A Ratepayers Bill of Rights

Selected public intervenor status comments from the Alliance for Affordable Energy:

A utility company:

1. SHALL NOT coerce you into paying charges you dispute by disconnecting or threatening to disconnect your service.
   
2. SHALL NOT disconnect you for nonpayment of services that were mistakenly under billed.
   
3. SHALL NOT require you to pay for services billed to another person, even if that person is your relative or house mate.
   
4. SHALL NOT disconnect your service because you have not paid for electrical services provided to another location.
   
5. SHALL give you fair and reasonable notice and the opportunity to protest before disconnection.
   
6. SHALL have written rules that set reasonable deposits fees to safeguard accounts.
   
7. SHALL NOT discriminate among customers by requiring different deposit amounts from similarly situated customers.
   
8. SHALL collect fees for service reconnection, late payment, other charges, and deposit only after the company provides evidence that support the fees in a public regulatory session and the fees have been formally approved by the regulatory body.
   
9. SHALL NOT require application information, demand deposit or additional fees, accelerate or otherwise intensify payment collection based on an applicant’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, and income based in whole or in part on a public assistance program.
   
10. SHALL NOT otherwise abuse its power to deny or disconnect service.
    

Our Story
The Alliance is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to creating fair, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy policies. Founded in 1985 in New Orleans, the Alliance conducts community education campaigns on energy issues, helps citizens and businesses become more energy efficient, and promotes sustainable energy policy solutions. As the only Louisiana consumer advocacy/environmental organization, the Alliance plays a pivotal role in providing citizen input on energy-related issues. Since its inception, the organization's mission has evolved to cover energy issues affecting citizens from reducing energy bills to being the state's lead organizer in the fight to stop global warming. In the wake of the devastating 2005 hurricanes, the Alliance is using its regulatory, policy development, networking and outreach skills to ensure that New Orleans and the region utilize available sustainable technologies and smart planning choices as reconstruction occurs.