing service to such remaining electric power and energy requirement.
(Source: P.A. 90‑561, eff. 12‑16‑97; 91‑50, eff. 6‑30‑99.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑105)
    Sec. 16‑105. Delivery services implementation plan. To ensure the safe and orderly implementation of delivery services, each electric utility shall submit to the Commission no later than March 1, 1999, a delivery services implementation plan for non‑residential customers and no later than August 1, 2001, a delivery services implementation plan for residential customers. The delivery services implementation plan shall detail the process and procedures by which each electric utility will offer delivery services to each customer class and shall be designed to insure an orderly transition and the maintenance of reliable service. The Commission shall enter an order approving, or approving as modified, the delivery services implementation plan of each electric utility no later than 60 days prior to the date on which the electric utility must commence offering such services.
(Source: P.A. 90‑561, eff. 12‑16‑97.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑106)
    Sec. 16‑106. Billing experiments. During the mandatory transition period, an electric utility may at its discretion conduct one or more experiments for the provision or billing of services on a consolidated or aggregated basis, for the provision of real‑time pricing, or other billing or pricing experiments, and may include experimental programs offered to groups of retail customers possessing common attributes as defined by the electric utility, such as the members of an organization that was established to serve a well‑defined industry group, companies having multiple sites, or closely located or affiliated buildings, provided that such groups exist for a purpose other than obtaining energy services and have been in existence for at least 10 years. The offering of such a program by an electric utility to retail customers participating in the program, and the participation by those customers in the program, shall not create any right in any other retail customer or group of customers to participate in the same or a similar program. The Commission shall allow such experiments to go into effect upon the filing by the electric utility of a statement describing the program. Nothing contained in this Section shall be deemed to prohibit the electric utility from offering, or the Commission from approving, experimental rates, tariffs and services in addition to those allowed under this Section. The Commission shall review and report annually the progress, participation and effects of such experiments to the General Assembly. Based upon its review, recommendations for modification of such experiments may be made by the Commission to the Illinois General Assembly.
(Source: P.A. 90‑561, eff. 12‑16‑97.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑107)
    Sec. 16‑107. Real‑time pricing.
    (a) Each electric utility shall file, on or before May 1, 1998, a tariff or tariffs which allow nonresidential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real‑time pricing beginning October 1, 1998.
    (b) Each electric utility shall file, on or before May 1, 2000, a tariff or tariffs which allow residential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real‑time pricing beginning October 1, 2000.
    (b‑5) Each electric utility shall file a tariff or tariffs allowing residential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real‑time pricing beginning January 2, 2007. A customer who elects real‑time pricing shall remain on such rate for a minimum of 12 months. The Commission may, after notice and hearing, approve the tariff or tariffs, provided that the Commission finds that the potential for demand reductions will result in net economic benefits to all residential customers of the electric utility. In examining economic benefits from demand reductions, the Commission shall, at a minimum, consider the following: improvements to system reliability and power quality, reduction in wholesale market prices and price volatility, electric utility cost avoidance and reductions, market power mitigation, and other benefits of demand reductions, but only to the extent that the effects of reduced demand can be demonstrated to lower the cost of electricity delivered to residential customers. A tariff or tariffs approved pursuant to this subsection (b‑5) shall, at a minimum, describe (i) the methodology for determining the market price of energy to be reflected in the real‑time rate and (ii) the manner in which customers who elect real‑time pricing will be provided with ready access to hourly market prices, including, but not limited to, day‑ahead hourly energy prices.
    A proceeding under this subsection (b‑5) may not exceed 120 days in length.
    (b‑10) Each electric utility providing real‑time pricing pursuant to subsection (b‑5) shall install a meter capable of recording hourly interval energy use at the service location of each customer that elects real‑time pricing pursuant to this subsection.
    (b‑15) If the Commission issues an order pursuant to subsection (b‑5), the affected electric utility shall contract with an entity not affiliated with the electric utility to serve as a program administrator to develop and implement a program to provide consumer outreach, enrollment, and education concerning real‑time pricing and to establish and administer an information system and technical and other customer assistance that is necessary to enable customers to manage electricity use. The program administrator: (i) shall be selected and compensated by the electric utility, subject to Commission approval; (ii) shall have demonstrated technical and managerial competence in the development and administration of demand management programs; and (iii) may develop and implement risk management, energy efficiency, and other services related to energy use management for which the program administrator shall be compensated by participants in the program receiving such services. The electric utility shall provide the program administrator with all information and assistance necessary to perform the program administrator's duties, including, but not limited to, customer, account, and energy use data. The electric utility shall permit the program administrator to include inserts in residential customer bills 2 times per year to assist with customer outreach and enrollment.
    The program administrator shall submit an annual report to the electric utility no later than April 1 of each year describing the operation and results of the program, including information concerning the number and types of customers using real‑time pricing, changes in customers' energy use patterns, an assessment of the value of the program to both participants and non‑participants, and recommendations concerning modification of the program and the tariff or tariffs filed under subsection (b‑5). This report shall be filed by the electric utility with the Commission within 30 days of receipt and shall be available to the public on the Commission's web site.
    (b‑20) The Commission shall monitor the performance of programs established pursuant to subsection (b‑15) and shall order the termination or modification of a program if it determines that the program is not, after a reasonable period of time for development not to exceed 4 years, resulting in net benefits to the residential customers of the electric utility.
    (b‑25) An electric utility shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs incurred in complying with this Section, provided that recovery of the costs is fairly apportioned among its residential customers as provided in this subsection (b‑25). The electric utility may apportion greater costs on the residential customers who elect real‑time pricing, but may also impose some of the costs of real‑time pricing on customers who do not elect real‑time pricing, provided that the Commission determines that the cost savings resulting from real‑time pricing will exceed the costs imposed on customers for maintaining the program.
    (c) The electric utility's tariff or tariffs filed pursuant to this Section shall be subject to Article IX.
    (d) This Section does not apply to any electric utility providing service to 100,000 or fewer customers.
(Source: P.A. 94‑977, eff. 6‑30‑06.)

    (220 ILCS 5/16‑107.5)
    Sec. 16‑107.5. Net electricity metering.
    (a) The Legislature finds and declares that a program to provide net electricity metering, as defined in this Section, for eligible customers can encourage private investment in renewable energy resources, stimulate economic growth, enhance the continued diversification of Illinois' energy resource mix, and protect the Illinois environment.
    (b) As used in this Section, (i) "eligible customer" means a retail customer that owns or operates a solar, wind, or other eligible renewable electrical generating facility with a rated capacity of not more than 2,000 kilowatts that is located on the customer's premises and is intended primarily to offset the customer's own electrical requirements; (ii) "electricity provider" means an electric utility or alternative retail electric supplier; (iii) "eligible renewable electrical generating facility" means a generator powered by solar electric energy, wind, dedicated crops grown for electricity generation, anaerobic digestion of livestock or food processing waste, fuel cells or microturbines powered by renewable fuels, or hydroelectric energy; and (iv) "net electricity metering" (or "net metering") means the measurement, during the billing period applicable to an eligible customer, of the net amount of electricity supplied by an electricity provider to the customer's premises or provided to the electricity provide