ASSEMBLY TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITIES
COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
[First Reprint]
SENATE, No. 3620
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: DECEMBER 9, 2024
The Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee
reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No.
3620 (1R).
As amended and reported, this bill requires each electric public
utility and each gas public utility that uses smart meters to establish an
“Energy Bill Watch” program to notify a smart meter customer when
the customer’s electricity or gas usage exceeds certain thresholds as
provided in the bill. Under an “Energy Bill Watch” program, an
electric public utility or gas public utility is required to: (1) notify a
customer on the 10th day of each billing cycle if the customer’s
average daily electricity or gas usage exceeds the customer’s average
daily electricity or gas usage from the previous billing cycle or from
the same billing cycle in the previous calendar year; (2) notify a
customer on the 20th day of, or at such points as the customer
designates in, each billing cycle if the customer’s average daily
electricity or gas usage exceeds the customer’s average daily
electricity or gas usage from the previous billing cycle or from the
same billing cycle in the previous calendar year; (3) provide a
customer the option to set a threshold dollar value for the cost of
electric or gas service at which the electric public utility or gas public
utility will notify the customer that the customer has reached the
threshold dollar value based on the customer’s electricity or gas usage
for that billing cycle; and (4) provide a customer with the cost in
dollars of the customer’s average monthly electricity or gas usage and
the amount in kilowatt hours or therms of the customer’s average
monthly electricity or gas usage in each notice.
Under this bill, an electric public utility or gas public utility is
required to: (1) advertise the electric public utility’s or gas public
utility’s “Energy Bill Watch” program through multiple methods, as
specified in the bill; (2) notify all smart meter customers when the
electric public utility’s or gas public utility’s “Energy Bill Watch”
program is available for customers and include an option to opt out of
the program; (3) automatically enroll all smart meter customers in the 2
“Energy Bill Watch” program; and (4) include in a customer’s first
notice guidance on how the customer can customize notifications or
opt out of the “Energy Bill Watch” program.
This bill also requires that certain information be included in all
bills from an electric public utility or gas public utility to a customer,
including, but not limited to: (1) the dollar amount charged to the
customer by the electric public utility or gas public utility in the
previous billing cycle; (2) the dollar amount charged to the customer
by the electric public utility or gas public utility in the current billing
cycle; and (3) the difference between the amount charged in the
previous billing cycle and the current billing cycle. The bill requires
an electric public utility or gas public utility to include, within each
dollar amount, any tariffs, fees, or taxes, including, but not limited to,
charges for the distribution of electricity or gas, third party supplier
services, and the societal benefits charge.
As amended and reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 3620
(1R) is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4817, which was also amended
and reported by the committee on this date.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS :
The committee amended the bill to:
(1) require electric public utilities and gas public utilities that use
smart meters to establish “Energy Bill Watch” programs within 120
days, instead of 90 days, following the bill’s effective date;
(2) require an electric public utility and gas public utility, under an
“Energy Bill Watch” program, to notify a customer on the 10th day of
each billing cycle if the customer’s average daily electricity or gas
usage exceeds the customer’s average daily electricity or gas usage
from the same billing cycle in the previous calendar year, in addition
to from the previous billing cycle;
(3) require an electric public utility and gas public utility, under an
“Energy Bill Watch” program, to notify a customer on the 20th day of,
or at such points as the customer designates in, each billing cycle if the
customer’s average daily electricity or gas usage exceeds the
customer’s average daily electricity or gas usage from the same billing
cycle in the previous calendar year, in addition to from the previous
billing cycle; and
(4) make technical changes to the bill.