The Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) represents the interests of residential, farm, and small business consumers of electricity and natural gas at regulatory proceedings with the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC).
The UCA’s primary goal in regulatory proceedings
The UCA aims to ensure that consumers get their utility services at the lowest possible cost, consistent with reasonable levels of service. Because the costs of regulatory proceedings, including all approved legal and consultant fees for interveners, are paid for through consumers' utility rates, it's important that Albertans receive good value for these costs (and all other utility operational expenses).
The UCA’s mandate is established in Schedule 13.1 of the Alberta Government Organization Act.
UCA Regulatory Affairs
To effectively represent customer interests, the UCA has a Regulatory Affairs section with two groups: Market Policy and Analysis and Regulatory Operations.
Market Policy and Analysis
The UCA brings fact-based, well-researched positions to government and industry to create policy changes that benefit consumers. Best practices and regulatory proceedings in other jurisdictions help guide these recommendations.
The UCA represents consumers in forums outside the AUC, including:
- Collaborative Industry Discussion and Issue Resolution (CIDIR)
- Transmission Facility Cost Monitoring Committee (TFCMC)
- Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) Business Review Process and market issues that directly impact consumers
- Tolls, Tariff, Facilities & Procedures Committee (TTFP)
- Government of Alberta working groups
Regulatory Operations
The UCA reviews all applications brought before the AUC and participates in regulatory proceedings based on the following factors:
- Consumers are entitled to reasonable levels of service
- Utility service providers are entitled to a fair return for their services
- Rates are applied consistently with who caused the particular cost
What does the UCA ask when evaluating?
- Could the outcome of the proceeding have a direct impact on residential, farm, and small business consumers? How significant is the impact?
- Money involved
- Business practices affected
- Process oversight
- Has the UCA been successful in the past, and will the UCA be able to influence the outcome?
- Is regulatory intervention the most effective means to influence the outcome? Is there a policy approach that would be more effective (legislation, regulation)?
Regulatory decisions
The UCA then reviews the utilities’ proposals in detail, challenges them if necessary, and presents alternative proposals. This is done through a quasi-judicial process of written questions and evidence, oral cross-examinations, and submission of arguments and reply arguments. The AUC then weighs the information presented by all sides to make a decision that's both fair to the utility and its consumers. The AUC publishes their findings, directions, and decisions in a document called a Decision.
The UCA reports on AUC decisions with significant impacts.
Regulatory impacts
Interventions can result in changes to the methods utilities use to allocate costs. They may also result in changes to the various components on your bill, or even a redefinition of customer classes.
The UCA also intervenes in many other types of utility applications, such as debt and equity issues, changes to terms and conditions of service, and conditions for purchasing energy for default rate customers and others to ensure that customers’ interests are protected.
