2019 Canadian Rate Design Symposium
June 24-25, 2019 | Calgary, AB
Overview
Canadian utilities share some current retail rate design issues with their neighbors to the south but also have some homegrown concerns. Low-cost Canadian utilities are struggling with the challenge of serving potentially large new customers at competitive prices while still recovering significant new fixed costs. More generally, promotion of renewables, energy storage, customer site generation and energy efficiency point to future cost increases. How should utilities blend cost recovery with price efficiency?
This symposium will review these issues and explore techniques employed by modern rate designers for improving both fixed cost recovery and price efficiency. Experts will discuss how pricing that makes use of modern metering, including residential demand charges and various forms of time-varying pricing can be used to meet these challenges. Meet your peers in Calgary and participate in stimulating discussions targeting the most pressing rate design challenges of Canada’s utilities, regulators, and industry stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes
- Discuss the rate design challenges of accommodating distributed energy
- Evaluate how to balance the cost of transmission additions
- Explain progressive service and product offerings for the retail electricity market
- Explain why there needs to be a suite of ratemaking options for large customers
- Hear regulatory perspectives on various rate design issues and structures
- Discuss the potential unintended consequences of certain rate designs
- Discuss the pricing challenges that can arise in serving innovative customers
Credits
EUCI has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). In obtaining this accreditation, EUCI has demonstrated that it complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard which is recognized internationally as a standard of good practice. As a result of their Authorized Provider status, EUCI is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standard.
EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.9 CEUs for this event and 0.3 CEUs for the workshop.
Requirements for Successful Completion of Program
Participants must sign in/out each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit.
Instructional Methods
Case Studies, Panel Discussions and PowerPoint presentations
Agenda
Monday, June 24, 2019
12:30 – 1:00 p.m. :: Registration
1:00 – 1:15 p.m. :: Welcome Announcements
1:15 – 1:35 p.m. :: Welcome Address
On behalf of ENMAX, Andrew Barrett will welcome conference attendees to the great city of Calgary and provide an overview of the company including how ENMAX addresses rate design in these constantly changing times.
Andrew Barrett, Vice President, Regulatory Applications, ENMAX
1:35 – 5:00 p.m. :: Session I: Large Customer Rates
3:00 – 3:30 p.m. :: Networking Break
Session I Overview:
Some Canadian utilities are facing issues associated with the arrival of large, new customers. Data centres, marijuana grow-houses, etc. can be sizeable and mobile, posing challenges of generation pricing and cost recovery as well as conventional challenges of connection. More generally, customers may have competitive alternatives that compel a utility to explore ways to offer pricing that meets marginal cost standards but that departs from embedded cost pricing. How should utilities design rates and contracts to secure required revenues but offer efficient, competitive prices for generation services? How should they structure contracts to recover possibly significant new transmission costs? This session will review these issues and explore current and possible approaches to large-customer pricing.
Balancing the Cost of Transmission Additions between Existing and New Customers
Kevin Fagan, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
Applying Bonbright Principles to Various Rate Design Structures and Emerging Issues
Jackie Ashley, Senior Regulatory Analyst, British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC)
Market Reference-Priced Rate Designs at BC Hydro
David Keir, Manager Transmission Rates, BC Hydro
Panel Discussion: Large Customer Rates Recap
This panel discussion will allow symposium attendees to ask specific questions of the presenters for discussion related to the large customer rate design session.
Kevin Fagan, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
Jackie Ashley, Senior Regulatory Analyst, British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC)
David Keir, Manager Transmission Rates, BC Hydro
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. :: Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: Session II: Mass Market Rates
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. :: Networking Break
Session II Overview:
Rate design for residential and small business customer classes has been limited by metering and billing constraints. With increases in advanced metering capability and customer sophistication – distributed energy resources (DERs), electric vehicle ownership, preferences for green power, and automated energy management – it is important for providers to update their rates. But what initiatives fit best? Is net metering appropriate or are there alternatives? To what extent should time variation in pricing be introduced? How should electric vehicle charging be priced? This session will review how utilities are meeting these challenges and the alternatives that are being explored.
Progressive Service and Product Offerings for the Retail Electricity Market
Ned Ross, Governmental Affairs, Direct Energy
Pricing to Reduce Emerging Revenue Risk of Small-Customer Classes
Wesley Manfro, Regulatory Analyst, ENMAX
Residential Usage Changes in Response to Time-Varying Rates
Dan Hansen, Vice President, Christensen Associates Energy Consultants, Inc.
Panel Discussion: Mass Market Rates Recap
This panel discussion will allow symposium attendees to ask specific questions of the presenters for discussion related to the mass market rate design session
Ned Ross, Governmental Affairs, Direct Energy
Joyce Cui, Manager, Regulatory Applications, ENMAX
Dan Hansen, Vice President, Christensen Associates Energy Consultants, Inc.
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. :: Group Luncheon
1:00 – 4:30 p.m. :: Session III: “Hot Topics” in Rate Design
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. :: Networking Break
Session III Overview:
This session will focus on emerging challenges in ratemaking that are not in the mainstream. We will review an innovative electric vehicle charging design, a new comprehensive renewable energy plan designed to replace the piecemeal efforts of past years, and the neglected topic of standby pricing. This session will also be devoted to pricing challenges that can arise in accommodating innovative customers. A panel discussion reviewing innovative strategies will close this session and the conference.
Innovative Pricing with Xcel Energy’s Enhanced Renewables Connect Program
Nick Paluck, Rate Consultant, Xcel Energy
Hydro-Québec’s Experiment in Pricing Electricity for EV Charging Stations
Emmanuelle Fortin, Rates Counselor, Hydro-Québec
Whither Standby Rate Design? Canadian and U.S. Examples
Bruce Chapman, Vice President, Christensen Associates Energy Consultants, Inc.
Panel Discussion: Hot Topics Recap
This panel discussion will allow symposium attendees to ask specific questions of the presenters for discussion related to the hot topics in rate design session.
Nick Paluck, Rate Consultant, Xcel Energy
Emmanuelle Fortin, Rates Counselor, Hydro-Québec
Bruce Chapman, Vice President, Christensen Associates Energy Consultants, Inc.
4:30 p.m. :: Conference Concludes
Workshop
Retail Pricing: Costing and Pricing Tools for Contemporary Challenges
Monday, June 24, 2019
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. :: Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. :: Workshop Timing
Overview
This workshop is designed to help prepare conference attendees for informed understanding of the presentations. This session will review costing and pricing principles and practices that underpin current ratemaking challenges. It will compare embedded and marginal costing, identifying their uses and limitations as the basis for rate design activities. In the workshop we will review how traditional rate designs build on costing methods and how their shortcomings can be revealed by contemporary rate design issues. The principles and practices of innovative rate designs will provide insights into how those ratemaking challenges can be met. For those new to rate design or who work in areas that would benefit from a better understanding of ratemaking, this workshop will provide participants with the basis for a productive symposium and more informed work upon returning home.
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire the basic tools of costing and pricing
- Review traditional embedded and current marginal costing principles that are the basis for ratemaking
- Discuss traditional ratemaking principles and practices, and then explore the innovative rate structures that serve most business customers today
- Discuss the basics of other pricing challenges likely to emerge in the conference that follows this workshop
Agenda
- Ratemaking: the mundane vs. the revolutionary
- Embedded costs: sharing the burden equitably
- Marginal costs: expanding the cost basis for pricing
- Rate objectives and rate structures: balancing tradeoffs
- Using new designs to meet contemporary challenges
Instructor
Bruce R. Chapman, Vice President, Christensen Associates Energy Consulting
Mr. Chapman is a Vice President at Christensen Associates Energy Consulting. He assists clients in the electricity and natural gas industries to improve their costing and pricing capabilities. Mr. Chapman advises clients in such areas of expertise as: cost-of-service analysis and rate design based upon both established regulatory and market-based principles; innovative rate design including demand response products, renewables pricing, fixed billing, and other market-based retail pricing products; load forecasting and load research analysis. Additionally, he has supervised the development of software required for the implementation and support of innovative retail products.
Speakers
Jackie Ashley, Senior Regulatory Analyst, British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC)
Andrew Barrett, Vice President, Regulatory Applications, ENMAX
Bruce Chapman, Vice President, Christensen Associates Energy Consultants, Inc.
Joyce Cui, Manager, Regulatory Applications, ENMAX
Kevin Fagan, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
Emmanuelle Fortin, Rates Counselor, Hydro-Québec
Dan Hansen, Vice President, Christensen Associates Energy Consultants, Inc.
David Keir, Manager Transmission Rates, BC Hydro
Wesley Manfro, Regulatory Analyst, ENMAX
Nick Paluck, Rate Consultant, Xcel Energy
Ned Ross, Governmental Affairs, Direct Energy
Location
Sandman Hotel Calgary City Centre
888 7th Ave SW
Calgary, AB T2P 3J3
Reserve your room:
please call 1-403-237-8626
Room Block Reserved For:
Nights of June 22 – 23, 2019
Room rate through EUCI:
$CAD 159.00 single or double plus applicable taxes
Make your reservations prior to May 22, 2019.
Register
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