Home energy is essential to healthy lives. It is not a luxury to be able to stay warm in the winter, cool in the summer, to safely store food in a refrigerator and cook it on a stove or in a microwave, and to be able to turn on a light at night in order to read.
Engage in the regulatory process
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC), with direction from the legislature, protects customer’s right to obtain and maintain access to essential utility services. However, the legislative and regulatory processes have not adequately addressed the affordability gap and the challenges payment troubled-customers without hearing the experiences of utility customers who have difficulty paying their bills.
Utility company and other business representatives routinely voice their interests and concerns at regulatory hearings and through legislative processes. For small residential customers concerns to be addressed, customers must participate in the process. Customers who have had a problem with service provided by a utility company service or have had trouble affording their bills can share their experience with their PRC commissioner.
Customers and consumer groups also have a right to intervene in utility company rate cases and other procedural filings. This is a more involved process that requires legal representation.
Dispute resolution
If a customer has difficulty obtaining utility service, negotiating a reasonable payment plan or any other problem with the utility company the first step always is to call the company directly and try to work out a solution. If the problem cannot be resolved the customer has the right to file a complaint with the Public Regulation Commission consumer division or may want to speak directly with her/his PRC commissioner to ask their help in resolving the situation.
Filing a complaint with the PRC
The Public Regulation Commission has a standardized complaint form that is available online or a complaint can be submitted in a letter that details the nature of the complaint. If a more timely response is needed the PRC can be called directly.
The following information should be included:
- Name of the utility company involved.
- Full name of the customer who is listed on the bill.
- Service address and mailing address (if different from service address).
- Telephone number(s) involved or gas/electric/water/sewer account number.
- Home telephone number.
- Telephone number where the Compliance Officer can reach you during the day.
- Details of the dispute, this should include the company’s response to your complaint and the company representatives that you have spoken with to try to resolve your complaint.
After the complaint has been filed it will be assigned to a Compliance Officer for investigation and response. When the investigation is complete the Compliance Officer will contact the customer to discuss the results. If the customer is unsatisfied with the decision she/he can request a further review of the dispute.
Legal services
A customer may also receive assistance from a non-profit legal services organization to resolve a dispute with a utility company. (See Resources p. ##)
Advocacy
Policy change is required to provide a greater investment in reaching low income households with energy efficiency programs , to design and implement fair rate structures that ensure customers are charged a fair, affordable rate for utilities, and to protect households from unaffordable fees. This can only be accomplished by people organizing to pressure politicians and business executives to make this a priority issue.
Customers and advocates can contact their state representative and senator to discuss the problem of unaffordable home energy and to urge a more comprehensive, innovative response to the problem. Find your representative.
