ALBANY- The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) has amended the state’s Uniform Business Practices (UBP) and standard renewal notice requirements to align with New York’s General Business Law Article 349-d, which established a bill of rights for energy service company (ESCO) customers.
In a separate action, the Commission ordered the state’s major utilities to extend the current one-month pause on disenrolling customers from energy affordability programs (EAPs) to a full year, strengthening consumer protections. All ESCOs operating in New York must follow UBP guidelines and PSC regulations to remain eligible to serve customers in the state.
“Governor Hochul continues to ensure the economic well-being of consumers remains first and foremost,” said PSC Chair Rory Christian. “These new amendments will ensure ESCO customers remain protected from sharp, unexpected price increases. Further, as recognized by the utilities, the EAPs faced a confluence of unprecedented and unforeseeable events due to the federal government shutdown. To avoid the disenrollment of a potentially large number of customers who would otherwise be enrolled, the Commission directed the utilities to pause any disenrollment.”…