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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20040415Volume VII Part II.pdfPlease state your name, address, and present occupa t ion. Please state you name and business address. My name is Maggie Brilz.My business address is 1221 West Idaho Street, Boise , Idaho. By whom are you employed and in what capacity? I am employed by Idaho Power Company as Director of Pricing. Please describe your educational background. In May of 1980 I received Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Economics and Psychology from Smith College in Northampton , Massachusetts.In 1998 I completed the University of Idaho's Public Utilities Executive Course in Moscow , Idaho.I have also attended numerous seminars and conferences on pricing issues related to the utility industry and have attended seminars and courses involving public utility regulation. Please describe your business experience with Idaho Power Company. I started emploYment with Idaho Power Company in November of 1984 as a Financial Analyst in the Planning Department.In 1986 I was promoted to the position of Rate Analyst in the Rate Department. duties as a Rate Analyst included the development of al ternati ve pricing structures 749 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company the analysis of the impact on customers of rate design changes, the preparation of cost -of - service studies, and the administration of the Company I s tariffs.In July of 1993 I was promoted to Rate Design Supervisor.In that capacity I also became responsible for the overall rate design acti vi ties of the Rate Department. In October of 1996 I was promoted to my current position of Director of Pricing in the Pricing and Regulatory Services Department. What is the scope of your testimony in this proceeding? My testimony will address the Company I s class cost -of - service study and the Company I s rate design proposals for the tariff and special contract customers. Class Cost-of-Service Study Please describe the methodology used to prepare the class cost -of - service study submitted in this proceeding. The class cost-of-service study submitted in this proceeding uses the Weighted 12 Coincident Peaks allocation method.This study uses the same methodology as previously filed by the Company in Case No. I006-185 , Case No. U-I006-265A , and Case No. IPC-E-94- and used by the Commission in the allocation of the revenue requirement among customer classes in those 750 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company cases. What procedures were used in the preparation 751 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company of the fully distributed or embedded class cost -of - service study? There are two general steps used in preparing a fully distributed or embedded class cost-of-service study.The first step is to determine the total costs of providing electric service , adj usted for normal weather and water conditions.The next step is to establish a methodology for the separation of those costs among customer classes. What total costs of providing electric service have been allocated to the various customer classes in the class cost-of-service study? The total costs of providing electric service to the Idaho jurisdiction included on Mr. Obenchain ' Exhibit No. 30 have been allocated to the various classes. What methodology was used for the separation of costs among customer classes? The methodology for separating costs among classes consists of a three-step process generally referred to as classification , functionalization , and allocation.In all three steps , recognition is given to the way in which the costs are incurred by relating these costs to the way in which the utility is operated to provide electrical service. 752 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Please explain the meaning of classification. Classification refers to the identification of cost as being either customer-related, demand related , or 753 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company energy-related.These three cost components are used to reflect the fact that an electric utility is not simply in the business of selling electric energy, even though it may sometimes appear to the customer that only energy, as measured in kilowatt hours, is purchased.In fact, the customer is also buying the ability to have service available at any point in time. Secondly, the customer is buying capacity or the ability to receive as much power as is required at a point in time. Most power supply facilities (generation and transmission) generally are considered to fall into this capacity category. And finally, the customer is buying energy or the ability to do useful work over an extended period of time. These three concepts of availability, capacity and energy are related to the three components of cost designated as customer , demand and energy components, respectively. In order to classify a particular cost by component, primary attention is given to whether the cost varies as a result of changes in the number of customers, changes in demand imposed by the customers , or changes in energy use. What are some examples of customer , demand- and energy-related costs? Examples of customer related costs are the investment in meters , a portion of the investment associated with distribution facilities , the costs 754 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company associated with meter reading and billing, and the costs associated with maintaining the availability of service regardless of whether service is actually taken. Demand-related costs are investments in generation transmission , and distribution plant and the associated operation and maintenance expenses necessary to accommodate the maximum demand imposed on the Company ' system.Energy-related costs are generally the variable costs associated with the operation of the generating plants, such as fuel , although due to the hydro production capability of the Company, a portion of the hydro and thermal generating plant investment is usually classified as energy-related. Please discuss the approach used to classify customer-, demand-, and energy-related costs. The Company has used the Electric Utility Cost Allocation Manual published by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners as its primary guide to the classification of customer-, demand-, and energy-related costs. Please explain the meaning of funct ional i za t ion. In addition to classification, costs must be functionalizedi that is , identified with utility operating functions. Operating functions recognize the 755 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company different roles played by the various facilities in the electric utility 756 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company system. In the Company I s accounts these various roles are already recognized to some degree , particularly in the recording of plant costs as production-, transmission- or distribution-related. However, this functional breakdown is not in sufficient detail for cost-of-service purposes. Individual plant items are examined and, where possible, the associated investment costs are assigned to one or more operating functions so that the costs may be allocated among classes of customers. Please explain the process of allocation. The process of allocation is merely one of apportioning the total jurisdictional cost among classes by introducing allocation factors into the process. An allocation factor is nothing more than an array of numbers which specifies the class value or share of a total jurisdictional quantity. Once individual costs have been allocated to the various classes of service , it is possible to total these costs as allocated and thus arrive at a breakdown of utility rate base and income by class. The results are stated in a summary form to measure adequacy of revenues for each class. The measure of adequacy is typically the rate of return earned on rate base compared to the requested rate of return. Have you prepared or supervised the 757 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company preparation of the fully distributed or embedded class cost-of-service study submitted in this proceeding? Yes. Using the cost information provided to me by Mr. Obenchain, I prepared the fully distributed or embedded class cost -of - service study.This study was prepared using the Weighted 12 Coincident Peaks allocation method.It is identified as follows: Exhibit Description Exhibit No. 37 Functionalization and Classification of Costs Exhibit No. 38 Summary of Functionalized Costs Exhibit No. 39 Allocation to Classes Exhibit No. 40 Development of Weighted Demand and Energy Allocators Exhibit No. 41 Revenue Requirement Summary Please describe Exhibit No.3 7. Exhibit No. 37 contains 115 pages and consists of 10 Cost Functionalization and Classification Tables. The functionalization and classification of each component of rate base, operating revenue and expense is treated in detail in these tables.The tables are shown in the following sequence: Table No.Description Electric Plant in Service Accumulated Provision for Depreciation 758 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company Additions and Deletions to Rate Base Operating Revenues Operation and Maintenance Expenses Depreciation and Amortization Expense Taxes Other Than Income Taxes Income Taxes Development of Labor Related Allocator Functionalization Allocators What is the significance of the column headed Allocator" ? This column identifies, by sYmbol , the basis for each allocation. For example, for Accounts 310 through 316 , Steam Production, shown at line 20 on page , the constant "PI-S" is used to allocate the total investment in steam production plant to the appropriate functions.The resultant functionalization of costs may itself serve as a basis for subsequent allocations.This use is illustrated at line 115 on page 16 where the accumulated depreciation for steam production plant is allocated by the functionalization of costs at line 20. Please describe the classification of plant utilized in the class cost-of-service study. In the class cost-of-service study all steam and hydro production plant has been classified on a demand and energy basis using the methodology found 759 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company preferable by this Commission in prior general rate proceedings. The energy portion of the steam and hydro production investment has been determined by use of the Idaho jurisdictional load factor of 55.26 percent.The computation of the Idaho jurisdictional load factor is included in my workpapers.By application of the load factor ratio to the steam and hydro production plant investment , the energy-related portion is easily determined. The balance of the steam and hydro production plant investment is then classified as demand-related. All other production plant and transmission plant has been classified as demand-related. Would you describe how distribution plant has been classified? Distribution substation plant, Accounts 360, 361 , and 362, has been classified as demand-related. Distribution plant Accounts 364 , 365, 366, 367 and 368 were classified as either demand-related or customer-related using the ratio of the fixed and variable portions of the Company I s system peak during the three-year period 2000 through 2003. The fixed portion of the Company I s system peak was set equal to the near-minimum , or first percentile, hourly system load during this three-year period. The variable portion was set equal to the remaining share of the peak load. 760 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Would you please describe the functionalization of general plant? General plant was functionalized based on total production , transmission, and distribution plant. As a result, a portion of general plant was assigned to each production , transmission , and distribution function based on each function I s proportion to the total. How was the accumulated provision for depreciation functionalized? The accumulated provision for depreciation was functionalized using the resulting functionalization of costs for the appropriate plant item.For example, the accumulated depreciation for steam production plant shown at line 115 on page 16 is functionalized based on the functionalization of steam production plant in service at line 20. Please describe Table 3 of Exhibit No.3 7. Table 3 indicates the functionalization of all other additions to and deductions from rate base. Deductions from rate base include customer advances for construction and accumulated deferred income taxes. Customer advances have been functionalized based on the distribution plant investment against which the advances apply.Accumulated deferred taxes have been functionalized based on total plant investment. 761 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company Additions to rate base consist of materials and supplies, which have been 762 BRILZ , DI 10a Idaho Power Company functionalized based on the appropriate plant function fuel inventory, which has been functionalized based on energy product ion , and prepaid items, which have been functionalized based on labor expenses or the appropriate plant function depending on the type of prepayment. Deferred conservation expenses have been functionalized based on the Idaho jurisdictional load factor resulting in 55.26 percent of the deferred expenses being functionalized to energy production and the remainder being functionalized to demand production. Please describe the functionalization of other revenue shown on Table 4 of Exhibi t No.3 7 . Other revenue is functionalized based on either the functionalization of the related rate base item or in the situation where a particular revenue item may be identified with a specific service, the functionalization of the specific service item. Briefly describe the method by which operation and maintenance expenses were functionalized. The functionalization of operation and maintenance expenses is detailed on Table 5 of Exhibit No. 37.In general , the basis for the functionalization may be readily interpreted from the Exhibit, particularly since in most cases the functionalization is the same as that for the associated plant. 763 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company How is supervision and engineering expense treated throughout the allocation of operation and maintenance expenses? For each applicable expense account in each functional group, the labor component is separately functionalized in accordance with the detail provided on Table 9 of Exhibit No. 37. Referring to pages 91 through 105 of Table 9 , it can be seen that the total of allocated labor in each functional group becomes the basis for the functionalization of supervision and engineering expense. For example, for Account 535 at line 678 , the labor related supervision and engineering expense is functionalized based on lines 679-683 which represent the cumulative labor as functionalized for Accounts 536 through 540 shown on page 91 of Exhibit No. 37. In a similar fashion , the allocation of supervision and engineering associated with hydraulic maintenance expense, Account 541 , is based on the composite labor expense for Accounts 542 through 545, as expressed by lines 686-689.Total functionalized labor expense serves the additional purpose of functionalizing employee pensions and other labor-related taxes and expenses. Table 9 details the development of all labor-related functionalization factors used in this study. Q. Please describe the functionalization of depreciation expense, taxes other than income , and income 764 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company taxes shown on Tables 6, 7 , and 8 , respectively. Depreciation expense is functionalized based on the function of the associated plant.Taxes other than income are also functionalized based on the function of the source of the tax.Deferred income taxes are functionalized based on total plant investment.The functionalization of federal and state income taxes is based on the functionalization of total rate base and expenses and is discussed in more detail in my testimony regarding the allocation of costs to classes of customers. Please describe Exhibit No.3 8. Exhibit No. 38 summarizes in row format the functionalized costs for each component of rate base and expenses shown across the columns on Exhibit No. 37. Please describe Exhibit No.3 9. Exhibit No. 39 details the allocation of the summarized costs shown on Exhibit No. 38 to each class of customer including the special contract customers.The Exhibit also includes a summary of results showing the actual rate of return earned for each customer class and special contract customer.The Exhibit includes the following tables: Table No.Descript ion Plant in Service Accumulated Reserve for Depreciation 765 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Amortization Reserve Customer Advances for Construction Accumulated Deferred Income Taxes Acquisition Adjustment Working Capi tal Deferred Programs Subsidiary Rate Base Substation CIAC Other Revenue Operation & Maintenance Expenses Depreciation Expense Amortization of Limited Term Plant Taxes Other Than Income Provision for Deferred Income Taxes Investment Tax Credit Adj ustment State Income Tax Federal Income Tax Allocation Factor Summary Briefly describe the manner in which you allocated the summarized costs shown on Exhibit No. 38 to each class of service as shown on Tables 1 through 17 of Exhibit No. 39. In an effort to weight the monthly contributions to the total system peak in a fashion which reflects the marginal costs of the Company I s seasonal 766 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company load requirements, I have allocated demand- related costs according to a Weighted 12 Coincident Peaks allocation method. Is the Weighted 12 Coincident Peaks methodology used in the current class cost -of - service study the same methodology used in previous studies filed with the Commission? The philosophical approach is the same in that the methodology is intended to strike a balance between backward-looking costs already incurred and forward-looking costs to be incurred in the future. However , the nature of the Company I s marginal costs has changed since the early 1990s.As a resul t, the methodology used to compute the weighted demand-related allocation factors has been revised slightly. How has the nature of the Company's marginal costs changed since the early 1990s? According to the Company's 2002 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), the Company has identified capacity deficits in the months of June, July, August, November, and December only.During all other months, no capacity deficits currently exist.The deficits in the five months cited above are driving the need for additional peaking resources.Consequently, the Company faces capaci ty, or generation-related, marginal costs in only 767 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company five months of the year.During the remaining seven months , the Company has no current need for additional resources. Hence there is no generation-related marginal cost for these seven months. In the early 1990s the Company I S analysis showed a generation-related marginal cost for all months of the year except September and October. Does the Company I s analysis for transmission-related marginal costs show the same result as for generation capacity? , it shows slightly different results. Again , according to the Company's 2002 IRP , the Company currently anticipates transmission deficits during only the months of June, July, and August.As a result, the Company faces transmission-related marginal costs during only these same three months. What are the weighted allocation factors used in the cost-of-service study? The allocation factor DI0 is used to allocate generation capacity-related costs.The allocation factor D13 is used to allocate transmission-related costs.The allocation factor EI0 is used to allocate energy-related costs.The detail for the development of the weighted allocation factors can be found on Exhibit No. 40. How has the Company used the marginal costs to 768 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company determine the Weighted 12 Coincident Peaks allocation factors? First, the actual coincident peaks for each customer class were used to derive actual DI0 and D13 ratios.Second, the actual coincident peaks weighted by the five monthly marginal costs for generation and the three monthly marginal costs for transmission were used to derive weighted DI0 and D13 ratios.Finally, the average of the actual and weighted DI0 and D13 ratios were computed for use in allocating costs among customer classes. Was the methodology used to compute the demand-related weighted allocation factors used to compute the weighted energy-related allocation factors? No.Because the Company operates its system by continually balancing energy generation and purchases, it faces monthly marginal energy costs.Therefore the methodology used to determine the weighted energy allocation factors is the same as that used in the Company' s previous filings.The monthly marginal energy costs were used to weight the normal i zed monthly energy usage for each customer class and special contract customer.I then totaled the resul ts for each customer class and divided the customer class totals by the jurisdictional total weighted value to establish the EI0 769 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company ratio for each class. Were any other changes incorporated into the derivation of the weighted demand and energy allocation 770 BRILZ, DI 17a Idaho Power Company factors? Yes.In order to identify costs by summer and non-summer seasons to facilitate the Company's rate design proposals, I calculated weighted factors for both the summer season, defined as the months of June , July, and August, and the non-summer season , defined as all other months.Accordingly, the summer and non-summer weighted demand allocation factors used for the allocation of the demand-related portion of production plant and for the allocation of transmission plant are designated as DI0S, DI0NS, D13S, and D13NS, respectively. The summer and non-summer weighted energy allocation factors are designated as EI0S and EI0NS, respectively. Have the marginal costs been used to develop the Company I s revenue requirement? No. The marginal costs have been used solely for purposes of developing allocation factors and not for purposes of developing the Company I s revenue requirements. What was the method by which you allocated costs associated with distribution plant? The allocation of the capacity components of distribution plant, both primary and secondary, was by use of the coincident group peak demands for each customer class identified as demand allocation factors 771 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company D20, D30 , D50, and D60. The allocation of the customer components of 772 BRILZ , DI 18a Idaho Power Company distribution plant, both primary and secondary, was by use of the average number of customers identified as customer allocation factors C20, C30, C50 and C60. What was the method by which you allocated costs associated with customer accounting and customer assistance expenses? The principal customer related expenses which require allocation are meter reading expenses, customer records and collections, uncollectible accounts, and customer assistance expense. The meter reading and customer account expenses were allocated based upon a review of actual practices of Idaho Power Company in reading meters and preparing monthly bills. The allocation of uncollectible amounts again was based upon a review of actual Idaho Power Company data.Customer assistance expenses were allocated based on the average number of customers in each class. Does Exhibit No. 39 include a listing of the allocation factors used to allocate to classes the various costs shown on Tables 1 through 17? Yes.Table 20 of Exhibit No. 39 includes a listing of each allocation factor. How did you allocate state and federal income tax to each customer class and special contract customer as shown on Tables 18 and 19? 773 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company The state and federal income taxes for the Idaho jurisdiction provided to me by Mr. Obenchain were allocated to each customer class and special contract customer on the basis of income before income taxes.The worksheet showing this allocation is included in my workpapers.Tables 18 and 19 show the functionalization of these allocated taxes to each customer class. What method was used to functionalize the state and federal income taxes as shown on Table 18 and Table 19 of Exhibit No. 39? State and federal income taxes were functionalized based on the functionalization of total rate base and expenses for each class.For example, the total summer power supply production rate base amount of $59,945,913 allocated to the residential class on Tables 1 through 10 of Exhibit No. 39 represents 9.33 percent of the total rate base amount of $642,356,205 allocated to the residential class.The state and federal income taxes allocated to the residential class ($783,038 and $6,799,290 , respectively) are multiplied by this same percent to establish the summer power supply production components of $73 075 and $634 523 shown on Table 18 and Table 19.This same methodology is used for all functional components and customer classes shown on Tables 18 and 19. 774 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company Please describe Exhibit No. 41. Exhibit No. 41 is the revenue requirement 775 BRILZ, DI 20a Idaho Power Company summary based on the results of the class cost-of-service study.The section headed "Revenue Requirement for Rate Design" details the sales revenue required from each customer class and special contract customer. The sales revenue required includes return on rate base, total operating expenses, and incremental taxes computed using the net-to-gross multiplier of 1.642 provided to me by Mr. Obenchain.I have provided the results from this section to Mr. Gale.Mr. Gale I s testimony addresses the allocation of revenue requirement among the customer classes. Were any adj ustments made to the Company I s data for any of the customer classes for purposes of the class cost -of - service study? Yes.Currently, seven customers receive service under Schedule 19, Transmission Service level. After a review of these customers I facilities, it was determined that the facilities configuration for four of the seven customers is the same as the facilities configuration for customers taking service under Schedule 19, Primary Service level.However, these four customers , unl ike Primary Service level customers, are currently paying a facilities charge for a portion of the investment in substation facilities required to provide service.In order to treat these customers consistently 776 BRILZ, Dr Idaho Power Company with other customers in the same situation , the Company intends to transfer these 777 BRILZ, DI 21a Idaho Power Company four customers to Primary Service level and discontinue the monthly facilities charge on the substation investment.An adj ustment, as detailed by Mr. Obenchain in his testimony, has been made to the amount of annual facilities charge revenue to reflect this change. Does the Company I s class cost -of - service study treat each service level on Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 as a separate customer class? No, it does not.The three service levels, Secondary, Primary, and Transmission , available on both Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 are intended to provide flexibility in serving customers depending on the customer I S facility requirements.For example, customers who own their own substations are served at Transmission Service level whereas customers who utilize non-dedicated Company-owned facilities are served at Secondary Service level.Customers who own their own secondary facilities or who pay a facilities charge to the Company for use the dedicated secondary facilities, are served at Primary Service level.After the adj ustment I just described for the four Schedule 19 Transmission Service level customers, only three customers will be served at the Transmission Service level on Schedule 19.In addition only one customer is served at Secondary Service level under Schedule 19.The remaining 100 customers are 778 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company served at Primary Service level.Therefore, for Schedule 19, the Transmission and Secondary customers are combined with the Primary Service level customers to form a single customer class for cost allocation purposes.For Schedule 9, the three Transmission Service level and the 112 Primary Service level customers are combined to form a single customer class for cost allocation purposes while the Secondary customers remain separate. This grouping of the various service levels prevents a very small group of customers from being treated as a single customer class. The Company I s class cost -of - service study separately identifies contributions in aid of construction (CIAC) for distribution substations. this treatment of substation CIAC a departure from past practices? Yes.In the past , the Company's class cost-of-service studies have included only the net amount of distribution substation investment.Consequently, no direct recognition of CIAC paYments has historically been made on a customer class basis.As a result , all customer classes that were allocated a portion of distribution substation plant were provided a portion of the benefit associated with CIAC paYments. What changes have been made to the current 779 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company class cost -of - service study to address the CIAC issue? First, rather than using net distribution 780 BRILZ , DI 23a Idaho Power Company substation investment (Accounts 360 , 361, and 362) as the amount to be functionalized, classified, and allocated to classes, as has been the practice in previous studies the current study uses the "net plus CIAC" distribution substation investment.Second , I directly assigned to each customer class the distribution substation CIAC amount specifically contributed by each class.Thus the class-specific CIAC contributions were used as direct offsets to the allocated distribution plant investment for each customer class in the derivation of net rate base.This methodology directly attributes the benefit associated with CIAC paYments to the specific classes that made the contributions. Mr. Obenchain referred to an adj ustment made to treat the monthly Operation & Maintenance (O&M) charges paid by Micron under its special contract as retail sales revenue.Would you please explain the rationale for this adj ustment? Micron currently pays a monthly O&M charge based on the total cost of the substation facilities required to deliver power and energy to its facility. The Company is proposing to eliminate the separate O&M charge and incorporate the costs associated with the substation facil i ties into Micron' s standard charges. The adj ustment to Micron I s sales revenue was made in 781 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company order to establish an appropriate base revenue amount. Rate Design What are the obj ecti ves the Company is striving to achieve through its rate design proposals? The Company is striving to achieve two main obj ecti ves.First, the Company is striving to establish prices which primarily reflect the costs of the services provided. Cost-based prices provide customers with clear signals about the costs of receiving service, reduce subsidies wi thin customer classes , and result in a more equi table recovery of the costs of providing service. Second, the Company is striving to give customers price signals that reflect the variation in the costs of providing service during different times of the year and day.Mr. Gale addresses in his testimony the Company ' policy regarding its pricing obj ecti ves. How does the Company propose to implement these objectives? The Company proposes to implement these obj ecti ves by pricing the individual rate components closer to cost , by implementing seasonal pricing for Schedules 1 , 7 , 9 and 19 , and by implementing time-of -use pricing for all customers taking service under Schedule 19. Q. How does the Company plan to price the rate components closer to cost? 782 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Historically, the energy charge on metered service schedules has been set at levels that recover not only the costs associated with providing energy but also a portion of the fixed costs associated with delivering energy and providing customer-related services.The Company plans to emphasize increases to both the demand and customer charges so that these components are more reflective of cost.This plan will result in less non-energy related costs being recovered through the energy charge. Why is the Company proposing seasonal rates for Schedules 1, 7 , 9, and 19? The Company faces its highest power supply costs during the months of June , July, and August.The Company also faces its highest peak usage during these same three months.In fact, it is the peak usage during these three months , along with the usually low hydro condi tions during the months of November and December, which are driving the need for the Company to seek new peaking resources and to emphasize peak reduction in demand-side management programs utilizing the energy efficiency rider funds. Seasonal rates, which are higher in the months of June , July, and August than during the other nine remaining months, are intended to signal customers that consumption during the summer months is 783 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company more costly.It is hoped that this signal will encourage reduced consumption during the 784 BRILZ , DI 26a Idaho Power Company peak months. Why is the Company not proposing seasonal rates for Schedule 24, irrigation service? Irrigation service is by definition seasonal. The pricing structure for Schedule 24 already takes into account the seasonal nature of irrigation service. Why is the Company proposing time-of-use rates for Schedule 19 service? Besides being more costly during the summer months , energy is more costly during certain hours of the day.The implementation of time-of-use rates for Schedule 19 customers, who currently have the metering in place to accommodate the hourly pricing, will provide the economic signal that energy is more costly during both the peak hours of the day and the peak months of the year.Again , like strictly seasonal rates, it is hoped that time-of-use rates will encourage reduced consumption both during the summer months as well as during the daily peak hours. What are the specific pricing obj ecti ves for the Company I s various service schedules? First, the Company plans to place more emphasis on the customer and demand components in its overall rate structure.Second, the Company plans to initiate seasonal energy pricing on all metered service schedules 785 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company and both seasonal energy and seasonal demand pricing on all metered service schedules that are also demand metered.And finally, the Company plans to implement mandatory time-of-use pricing for all customers taking service under Schedule 19.The Company does not plan to change the current seasonal pricing structure for irrigation service, nor does it plan to implement seasonal pricing for unmetered schedules or for the special contract customers. How are the seasons defined for the Company ' pricing proposals? The summer season is defined as June 1 through August 31.The non-summer season is defined as September 1 through May 31. Are you proposing any changes to the criteria for determining service schedule eligibility? I am not proposing any changes to the usage criteria for determining eligibility for service under Schedules 7 , 9, and 19.However , I am proposing a change to the process used to review customers' eligibility. Would you please explain the change being proposed? Yes.Currently, each customer taking service under Schedule 7 , 9, or 19 is assigned an anniversary date that coincides with the date on which service under 786 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company the schedule first began.Each year during the billing period in which the customer I s anniversary date falls, the 787 BRILZ , DI 28a Idaho Power Company customer I S usage during the past twelve months is reviewed to determine continued eligibility.Customers whose usage during the annual review period has changed such that they are no longer eligible for the existing schedule are moved to the appropriate schedule beginning with the next billing period.Al though this process works well under most situations, there are cases in which there is a lag between changes in usage and the actual annual review. For example, under the current method where the annual review occurs on the customer ' anniversary date, a customer taking service under Schedule 7 whose account is reviewed on July 1 may decide to install an additional piece of equipment that causes the monthly usage to increase over 3,000 kWh per month. This increase in usage would make the customer eligible for service under Schedule 9 after just three months. However , because the customer I s account will not be reviewed again until the following July 1 , the customer will continue receiving service under Schedule 7. In order to more closely match any change in usage with the most appropriate service schedule, I am proposing to eliminate the annual review on the customer ' s anniversary date.In its place , I propose to review each customer ' s account monthly.Based on this monthly review of the customer's most recent twelve months of usage, transfers 788 BRILZ , DI I daho Power Company to the appropriate service schedule will be timelier. The 789 BRILZ , DI 29a Idaho Power Company language on Schedules 7, 9 , and 19 has been modified to reflect this change in process. Are you proposing any other changes that are common to several service schedules? Yes.I am proposing that the Customer Charge included on Schedules 1, 7 , 9, 19, 24 , and 25 be renamed to Service Charge. Why is this change being proposed? The current Customer Charge is intended to recover costs that do not vary with the amount of energy or capacity used.These costs include such items as a portion of the investment in distribution facilities, the investment in meters and service drops, meter reading, billing, and other customer service related expenses. The term Service Charge is more descriptive of these costs and, I believe , will be more easily explained to customers. What change is being proposed to the power factor requirement for Schedules 9, 19, and 24? Currently, Schedules 9 , 19, and 24 provide a means by which the measured kW may be adjusted if the customer I S power factor is less than 85 percent.I am proposing this provision be revised to allow for the measured kW to be adjusted if the customer I s power factor is less than 90 percent.This revision will more 790 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company directly target cost recovery from those customers whose poor power 791 BRILZ , DI 3 Oa Idaho Power Company factors result in the need for additional facilities investment by the Company. In order to provide ample time for customers to work with Company representatives to identify and implement solutions to improve power factor I am proposing the 90 percent power factor requirement not become effective until November 1 , 2004. Are you proposing any changes to the contracting provisions for large customers requiring 000 kilowatts (kW) or more of capacity? Yes. I am proposing that any customer , except a customer receiving service under a special contract, who requires 1 000 kW or more of capacity at a single point of delivery enter into a service agreement with the Company specifying the amount of capacity required. entering into an agreement, the customer will have certainty that facilities are in place to provide the agreed upon level of capacity and the Company will have information useful for its planning purposes.I have added a section to Rule C , Service Agreement, specifying this provision.I have also added a Uniform Service Agreement in tariff format to Rule Are you proposing any changes not directly related to the Company I s rate design? Yes.Based on previous Commission Orders, the unit avoided energy cost for cogeneration and small 792 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company power production available under Schedule 89 is to be adj usted during the course of every Idaho Power general rate proceeding.Using the methodology previously ordered by the Commission, I have adjusted the unit avoided energy cost utilizing updated variable operation and maintenance costs and variable fuel costs for the Valmy plant. Have you prepared or supervised the preparation of certain exhibits relating to your rate design testimony? Yes.I am sponsoring the following exhibits relating to rate design: Exhibi t Description Exhibit No. 42 Class Cost-of-Service Unit Costs Exhibit No. 43 Summary of Revenue Impact and Calculation of Proposed Rates Exhibi t No. Billing Comparisons and Rate Design Impacts of Proposed Rates Exhibit No. 45 Derivation of Schedule 19 Charges Exhibit No. 46 Derivation of Schedule 24 Charges Exhibit No. 47 Derivation of Schedule 45 Standby Charges Exhibit No. 48 Proposed Tariff in Legislative Format Exhibit No. 49 IPUC No. 27 , Tariff No. 101 Please describe Exhibit No. 42. 793 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Exhibit No. 42 shows the unit cost for each function for metered service schedules as determined through 794 BRILZ, DI 32a Idaho Power Company the fully distributed or embedded class cost-of-service study.The billing units shown in the column labeled (E) reflect the billing demands, normalized billing energy, basic load capacity, and number of billings.The uni t costs shown on Exhibit No. 42 form the basis of the component charges for each service schedule. Please describe Exhibit No. 43. Page 1 of Exhibit No. 43 is titled Summary of Revenue Impact.Each service schedule and special contract customer is listed with its number of customers, energy sales, and current revenue level.Column 5 shows the revenue adj ustment to each customer class.Column 6 shows the revenue to be recovered by the rate design proposals based on the 2003 test year. Page 1 also lists the mills per kWh and percentage change in revenue for each customer class and special contract customer. Pages 2 through 22 of Exhibit No. 43 indicate the rate calculations made, by billing component, for each service schedule and special contract customer. Please describe Exhibit No. 44. Exhibi t No. 44 shows the impact on customers bills of the proposed rate designs for Schedules 1, 7 , 9, 19,, and 25. Please describe Exhibit No. 45 and Exhibit No. 46. 795 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company Exhibit No. 45 details the derivation of the charges for Schedule 19.Exhibit No. 46 details the derivation of the charges for Schedule 24. Please describe Exhibit No.4 7. Exhibit No. 47 details the derivation of the updated charges for Standby Service under Schedule 45. Please describe Exhibit No. 48 and Exhibit No. 49. Exhibit No. 48 includes the Company s rules, regulations, and service schedules indicating in legislative format the changes made to those rules, regulations, and schedules.Exhibit No. 49 is the proposed Idaho Public Utilities Commission No. 27 , Tariff No. 101 This exhibit contains all the changes to the Tariff proposed by the Company in this proceeding. How have you organized your discussion of the Company I S rate design proposals? I have divided my discussion of the Company ' proposed rate designs into six sections.The first section includes the discussion for the proposed rate structures for the Company I s non-demand metered schedules.The second section addresses the Company ' proposals for demand-metered schedules.The third section includes the discussion for the proposed rate structures for the Company s non-metered schedules. The 796 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company fourth section addresses the Company I s proposals for the special contract customers.The fifth section includes the rate design proposals for the Company's "rider schedules for standby and alternate distribution service. The final section addresses the Company's proposals for its miscellaneous special contracts. NON-DEMAND METERED SCHEDULES What are the Company's non-demand metered service schedules? Residential Service and Small General Service, Schedules 1 and 7 respectively, are metered for kilowatt-hour (kWh) use only. What is the present rate structure for Residential Service under Schedule Presently, residential customers pay a Customer Charge of $2.51 and a base Energy Charge of 4.93039 per kWh. What is the revenue requirement to be recovered from Residential Service customers taking service under Schedule I? Based on Mr. Gale I s Exhibi t No. 61 , the annual revenue to be recovered from Schedule 1 customers is $255,076,727. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 1. 797 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company The rate design proposal for Schedule 1 is included on page 2 of Exhibit No. 43.The Service Charge is increased from $2.51 to $10.00 per month.The $10. Service Charge represents approximately 40 percent of the cost-of-service result of $24.61 shown at line 300 on page 1 of Exhibit No. 42.Both a summer and a non-summer Energy Charge are established with the summer charge 25 percent greater than the non-summer charge.The Ene rgy Charge during the summer is 6.13759 per kWh.The Ene rgy Charge during the non-summer is 4.91019 per kWh. What impact does this rate design have on Residential Service customers? The typical monthly billing comparison for Residential Service customers appears on page 1 of Exhibit No. 44. Do you believe the increase in the Service Charge from $2.51 to $10.00 per month is detrimental to low income customers? No, I do not. Are you proposing any other changes to Schedule I? Yes.I am making what I consider housekeeping changes to clarify that residential service is not applicable if service is utilized for a commercial purpose or if the customer s equipment does not conform 798 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company to the Company' s specifications for residential service. What is the present rate structure for Small General Service under Schedule Customers taking service under Schedule 7 pay a Customer Charge of $2.51 and a base Energy Charge of 96499 per kWh.Demand is not metered for Schedule 7 customers. What is the revenue requirement to be recovered from Small General Service customers taking service under Schedule 7? Based on Mr. Gale I s Exhibit No. 61, the total annual revenue to be collected from Schedule 7 customers is $20,328,148. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 7. The rate design proposal for Schedule 7 is included on page 3 of Exhibit No. 43.The Service Charge is increased from $2.51 to $10.00 per month.The $10. Service Charge represents approximately 40 percent of the cost-of-service result of $26.01 shown at line 360 on page 2 of Exhibit No. 42.Both a summer and a non-summer Energy Charge are established.The Energy Charge during the summer is 7.28689 per kWh.The Energy Charge during the non-summer is 5.82839 per kWh.As is the case for residential service , the Schedule 7 Energy Charge during 799 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company the summer is 25 percent greater than the Energy Charge during the non-summer. 800 BRILZ , DI 37a Idaho Power Company What is the impact of this rate design on Small General Service customers? Page 2 of Exhibit No. 44 shows the billing comparison between the existing rates and rate structure and the proposed rates and rate structure for typical billing levels. Are you proposing other changes to Schedule As I will explain in more detail as I describe the proposed changes to Schedule 24 , Irrigation Service, I am proposing to add language to Schedule 7 that clarifies that it is not applicable to agricultural irrigation service after October 31 , 2004. DEMAND-METERED SCHEDULES What are the Company I s demand-metered schedules? The Company s demand-metered schedules are Large General Service, Large Power Service , and Irrigation Service, Schedules 9 , 19 , and 24 respectively.In addition, Schedule 25, Irrigation Service Time-of-Use Pilot Program, while not open to new participants , is still available to those who were taking service as of October 1 , 2002. How are Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 interrelated? 801 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Both Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 provide service at Secondary, Primary, and Transmission Service levels. As customers I loads change, they can transfer between Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 while continuing to take service at the same service level.Both Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 have a Demand Charge and a Basic Charge.The Demand Charge is assessed on peak demand each month while the Basic Charge is assessed on the average of the two highest peak demands for the current 12 -month period. What is the current relationship between prices on Schedule 9 and Schedule 19? Currently, the Basic Charge, the Demand Charge, and, with a slight deviation , the Customer Charge are the same within service level for both Schedule 9 and Schedule 19.For example, the Basic Charge for Primary Service level is $0.77 per kW per month for both Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 for Secondary Service level , the Basic Charge is $0.36 per kW per month for both Schedule 9 and Schedule 19.The Energy Charges for Primary and Transmission Service level for Schedule 9 are approximately 2.25 percent greater than the corresponding Energy Charges for the same service level for Schedule 19. Why has this relationship been established? This relationship has been established to be 802 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company reflective of cost and to facilitate customer transitions from Schedule 9 to Schedule 19 and vice versa. Does the Company I s rate design proposal for Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 customers maintain this pricing relationship between schedules? The rate design proposal for Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 maintains the relationship between the Basic Charge and the Demand Charge on each of the schedules. However, because time-of -use pricing is being proposed for Schedule 19 and not for Schedule 9, a direct relationship between the energy components is not maintained. What is the present rate structure for Schedule 9? Service under Schedule 9 is taken at Secondary, Primary, or Transmission Service level.One hundred twel ve customers take service at Primary Service, three customers take service at Transmission Service, and 919 customers take service at Secondary Service.All customers taking service under Schedule 9 pay an Energy Charge, a Demand Charge, a Basic Charge, and a Customer Charge. Customers taking Primary or Transmission service may also pay a Facilities Charge. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 9. 803 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company The Company is proposing both seasonal Energy Charges and seasonal Demand Charges for Schedule 804 BRILZ , DI 40a Idaho Power Company addition , the Company is proposing increases to both the Service Charge and the Basic Charge. Does the rate design proposal have the same overall impact in terms of the percentage increase in revenue requirement for customers taking service under Secondary, Primary, and Transmission Service levels? No. The results of the cost-of-service study indicated an overall increase in revenue of 8 percent for Secondary Service level customers and 24 percent for Primary and Transmission Service level customers (refer to line 233 on page 1 of Exhibit No. 41).In order to recognize this cost difference between service levels, the rate design proposal for Primary and Transmission Service level targets an average overall increase of 20 percent. What is the Service Charge for Schedule The Service Charge for Secondary Service under Schedule 9 is $21.This amount represents approximately 55 percent of the cost-of-service result of $37.74 shown at line 480 on page 3 of Exhibit No. 42.The Service Charge for Primary and Transmission Service is $500. This amount is the same charge established for Schedule 19 Primary Service and Schedule 19 Transmission Service and reflects the cost associated with the automated metering of customers at these voltage levels. 805 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company What is the Basic Charge for Schedule The Basic Charge for Secondary Service is $. per kW of basic load capacity per month.The $.65 charge reflects approximately 50 percent of the cost of service for distribution facilities as shown at line 480 on page 3 of Exhibit No. 42.For Primary Service, the Basic Charge is $1.12 per kW of basic load capacity.The Basic Charge for Transmission Service is $.57.The Basic Charge for Primary Service and the Basic Charge for Transmission Service are the same as those for Schedule The derivation of the $1.12 and $.57 charges is19. detailed later in my discussion of the Schedule 19 rate design. What is the Demand Charge for Schedule The Demand Charge for Secondary Service for the summer season is $4.00 per kW and for the non-summer season is $3.35 per kW per month.For Primary Service, the Demand Charge during the summer season is $3.94 per kW.During the non-summer season the Demand Charge for Primary Service is $3.25 per kW.The Demand Charge for Transmission Service is $3.80 per kW during the summer season and $3.15 per kW during the non-summer season. For the non-summer season , the Demand Charges for Secondary, Primary, and Transmission Service are the same as those for Schedule 19.The derivation of both the 806 BRILZ , DI I daho Power Company summer and non-summer Demand Charges is described in more detail in my discussion of the Schedule 19 pricing design. 807 BRILZ, DI 42a Idaho Power Company What is the Energy Charge for Schedule The Energy Charge for Secondary Service is 94429 per kWh during the summer and 2.56169 per kWh during the non-summer.For Primary Service , the Energy Charge is 2.56599 per kWh during the summer and 2.18239 during the non-summer.The Energy Charge for Transmission Service is 2.50879 per kWh during the summer and 2.13379 per kWh during the non-summer. How were the Energy Charges derived? The differential between the summer and non-summer energy costs resulting from the class cost-of-service study for Schedule 9 is approximately percent (refer to Exhibit No. 42, page 3, line 480) .The Energy Charges for Primary Service were set to reflect this cost differential.The Energy Charges for Transmission Service were set to maintain the current relationship between the Energy Charges for Primary and Transmission Service. The Energy Charges for Secondary Service were set to recover the residual revenue requirement for the class while attempting to maintain a summer and non-summer differential close to 18 percent. Are you proposing any other changes to Schedule As I will explain in more detail as I describe the proposed changes to Schedule 24 , Irrigation Service I am proposing to add language to Schedule 9 that 808 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company clarifies that it is not applicable to agricultural irrigation service after October 31 , 2004. What is the revenue requirement to be recovered from Schedule 9? Based on Mr. Gale's Exhibit No. 61, the total annual revenue to be collected from customers taking service under Schedule 9 is $123 864 097. What is the impact of this rate design on Large General Service customers? As can be seen from page 3 of Exhibit No. 44 approximately 30 percent of the customers taking Schedule 9 Secondary Service receive an increase in their annual bills less than the 15 percent overall increase for the Secondary Service customers as a whole.Another 28 percent of the Secondary Service customers receive an increase of 15 percent to less than 20 percent.For Primary and Transmission Service level customers, approximately 43 percent of the customers receive an increase less than the 20 percent overall increase targeted for this group.Page 4 of Exhibit No. 44 shows the impact of the rate design proposal on customers taking service under Schedule 9 Primary or Transmission Service.For all service levels , customers with higher load factors receive less of an increase than customers wi th lower load factors. 809 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company What is the present rate structure for Schedule 19? Service under Schedule 19, just like service under Schedule 9 , is provided under Secondary, Primary, or Transmission Service levels. All customers taking service under Schedule 19 pay an Energy Charge , a Demand Charge, a Basic Charge, and a Customer Charge. Customers taking Primary or Transmission Service may also pay a Facilities Charge. In addition, Schedule 19 includes a 000 kW minimum billing demand and basic load capacity. What is the rate design proposal for Schedule 19? The Company is proposing seasonal time-of-use rates be implemented on a mandatory basis for all customers taking service under Schedule 19.Under the Company s proposal , On-Peak , Mid-Peak , and Off-Peak energy prices would be in effect during the three summer months from June 1 through August 31.During all other months Mid-Peak and Off-Peak energy prices would be in effect.In addition to seasonal energy rates, the Company is also proposing summer and non-summer demand charges as well as an on-peak demand charge during the summer. Al though the Company is proposing an increase to both the Service Charge and the Basic Charge , no seasonality is being proposed for these charges. 810 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company What is the Service Charge for Schedule 19? For all service levels, the Service Charge is 811 BRILZ , DI 45a Idaho Power Company $500 per month. This amount represents approximately percent of the cost-of-service result of $712.36 shown at line 720 on page 5 of Exhibit No. 42. What is the Basic Charge for Schedule 19? The Basic Charge for Secondary Service is $. per kW per month , the same as that for Schedule 9 Secondary Service.For Primary Service, the Basic Charge is $1.12 per kW per month.This amount is approximately equal to the cost-of-service result of $1.11 shown on line 720 on page 5 of Exhibit No. 42.For Transmission Service the Basic Charge is set to $.57 per kW per month to maintain the existing relationship between the Primary and Transmission Service levels. Please describe the Company I s proposal for time-of-use energy charges. During the three summer months, the Company is proposing three time-of-use blocks.The On-Peak block is defined as 1 p. m. to 9 p. m. Monday through Friday.The Mid-Peak block is defined as 7 a. m. to 1 p. m. and 9 p. m. to 11 p. m. Monday through Friday and 7 a. m. to 11 p. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.The Off - Peak block is defined as 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day. During the non- summer months, the Company is proposing just two time-of -use blocks.The Mid-Peak block during the non-summer is defined as 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through 812 BRILZ , D I Idaho Power Company Saturday.The Off -Peak block is defined as 11 p. m. to m. Monday through Saturday and all hours on Sunday and hol idays .All times are in Mountain Time. What are the specific proposed energy prices? The Energy Charges by service level and time period for each season are: Time Period - - - - - - - - - - - Service Level- - - - - - - - - - - - Secondary Primary Transmission Summer On-Peak 43549 79919 73689 Mid-Peak 03759 47499 41989 Off-Peak 77459 26069 21039 Non-Summer Mid-Peak 66619 17239 12399 Off-Peak 49289 03119 98599 Please describe the Company I s proposal for Demand Charges. During the three summer months, the Company is proposing to implement a two-tiered Demand Charge for monthly peak demand. The Demand Charge for Billing Demand, which is the average kW supplied during the 15-minute period of maximum demand during the billing period, is $3.61 per kW for Secondary Service, $3.50 per kW for Primary Service , and $3.39 per kW for Transmission Service.For all service levels , an additional charge of 813 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company $0.45 is assessed for each kw of On-Peak Billing Demand, which is the average kW 814 BRILZ , DI 47a Idaho Power Company supplied during the 15-minute period of maximum demand during the billing period for the on-peak hours.For customers whose peak demand during the billing period occurs during the on-peak period, the Billing Demand and the On-Peak Billing Demand will be the same.However for customers whose peak demand occurs during the mid-peak or off -peak period, the Billing Demand will be greater than the On-Peak Billing Demand.During the non- summer months , only Billing Demand will apply. There is no On-Peak Billing Demand during the non-summer months.The Demand Charges for the non-summer months are $3.35 per kW for Secondary Service, $3.25 per kW for Primary Service, and $3.15 per kW for Transmission Service. Would you please provide an example of how the summer Billing Demand and On-Peak Billing Demand will affect customers? Yes.Assume a Primary Service level customer has a peak demand for the billing period of 1 500 kw which occurs during the on-peak period.In this situation the Billing Demand and the On-Peak Billing Demand will equal 1 500 kW. This customer will pay a total of $3.95 for each kw of peak demand since the Billing Demand and On-Peak Billing Demand are the same ($3.50 per 1,500 kW of Billing Demand plus $.45 per 1,500 815 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company kW for On-Peak Billing Demand) .However if this same customer has a peak demand for the 816 BRILZ , DI 48a Idaho Power Company billing period of 1,500 kw that occurs during the mid-peak or off-peak period with the highest peak demand during the on-peak period equal to 1,200 kW , the On-Peak Billing Demand will be less than the Billing Demand. this situation , the customer will, on average, pay only $3.86 per kw of peak demand ($3.50 per 1 500 kW Billing Demand plus $.45 per 1,200 kW of On-Peak Billing Demand) . Are you aware of any utilities that charge for both peak demand during the month and on-peak demand during the month in a manner similar to the Billing Demand and On-Peak Billing Demand you are proposing for the summer season? Yes.I am aware of at least three utilities that have similar pricing for demand:Southern California Edison charges for the monthly peak demand the monthly on-peak demand, and the monthly mid-peak demand under its Schedule TOU-Pacific Gas and Electric charges for the monthly peak demand, the monthly peak-period demand, and the monthly partial-peak-period demand under its Schedule E-19 and Colorado Springs Utilities charges for both monthly on-peak and monthly off-peak demand under its Schedule E8T and E8S.Both Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric charge for on-peak demand during the summer season only. 817 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company What approach was taken in determining the pricing proposal for Schedule 19? A two-step approach was taken.First , seasonal charges that did not differentiate by time-of -use were developed.After the seasonal charges were developed, the next step was to create the time-of-use charges for the demand and energy components wi thin each season. Exhibit No. 45 details the derivation of the seasonal non time-of -use differentiated charges as well as the derivation of the seasonal , time-of -use charges. How were the seasonal charges developed? The Energy Charges for each season were established to approximate the 17 percent cost differential between summer and non-summer energy costs resul ting from the class cost -of - service study for Schedule 19 while at the same time maintaining the current relationship between the Energy Charges for each service level and recovering the residual revenue requirement given the proposed Service, Basic, and Demand Charges.The Demand Charge for Primary Service was developed by first establishing the non-summer Demand Charge at $3.25 per kW , which is approximately 10 percent greater than the Schedule 19 Primary Service cost-of-service result of $2.95 shown at line 720 on page 5 of Exhibit No. 42 and approximately equal to the 818 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Schedule 9 Primary Service cost-of-service result of $3.29 per kW shown at line 540 on page 4 of Exhibit No. 42.The summer Demand 819 BRILZ , DI 50a Idaho Power Company Charge for Primary Service was then established at $3. per kW to reflect a 20 percent differential between the summer and non-summer Demand Charges.The Demand Charges for both non-summer and summer for Secondary and Transmission Service were then set to maintain the current relationship for these charges between the three service levels. The non-summer Demand Charge was set to $3.35 per kw for Secondary Service and to $3.15 per kW for Transmission Service.The summer Demand Charge was set to $4.00 per kW for Secondary Service and to $3. per kW for Transmission Service. Why was a 20 percent differential established between the summer and non-summer Demand Charges? A 20 percent differential approximates the seasonal differential for energy-related costs and provides consistency with the differential between the summer and non-summer Energy Charges. What is the cost differential between summer and non-summer demand-related costs that is supported by the cost -of - service study? The differential between the summer and non-summer demand-related costs supported by the cost-of-service study is approximately 80 percent (refer to line 720 on page 5 of Exhibit No. 42). Q. How were the time-of -use Energy Chargesdeveloped? 820 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company The first step in developing the time-of-use Energy Charges was to determine the charge for the Mid-Peak time period for each season.As a starting point, the Mid-Peak charge was set equal to the seasonal Energy Charge established through the process I just described. For example , as a starting point , the summer Mid-Peak Energy Charge for Primary Service was set to 46869, the value of the seasonal , non time-of -use differentiated summer Energy Charge (refer to page 1 of Exhibit No. 45).For the summer charges, the second step involved determining the amount of increase or decrease from the Mid-Peak charge needed to establish the On-Peak and Off-Peak charges so that the target price differentials for the three time blocks were met.For the non- summer charges, the second step involved determining the amount of decrease from the Mid-Peak charge needed to establish the Off-Peak charge so that the target differential for the two time blocks was met. The final step involved minor adjustments to each charge to establish prices that recovered the revenue requirement amount. What were the target price differentials between the various time blocks that the Company was striving to achieve? For the summer months, the target price 821 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company differential between the on-peak and off-peak time periods is 25 percent.According to the Company I s Power Supply 822 BRILZ , DI 52a Idaho Power Company Planning Department , this differential represents the approximate difference in cost between an average market price for energy during the summer months of June , July, and August and a flat market price for the calendar year. The price differentials between the on-peak and mid-peak prices and the mid-peak and off -peak prices resulted from an iterative process in which the Company attempted to maintain the mid-peak price as close to the flat seasonal charge as possible , give a price signal to encourage shifting of load from the on-peak period to either the mid-peak or off-peak period , and recover the revenue requirement.For the non-summer months , the price differential between the mid-peak and off -peak prices resulted from an iterative process in which the Company attempted to maintain the same relationship as the summer mid-peak and off -peak prices while recovering the revenue requirement. How were the time-of -use Demand Charges developed? The Demand Charges for the non-summer months for each service level were set equal to the seasonal, non time-of-use differentiated charges (refer to Exhibit No. 45 discussed earlier) The summer Demand Charge for Primary Service was derived by applying the same percent differential as was established for the summer 823 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company On-Peak and Mid-Peak Energy Charges to the summer non time-of -use 824 BRILZ , DI 53a Idaho Power Company differentiated Demand Charge of $3.94. The result of this calculation is $3.50.The summer Demand Charges for Secondary and Transmission Service were then set to maintain the current relationship between the service levels.The difference between $3.94 and $3.50, or $. (rounded), is the summer On-Peak Demand Charge.The On-Peak Demand Charge is set at $.45 for each service level in order to help make the adoption of this new charge simple for all customers. Does your rate design proposal include any revisions to the provision for a Facilities Charge under Schedule 19? No.Customers taking Secondary Service will not be subj ect to a Facilities Charge. Customers taking Primary Service will continue to be required to either own all facilities , including transformers, beyond the point of delivery or pay the Company a monthly Facilities Charge of 1.7 percent times the Company s investment in those facilities.Customers taking Transmission Service will be required to own their own substations and all other facilities beyond the point of delivery.In some si tuations, customers taking Transmission Service may pay a monthly Facilities Charge of 1.7 percent times the Company I S investment in certain facilities. Q. What is the total annual revenue requirement to be collected from Large Power Service customers? 825 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Based on Mr. Gale I s Exhibit No. 61 , the total annual revenue requirement to be collected from Schedule 19 is $ 62 703 671. What is the impact of the rate design on Large Power Service customers? As can be seen from page 5 of Exhibit No. 44 approximately 25 percent of the customers taking service under Schedule 19 receive an increase in their annual bills less than the 14 percent overall increase for the Schedule 19 customers as a whole.Another 33 percent receive an increase of 14 percent to less than 16 percent.For the Schedule 19 customer group as a whole, customers with higher load factors receive less of an increase than customers with lower load factors. Are you proposing any other changes to Schedule 19? Yes.Currently, customers are required to sign a Uniform Large Power Service Agreement with the Company in order to receive service under Schedule 19.If the customer refuses to sign the Agreement, service continues to be provided under Schedule 9, although technically, based on the eligibility criteria for Schedule 9 , the customer is not eligible. for service under Schedule 9. Over the past several years the Company has experienced an increase in the number of customers with loads greater 826 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company than 1,000 kW who meet the criteria for service under Schedule 19 but who choose not to enter into an Agreement.The reasoning stated by some of the customers for not entering into an Agreement is the reluctance to make a 12 -month commitment for service, particularly by some of the companies that operate nationally.In order to ensure that customers are placed on the appropriate service schedule based on their usage characteristics, am proposing to eliminate the requirement that a Uniform Large Power Service Agreement be signed in order to receive service under Schedule 19.Without the requirement to enter into an Agreement, customers will be transferred onto and off of Schedule 19 automatically based on their usage.In addition, customers whose operations are going out of business will no longer be required to provide a twelve-month notice to the Company prior to having Schedule 19 service discontinued. Rather , as these customers I usage declines , they will be transferred to the appropriate general service schedule as indicated by the monthly review process.I have added language to Schedule 19 indicating that all Uniform Large Power Service Agreements will be cancelled effective June , 2004. What contracting requirements , if any, will customers taking service under Schedule 19 have? 827 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Customers taking service under Schedule 19 will be required to enter into a Service Agreement with the Company specifying the level of capacity required to serve their facilities.I described this Service Agreement earlier in my testimony. Are you proposing any changes to the eligibility criteria for receiving service under Schedule 19? No.Schedule 19 will remain available to customers who have three or more billing periods during a twel ve-month period in which the metered demand equals or exceeds 1,000 kW.However, Customers whose loads are anticipated to immediately exceed 1 000 kW may request to take initial service under Schedule 19. What is the current rate structure for Schedule 24? Service under Schedule 24 is classified as being either "in-season" or "out-of-season"The in- season for each customer begins with the customer ' meter reading for the May billing period and ends with the customer I s meter reading for the September billing period.The out-of-season encompasses all other billing periods. Within the in-season , customers pay both an Energy Charge and a Demand Charge for the metered usage.During 828 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company the out-of-season , customers pay an Energy Charge only. For the in-season , customers are subject to a $10. 829 BRILZ, DI 57a Idaho Power Company Customer Charge.The Customer Charge during the out-of-season is $2.50. Both Secondary Service and Transmission Service levels are available under Schedule 24 , although no customers are currently taking Transmission Service. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 24. I am proposing to keep the overall rate structure for the irrigation season as it is currently. Consistent with the Company I s overall obj ecti ves, I propose to move the individual rate components closer to cost by emphasizing increases in the demand and customer components and the inclusion of less non-energy related costs in the energy charges. What approach did you take in determining the amount of increase for each rate component? I first considered the percentage of overall revenue requirement identified by demand, energy, and customer component for irrigation service resulting from the cost-of -service study.These percentages established the target for each component and are shown in column 5 on Exhibit No. 46.Second, I determined the percentage of overall revenue by component currently provided by the existing base rates.These percentages are shown in column 4 on Exhibit No. 46.The difference, or gap, 830 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company between the target and the actual percentage was then determined for each component.Customer, demand, and energy charges were then established at a level that adjusted revenue by 15 percent of the gap.Exhibi t No. 46 illustrates the approach taken for each rate component. How were the rates for Transmission Service determined? Once the component rates for Secondary Service were determined, the charges for Transmission Service were established to maintain the same relationship between service levels as currently exists. What is the Service Charge for Schedule 24? The Service Charge for Secondary Service during the in-season is $25 per month.The Service Charge for Transmission Service during the in-season is $500 per month.This amount is the same charge established for Schedule 9 and Schedule 19 Transmission Service.For both Secondary and Transmission Service, the Service Charge during the out-of-season is $2.50 per month. What is the Demand Charge for Schedule 24? The Demand Charge for Secondary Service is increased from $3.58 to $5.40 per kW per month.The Demand Charge for Transmission Service is increased from $3.37 to $5.08 per kW per month.The Demand Charge is 831 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company billed to Schedule 24 customers during the in-season only. 832 BRILZ, DI 59a Idaho Power Company What is the Energy Charge for Schedule 24? The Energy Charge for Secondary Service is increased from 2.84169 per kWh to 3.26349 per kWh during the in-season and from 3.61729 per kWh to 4.57319 per kWh during the out-of-season.The Energy Charge for Transmission Service is increased from 2.70219 per kWh to 10359 per kWh during the in-season and from 3.43969 per kWh to 4.34909 per kWh for the out-of-season. What is the impact of the rate design on Schedule 24 irrigation service customers? Page 6 of Exhibit No. 44 shows the billing impact of the proposed rate design.As can be seen from page 6 of Exhibit No. 44 , approximately 23 percent of the customers taking service under Schedule 24 receive an increase in their annual bills of less than 25 percent, the total overall percentage increase for the class as a whole.Another 31 percent of the customers receive an increase of just 3 percent or less above the overall class increase of 25 percent.The remaining customers receive an increase in their annual bills of 32 percent to greater than 50 percent. What are the usage characteristics of the Schedule 24 customers receiving increases less than and greater than 25 percent? Because the rate design places an increased 833 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company emphasis on capacity, the higher a customer I s load factor 834 BRILZ , DI 60a Idaho Power Company the more beneficial the rate structure tends to be in terms of the overall impact to the annual billing. can be seen from page 6 of Exhibit No. 44, customers with the highest percentage increase in annual bills have the lowest load factors. What changes are being proposed for Schedule 25, Irrigation Service Time-of -Use Pilot Program? Schedule 25 currently provides continued service until October 1, 2007 for those participants who were enrolled in the pilot program on October 1 , 2002. The Company is not proposing any changes to this ongoing service availability at this time.However , the Company is proposing to revise the Schedule 25 Service and Demand Charges to be consistent with the charges for Schedule 24 and to increase the time-of -use rates to recover the revenue requirement. What are the rates being proposed for Schedule 25? I am proposing that the in-season and out-of-season Service Charges, the Demand Charge , and the out-of -season Energy Charge proposed for Schedule 24 be implemented for Schedule 25.Under this proposal the in-season Service Charge is $25 per month , the out-of-season Service Charge is $2.50 per month , the Demand Charge is $5.40 per kW per month , and the 835 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company out-of-season Energy Charge is 4.57319 per kWh.The $3.00 per month in-season Meter Charge remains the same. For the in-season, the On-Peak Energy Charge is 5.71109 per kWh , the Mid-Peak Energy Charge is 3.26349 per kWh, and the Off-Peak Energy Charge is 1.63179 per kWh. Would you please describe the methodology used to determine the in-season Energy Charges for Schedule 25? As is currently the case, the Mid-Peak Energy Charge is set equal to the in-season Energy Charge under Schedule 24 , or 3.26349 per kWh.The differential between the On-Peak Energy Charge and the Off-Peak Energy Charge is the same as that currently in place for Schedule 25.That is , the On-Peak Energy Charge is 75 percent greater than the Mid-Peak Energy Charge while the Off-Peak Energy Charge is 50 percent less than the Mid-Peak Energy Charge. What is the impact of these changes on the Time-of-Use Irrigation Service customers? The overall increase for the customer group as a whole is 25 percent, the same percentage increase as for the irrigation customer class as a whole. As can be seen from page 7 of Exhibit No. 44, approximately percent of the customers taking service under Schedule 25 receive an increase in their annual bills of less than 25 836 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company percent.Another 27 percent of the customers receive an increase of just 3 percent or less above the overall class increase of 837 BRILZ , DI 62a Idaho Power Company 25 percent. What are the usage characteristics of the Schedule 25 customers receiving increases less than and greater than 25 percent? As is the case with Schedule 24 , the rate design for Schedule 25 places an increased emphasis on capaci ty.As a resul t , the higher a customer's load factor, the lower the overall percentage increase. Conversely, the lower a customer' s load factor , the higher the overall percentage increase. Are any other changes to Irrigation Service being proposed? Yes.Currently, irrigation customers who request service be reconnected or transferred into their name are not charged an account processing charge or a reconnect ion charge if they provide ten working days advanced notice of the date reconnect ion or transfer of service is desired.This "waiver" of the account processing charge is unique for irrigation customers as all other customers receiving metered service are assessed an account processing charge or a reconnect ion charge when service is transferred or reconnected. I am proposing that irrigation customers be treated similarly to all other customers who request a service reconnect ion or transfer by assessing either a service reconnect ion 838 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company charge or a service establishment charge in each situation where the service is performed. Will irrigation customers still be required to provide ten working days advance notice of the date they desire to have service reconnected or transferred? No.The Company will process requests for service reconnect ions and transfers in the same manner as these requests are now processed for all other customers. In almost all situations, these requests will normally be processed wi thin three working days. Why is the Company proposing to add these charges for irrigation service at this time? Since the Company routinely began leaving irrigation service connected on a year-round basis in 1996, the number of customers requesting service disconnections has declined dramatically.Prior to 1996, irrigation service was disconnected for approximately 80 percent of the Company I s irrigation customers at the end of the pumping season.Over the winter of 2002 irrigation service was disconnected for only about 20 percent of the Company 's 15 280 irrigation customers. 1996, the Company performed approximately 9 000 service reconnect ions for irrigation customers.In 2003, only 400 service reconnect ions for irrigation customers were performed.The Company believes it is equitable to have 839 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company those customers who require the reconnection service pay for the service rather than having the costs shared by all customers.Requiring customers to pay a reconnection charge will eliminate a cross-subsidy between those irrigation customers who require service reconnections and those who do not.Similarly, charging the approximately 1 250 customers who annually require the Company to perform a special meter reading in order to transfer service into their names is more equitable and targets cost recovery from those customers who require the specific service. What are the reconnection charge and service establishment charge for irrigation customers being proposed by the Company? Ms. Drake addresses the specific charges and their derivation in her testimony. What change is being proposed to the eligibility criteria for Schedule 24 and Schedule 25? The current language under the Applicability section on both Schedule 24 and Schedule 25 states that service is "applicable to power and energy supplied to farm customers and organizations"Al though the Company is confident that Schedule 24 and Schedule 25 are intended to be available to farm customers and farm organizations, the current wording has led to various 840 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company interpretations.The Company intends to clarify the nature of service for which 841 BRILZ, DI 65a Idaho Power Company Schedule 24 and Schedule 25 are applicable by replacing the existing language under the Applicability section with language that specifies that service is applicable to power and energy supplied to agricultural use customers operating water pumping or water delivery systems used to irrigate agricultural crops or pasturage and by changing the name of the schedule from simply Irrigation Service to Agricultural Irrigation Service. Are there any customers currently receiving service under Schedule 24 or Schedule 25 that would no longer be eligible for irrigation service with the adoption of the new applicability language? Yes.There are approximately 768 customers currently receiving service under Schedule 24 and Schedule 25 that would no longer be eligible for continued irrigation service with the adoption of the new applicability language.The maj ori ty of these customers utilize service for the irrigation of golf courses, cemeteries , parks, school grounds, and common areas in subdivisions. What is the Company' s plan for addressing this issue? The Company plans to allow non-agricultural customers to continue receiving irrigation service under Schedule 24 or Schedule 25 through October 31 , 2004. 842 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company Effective November 1 , 2004 , any non-agricultural customers 843 BRILZ , DI 66a Idaho Power Company still receiving service under Schedule 24 or Schedule 25 would be transferred to the applicable general service schedule.In addition, on this date , any agricultural customer utilizing a water pumping or water delivery system and receiving service under either Schedule 7 or Schedule 9 would be transferred to Schedule 24. How many agricultural customers currently served under Schedule 7 or Schedule 9 would will be affected by this change? Approximately 613 customers would be transferred from Schedule 7 or Schedule 9 to Schedule 24. NON - METERED SCHEDULES What are the Company I s non-metered service schedules? The Company I s non-metered schedules are Dusk to Dawn Customer Lighting, Unmetered General Service, Street Lighting Service , and Traffic Control Signal Lighting Service, Schedules 15, 40, 41, and 42 , respectively. What is the present rate structure for Dusk to Dawn Customer Lighting on Schedule 15? Customers taking service under Schedule 15 are charged on a per lamp basis.Lamps currently served under Schedule 15 include 100, 200, and 400 watt high pressure sodium vapor area lighting, 200 and 400 watt high pressure sodium vapor flood lighting, and 400 and 844 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company 000 watt metal halide flood lighting. Under Schedule 15, customers pay a monthly Facilities Charge of 1. percent for all new facilities required for service. What is the revenue requirement to be recovered from customers taking service under Schedule 15? Based on Mr. Gale I s Exhibit No. 61, the annual revenue to be recovered from Schedule 15 customers is 458,416. The class cost-of-service study indicates that the rates for Schedule 15 service should be reduced by over 100 percent.Would you please explain this result? Yes.Customers who require new facilities to installed order to receive service under Schedule are charged a monthly facilities charge equal 1. 75 percent the Company I s investment in those new facilities.Prior to the implementation of the Company ' current customer information system (CIS) in 2000, facilities charge revenue by customer class was not available. In addition, the way in which the Company tracks facilities for customers receiving non-metered service does not identify the total investment in new facilities installed to provide Dusk to Dawn Customer Lighting Service.In prior cost -of - service studies, the total facilities charge revenue collected from customers was allocated to customer classes based on the identified 845 BRILZ , DI I daho Power Company facili ties investment for each class.This methodology resulted in no facilities charge revenue being directed to the Schedule 15 customer class.Rather , the facilities charge revenue that should have been directed to the Schedule 15 customer class was spread to other customer classes.Because the detailed information on facilities charge revenue is now available through the CIS, the current cost -of - service study directly assigns the appropriate amount of facilities charge revenue to each customer class, including the Schedule 15 class. However , the issue of tracking facilities so that new facilities installed to provide Dusk to Dawn Customer Lighting Service can be correctly identified has not been resolved.As a result , although the revenue is credited to the Schedule 15 customer class, the associated costs associated with the plant investment are not.Prior to filing its next general rate case, the Company will identify a methodology for correctly determining the new facilities associated with Dusk to Dawn Customer Lighting Service. Does this inconsistency in the model have negative implications for the other customer classes? Although it would obviously be better to have the correct matching of the revenue and expenses, any impact to other classes is minimal.Based on the total 846 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company amount of facilities revenue received from Schedule 15 customers, the maximum total original investment in new facilities should 847 BRILZ , DI 69a Idaho Power Company be approximately $6 million.The net amount of this investment included in rate base, after adjustments for depreciation, would be something less than $6 million. Compared to a total rate base amount for the Idaho Jurisdiction of $1.547 billion, the plant investment potentially attributable to the Schedule 15 customer class represents less than four tenths of one percent of total rate base. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 15. The rate design proposal for Schedule 15 is included on page 7 of Exhibit No. 43.The monthly charge for each lamp is simply increased on a uniform percent basis consistent with the overall 4.99 percent increase for the class as a whole. Is the Company proposing any other changes to Schedule IS? Yes.The Company is proposing two changes related to the facilities required to provide Dusk to Dawn Customer Lighting.First, the Company is proposing to allow the lighting fixture to be installed on a customer-owned support acceptable to the Company rather than only on a Company-owned pole.Second , the Company is proposing that an up- front payment be made when new facilities are needed in order to provide the service 848 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company rather than having the customer pay a monthly facilities charge on the new facilities. Why is the Company proposing to allow the fixture to be installed on a customer-owned support? The Company is proposing to allow the fixture to be installed on a customer-owned support that is acceptable to the Company in order to allow more flexibility for customers.In several instances, a customer-owned pole or other structure could adequately provide the support needed to install a lighting fixture. Charging the customer an additional amount to install a new Company-owned pole when an exiting customer-owned structure exists is unnecessary. The Company would have the sole discretion to determine if a customer-owned support were acceptable.In addition , the Company would have the right to remove its lighting fixture from the customer-owned support if it were at any time determined by the Company that the support was unsafe or had the potential to cause damage to it or to other customers. Language has been added to Schedule 15 that specifies that by requesting the installation of a lighting fixture on a customer-owned support , the customer is indemnifying the Company from any liability associated with the installation of the lighting fixture on the customer ' property and granting the Company permission to enter the 849 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company customer's premises, including the customer-owned support, in order to maintain its lighting fixture. What changes are being proposed regarding the installation of new facilities to provide Dusk to Dawn Customer Lighting Service? Customers who request Dusk to Dawn Lighting Service where Company facilities are not presently available are required to pay a monthly facilities charge of 1.75 percent for all new facilities installed to provide service.New facilities can include such items as poles , anchors, and conductors.If the facilities remain in service for their full useful lives , the Company is made whole on the transaction.However, if the customer requests the Company discontinue the lighting service and remove the facilities before the end of their useful lives, the Company is not made whole for the transaction.In order to avoid this situation , the Company is proposing that the customer pay the work order cost for the installation of new facilities at the time service is requested.No monthly facilities charge would then be required.If the customer requests the early removal of the lighting fixture and other facilities , the Company would still incur the labor costs associated with the removal.However, the Company would not be left with facilities for which it would not be able to recover its 850 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company investment. What is the present rate structure for 851 BRILZ, DI 72a Idaho Power Company Unmetered General Service under Schedule 40? Customers taking service under Schedule 40 pay a flat Energy Charge based on estimated usage.Demand - and customer-related costs are recovered through the Energy Charge.The minimum bill for service under Schedule 40 is $1.50 per month. What is the revenue requirement to be recovered from customers taking service under Schedule 40? Based on Mr. Gale's Exhibit No. 61 , the annual revenue to be recovered from Schedule 40 customers is $952 976. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 40. The rate design proposal for Schedule 40 is included on page 14 of Exhibit No. 43.The Energy Charge remains flat and increases from 5.6809 per kWh to 5.9539 per kWh. Are any other changes being proposed to Schedule 40? Yes.Schedule 40 is available to customers whose loads and hours of operation are fixed such that the monthly kwh consumption can be accurately determined. In order to ensure that Schedule 40 remains available only to loads that are fixed, I am proposing language that makes Schedule 40 unavailable for loads that have 852 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company the potential to have variable usage.With this additional language, customers taking service under Schedule 40 who modify their existing equipment such that it has the potential for variation in usage or who install additional equipment that has the potential for variation in usage will no longer be allowed to take service under Schedule 40 and will be transferred to the appropriate metered service schedule. What the present rate structure for Street Lighting Service,Schedule 41? Charges for Street Lighting Service are based on a per lamp or per pole basis.Street Lighting is divided into two types: 1) Company-Owned, and 2) Customer-Owned.Schedule 41 does not allow new service for incandescent, mercury vapor , or fluorescent fixtures. Are you proposing any changes to the rate structure for Schedule 41? Yes, I am.The current rate structure for Schedule 41 assumes energy is used only for the illumination of street lighting fixtures from dusk until dawn.However , because of the availability of wired outlets or energized plug-ins on the lighting standard it is possible for customers to use energy for other purposes, such as illuminating holiday decorations. order to accommodate customers who desire to use 853 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company additional energy for non-street lighting purposes , the Company is proposing to add a metered 854 BRILZ, DI 74a Idaho Power Company service option under Schedule 41.Customers who utilize plug-ins on Company-owned facilities or who have wired outlets or plug-ins on customer-owned facilities will be required to have metered service. Is the Company changing its standard to the cut-off or shielded fixture? Yes.The Company is changing its standard light luminaire from a drop-down lens fixture to a flat lens or cutoff fixture.The Company plans to use its existing inventory of drop-down lenses until it is exhausted or until March 1, whichever comes sooner. Beginning March 1 , 2004 , the cutoff fixture will be used excl usi vely.I have added language to Schedule 41 that addresses the accelerated replacement of drop-down lens fixtures with cutoff fixtures for those customers who are interested in converting to the cutoff fixture more rapidly than would normally occur through standard maintenance. Is the Company proposing changing the wattage of fixtures available under Schedule 41? Yes.The Company is adding a 70-watt high pressure sodium vapor lamp.This size lamp has been the most requested lamp from customers who have enacted "Dark Sky " requirements.In order to minimize inventory and better meet customer requests, the Company is proposing 855 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company no new service for the 200-watt high pressure sodium fixture 856 BRILZ, DI 75a Idaho Power Company and the addition of the 250-watt high pressure sodium fixture to the Company-owned options.These changes will result in the same wattage lamps being available for both Company-owned and customer-owned systems. Are you proposing any other changes to Schedule 41 ? Yes.I am proposing what I consider to be two housekeeping changes.First, Schedule 41 currently has language specifying that underground circuits can be installed if the customer pays a monthly Facilities Charge of 1.75 percent times the cost difference between overhead and underground installation charges.This language is no longer applicable with the Company current Rule Under the provisions of Rule H customers are responsible for paying the total cost of any additional facilities required, either overhead or underground, to provide service.Therefore, I am proposing this language be deleted. will this change eliminate the monthly facilities charge for customers who previously requested underground circuits? No.Customers who previously agreed to pay a monthly facilities charge for the installation of underground facilities will continue to pay the charge. Q. What is the second housekeeping change being proposed? 857 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company Schedule 41 currently has language stating that the services provided by the Company for customer-owned systems include the replacement of defective ballasts. With the current design of lighting fixtures, the ballasts are no longer separately replaced.Rather , the entire fixture is replaced.Therefore, I have removed the reference to the replacement of defective ballasts from the section describing the services performed by the Company for customer-owned systems. What is the revenue requirement to be recovered from customers taking service under Schedule 41? Based on Mr. Gale I s Exhibit No. 61 , the annual revenue requirement for Schedule 41 is $1 899,531. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 41. Rates are designed for both non-metered and metered service.Customers who take non-metered service will continue to pay a monthly per-lamp charge depending on the wattage of the fixture installed.Customers who take metered service will pay a monthly per-lamp charge depending on the wattage of the fixture installed , a per kWh charge for each kWh of metered usage, and a monthly meter charge. How were the per-lamp charges determined? As a starting point, the average unit cost for 858 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company the fixture, bulb , and photocell was determined for each lamp type and wattage using the information available in the Company I s property records.Sales tax , Company overheads, and labor expense were then added to the average unit cost to derive a loaded facilities-related cost.The monthly per-lamp facilities-related charge was derived by multiplying the loaded fixture cost by 1. percent (the monthly facilities charge rate) .For non-metered service, the total monthly charge per lamp equals the monthly per-lamp facilities-related charge plus the applicable amount for the per-lamp energy consumption.For metered service, the monthly charge per lamp equals the sum of the monthly per-lamp facilities-related charge plus the metered kWh times 6619 per kWh plus the $8.00 per month meter charge. The specific rate design proposal for Schedule 41 is included on pages 15 through 18 of Exhibit No. 43. I have included in my workpapers details on the average unit cost for each fixture , bulb , and photocell and the derivation of the loaded facilities-related cost. What is the present rate structure for Traffic Control Signal Lighting Service, Schedule 42? Customers taking service under Schedule 42 pay a flat Energy Charge for each kWh of estimated energy use.Usage is estimated based on the number and size of 859 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company lamps burning simultaneously in each signal and the average number of hours per day the signal is operated. There is no 860 BRILZ , DI 78a Idaho Power Company minimum charge under Schedule 42. What is the revenue requirement to be recovered from customers taking service under Schedule 42? Based on Mr. Gale I s Exhibit No. 61 , the annual revenue requirement for Schedule 42 is $320,719. Please describe the rate design proposal for Schedule 42. The rate design proposal for Schedule 42 is included on page 19 of Exhibit No. 43.The Energy Charge is increased from 3.1059 per kWh to 3.4959 per kWh. Is the Company proposing any other changes to Schedule 42? Yes.Over the past several years the Company has experienced an increase in the number of traffic lighting systems that utilize LED bulbs, traffic sensors and camera monitoring.The wide variety of wattages available in the LED bulbs as well as the variability in operating hours for the red, green , and amber bulbs facilitated by the presence of traffic sensors and cameras makes it difficult to accurately estimate the kWh consumption at each intersection.In order to eliminate this "guesswork", the Company is proposing that all new traffic control signal lighting systems installed on or after June 1, 2004 be metered to record actual energy consumpt ion. 861 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company Will traffic control signal lighting systems installed prior to June 1, 2004 be required to be retrofi tted to allow metered service? No.Systems installed prior to June 1 , 2004 may be retrofitted with meters upon the mutual consent of the Company and the customer.However , the Company is not proposing at this time that existing systems be required to convert to metered service. SPECIAL CONTRACT CUSTOMERS What are the Company's rate design proposals for its special contract customers? Other than the proposal which I described earlier to eliminate the monthly O&M charge paid by Micron and incorporate the costs associated with the substation facilities into Micron's standard charges , the Company is not proposing any changes to the rate structures for Micron, J. R. Simplot Company, and DOE/ INEEL .Accordingly, the existing rates for the special contract customers are simply increased uniformly to recover the revenue requirement as shown on Mr. Gale I s Exhibit No. 61.The rates for Micron , J. R. Simplot Company, and DOE/ INEEL are shown on pages 20 , 21, and 22 of Exhibit No. 43 , respectively. STANDBY AND ALTERNATE DISTRIBUTION SERVICE Q. Are any customers currently taking service under Schedule 45, Standby Service? 862 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company No, there are no customers taking Schedule 45 service. Are any revisions to Schedule 45 being proposed? The Schedule 45 charges are being revised to reflect the updated cost information resulting from the cost -of - service study.However , no other changes are being made to Schedule 45. Have you prepared an exhibi t showing the derivation of the updated charges for Standby Service? Yes.Exhibit No. 47 details the derivation of the updated charges.The updated charges have been deri ved using the same methodology approved by the Commission in the Company I s last general rate case, Case No. IPC-94- Are any customers currently taking service under Schedule 46, Alternate Distribution Service? No. What changes are being made to Schedule 46, Al ternate Distribution Service? The Schedule 46 Capacity Charge is being updated from $1.26 per kW to $1.30 per kW to reflect the current cost of providing Alternate Distribution Service. The $1.30 amount is derived by summing the Distribution demand revenue requirement for Substations, Primary 863 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company Lines, and Primary Transformers for Schedule 19 shown on page 5 of Exhibit No. 42 ($1 577 379; $3,205,775; and $274 457 , respectively) and dividing this sum by the total billed kW of 3,903 470.This methodology is the same as that approved by the Commission in the Company ' last general rate case, Case No. IPC-94- MI SCELLANEOUS CONTRACTS What are the miscellaneous contracts under which the Company is providing service? The Company has entered into contracts with two customers to provide customized service otherwise provided under standard service schedules.First, the Company is providing standby service to the Amalgamated Sugar Company under the provisions of a Standby Electric Service Agreement dated April 6 , 1998.Second, the Company is providing street lighting service utilizing cut-off lighting fixtures to the City of Ketchum under the provisions of an Electric Service Agreement dated June 12 , 2001.Both of these agreements have been approved by the Commission. Are you proposing any changes to the standby charges under the Standby Electric Service Agreement with the Amalgamated Sugar Company? Yes.I am revising the charges to reflect the updated cost information resulting from the 864 BRILZ, DI Idaho Power Company cost -of - service study.The methodology used to update the charges is the same methodology used to establish the currently approved charges.Page 190 of Exhibit No. 48 shows the revisions to Schedule 31 to reflect these updated charges.I have included details on the derivation of the updated charges in my workpapers. Are you proposing any changes to the Electric Service Agreement with the City of Ketchum? No.The Agreement with the City of Ketchum includes a provision specifying that if any shielded fixture provided under the agreement becomes available through a standard tariff offering, either party may give notice that they desire that shielded street lighting service be continued under the standard tariff offering and the Agreement will be terminated.Should the Commission approve the Company I s revised Schedule 41, the Company intends to provide notice to the City of Ketchum, terminate the Electric Service Agreement, and provide shielded service to the City of Ketchum under Schedule 41. Does this conclude your testimony? Yes , it does. 865 BRILZ , DI Idaho Power Company (The following proceedings were had in open hearing. MR. KLINE:And Ms. Brilz is available for cross - examina t ion. COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Stutzman. MR. STUTZMAN:Thank you, Madame Chairman. CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR. STUTZMAN: Ms. Brilz , at page 30 of your testimony, you re discussing the proposal to change the name of the customer charge to service charge.And you state starting on line 9 that the current customer charge is intended to recover costs that do not vary with the amount of energy or capacity used.These costs include such item as a portion of the investment in distribution facilities, investment in meters, et cetera.Do you recall that testimony? Yes , I do. How much is the current customer charge for residential customers? It is $2.51. How much of that $2.51 is intended to recover a portion of the investment in distribution CSB REPORTINGWilder, Idaho 866 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 facilities? The $2.51 is actually not tied specifically at this point to any specific cost.It was established back in the company I s 94 - 5 rate case.And at that point we had identified a total cost , I believe, of about $17. We recommended a 15 percent charge, which came to $2.51 to recover some of those costs.So I cannot say specifically that the $2.51 recovers a specific cost.You need to look at the total components that we proposed to include in that charge to see what the totality of the components would be. This Commission approved the $2.51 customer charge? Yes. And when the Commission approved it, did it indicate that it was to recover a portion of the investment in distribution facilities? I do not remember the Commission's wording in the Order approving that charge. Okay.Thank you. MR. STUTZMAN:That I S all I have, Madame Cha i rman . COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Richardson. MR. RICHARDSON:Thank you, Madame Chairman. CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 867 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 CROSS -EXAMINATION BY MR. RICHARDSON: Ms. Brilz , would you turn to page 25 of Now, on that page beginning on line 5 you summarize the Company I s rate design obj ecti ves; correct? CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho That is correct. And you refer to Mr. Gale I s testimony as your testimony? addressing the Company's policy regarding pricing obj ecti ves; correct? Correct. Is the policy for time-of -use pricing as described by Mr. Gale in his direct testimony, has it been approved and is it written anywhere in the Company policy manual? No, it is not written anywhere in any policy manual at the Company. Have you been instructed by Mr. Gale about the Company s pricing policy on time-of -use rates? Mr. Gale and I have had discussions concerning the policy the Company wanted to pursue as far as time-of -use rates go, yes. And that policy's nowhere in writing in the Company? It is not written in a manual anywhere at 868 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 the Company. Beginning on line 12 on page 25, you state that it is the Company s policy to give customers price CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho signals that reflect the variation in cost of providing service during different times of the year and day. I don I t say that it' s the Company s policy. I say that it's one of the obj ecti ves we're striving to And isn t that one of the objectives instructed by the Company s policy? Well , the Company' s overall policy guides the objectives , yes. But you re not implementing that policy relative to time-of -day price signals for any class other than Schedule 19; correct? The Company has only proposed time-of-use pricing for Schedule 19 customers in this proceeding, In fact, at line 22 , page 25, you state that only schedule 19 is being singled That is correct. you see that? Is it a rate design objective for the Company to implement time-of -use rates in this case for achieve. correct. explicitly out; correct? 869 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 any other class? In this case, no. Yes. No. Does the Company's rate design policy regarding time-of-use rates require any studies or analysis to be conducted to determine the cost and benefits of implementing mandatory time-of-use rates for any class before proposing such a rate in a general rate case? In determining the policy to pursue time-of -use rates for Schedule 19 customers, the Company looked at the overall obj ecti ves we were trying to achieve with our system.And it fits with our objectives stated in our 2002 IRP which was, the Company would pursue pricing options that would help match what we were trying to achieve through the resource obj ecti ves. But the question was, does your policy require that you conduct a study or analysis of the cost and benefits of implementing a mandatory time-of-use rate for any class before proposing such rates in a general rate case? Well, the study that the Company did was looking at what it is we're trying to achieve with our overall system and our resources, and determining what CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 870 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 would be the best way to try to approach that.And through those discussions it was determined that the best way to proceed was to propose time-of-use pricing for Schedule 19 customers. So you reference a study and then you describe that study as "those discussions"m trying to just ask a very narrow question.And that is, did you conduct a study of the costs and benefits of time-of-use rates for the Schedule 19 for this case? If you are asking did we conduct a study that tried to identify specifically what types of impact any load shifting might have as far as impacts to the system, no. Okay.Now , I'm confused because I was not asking about a study on time-of-use rates and you said a study on load shifting.Is that the same thing in your mind? m not sure what you re asking about as far as a study.m trying to let you know that we I ve discussed what our obj ecti ves are and what we felt was the best proposal to meet those obj ecti ves.m not clear on what you ' re expecting as far as a study, what that might be. Why don't you describe for me the discussions that you've had.What went on inside the CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 871 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 Company, the universe of things that went on inside the Company, that led you to propose mandatory time-of -use rates for the industrial class? You referenced discussions.Let's start wi th those. Okay.In looking at what we wanted to do to meet our pricing obj ecti ves, which is to match price wi th cost, so we want to establish rates that are based on And we want to give customers price signals thatcost. indicate the different cost of providing service during different times of the year.We've discussed ways that we can make that happen.Included in those discussions we look at what we committed to in our resource planning process and determined that the best proposal that we should put forth at this point is a mandatory time-of-use pricing proposal for Schedule 19 customers. Did you analyze the impact of that proposal on the Schedule 19 customers? We have, through working wi th our individual customers , identified what each individual customer might experience with time-of-use rates.For the Company as a whole it's revenue neutral. Prior to filing your case, did you analyze the potential impact of time-of-use rates on the Schedule 19 customers? CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 872 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 Prior to filing, yes, we did. With each individual Schedule 19 customer? We looked at the impact on each individual customer prior to filing our case. Now , isn't it true that the only reason you selected Schedule 19 for time-of -use rates, and not other schedules, is that they have the metering in place to allow the imposition of those rates? No, that is not the only reason. What are the other reasons you selected Schedule 19 and not other classes for the imposition of time-of-use rates in addition to the fact they happen to have the metering in place? Schedule 19 customers have a load size that provides meaningful opportunity to address some of the issues you try to get through time-of -use pricing.What we I re trying to do is match more closely the cost of providing service with the price offered customers. Schedule 19 customers have a better ability to understand that connection.It is not uncommon for customers the size of Schedule 19 customers to be required to take time-of -use pricing in various parts of the country, and throughout the West.And we took those considerations into account. Wouldn't customers like your special CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 873 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 contract customers also fit that bill? Special contract customers could.But you re trying to get a specific amount of revenue from a particular customer class.It wouldn' t make any difference to them whether it's a flat rate or a time-of -use rate because they operate basically on a constant basis. So you don't anticipate any time of use price signal benefit to a special contract customer? Not at this point. So special contract customers don t have any ability to shift loads to less expensive times of day? Well, the Company is not proposing at this point that they do have the ability.We're not proposing that we have any type of time-of -use pricing for schedule 19 customers.Whether they have the ability to shift I do not know. I missed part of that answer.Could you repeat it please?Maybe if you spoke a little closer to the microphone. Okay. Tha t woul d be helpful. We don I t have any plans this point as part of this proposal to recommend time-of-use pricing for special contract customers. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 874 83676 And the reason for that is because why? It didn't fit with what we were planning to put forth in this proposal.What we wanted to do is target our Schedule 19 customers as a group to implement time-of -use pricing. And did I hear you correctly say that the special contract customers do not have the ability to take advantage of the benefits, if you will , of time-of-use rates? I don't know if they have the ability to take advantage of time-of -use rates. And you re aware that the Schedule 9 class has actually asked that you put , at least on a voluntary or pilot program basis, time-of -use rates in place for them? Yes. And ye t you chose to go with the Schedule 19 class.Can you tell me why you did that opposed to going wi th a class that was actually asking for such rates? Well, again , I think I've answered. targeted the Schedule 19 customers because it fit with our obj ecti ve of trying to identify a group of customers that we feel is able to manage the pricing, understand the pricing, and they have the ability to record the usage. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 875 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 You mentioned the metering is an aspect of it.And it fit wi th our obj ect i ve . Do your obj ecti ves also - - are Schedule 9 customers also able to manage their loads?Is that too small of a load class to be beneficial?What I s the distinction between the two classes in terms of implementing your time-of-use policy? Well , I believe it should be taken in I recognize that anytime you add a new pricingsteps. structure it requires more assistance with your customers working through some of the communications and understanding.And we want to take the implementation in steps. Do you propose the elimination of residential level pay plans? I haven't addressed level pay in anyNo. part of my testimony. And the Company has a residential level pay plan place;correct? That correct. And how does that jive with your policy of sending price signal s? The customers on the level pay would still get their information each month indicating what their actual bill was.The level pay is put in place to help CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 876 83676 facility the paYment of bills for residential customers. The level pay plan basically averages last year I s bills, maybe taking into account intermediate rate changes, and just divides by 12; right? I don t have the specific algorithm but basically that I s the idea. Basically that I s the idea.Doesn I t that eliminate price signals in terms of what the customer pays each month and seasonally for electricity? Well , the customer still sees on each monthly bill what the actual charge is for that month. They just are asked to pay the level pay amount as, again as I stated, to help in the bill paying process.They still get the information. Would you agree with the characterization that the imposition of time-of-use rates on Schedule 19 that's it radical change? I don't think I would define it as radical. I definitely would say it's a change. Would you agree that a proposed increase in rates of 500 percent is a radical change? It I S a large increase percentage, yes. Would you characteri ze it as rate shock? When you take the -- if all by itself, it would be a large increase. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 877 83676 What about a proposed rate increase of 9000 percent.Is that radical? CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho Again , taken in isolation, it I S a large And you would say that would be rate shock, too, wouldn t you? If it was the only component that you were talking about, you could say it would be, yes. Would you agree with that changing from a single demand charge and a single energy charge to three different demand charges and five different energy charges, constitutes a radical change? Again , I wouldn I t classify it as radical. I would say it is a change. And are you proposing to increase the factor for this class from 85 percent to Yes. And are you proposing to change the anniversary date for all of Schedule 19 customers, the contract anniversary dates? We have proposed a change in the way in which we conduct the annual review for each of our customers on schedule 7 , 9 and 19. And are you proposing to abolish all the increase. minlmum power percent? 878 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 existing uniform large power service agreements and require all Schedule 19 customers to enter into new uniform service agreements? We have proposed to eliminate the requirement to sign a uniform large power service agreement as a condition for taking service on Schedule And in its place have customers sign a service19. agreement that would guarantee a level of capacity available to those customers. All of these changes that I've just listed are being proposed for this customer class in one rate case. Don t you think cumulatively that all of these changes combined add up to a radical change in the Schedule 19? I wouldn't say that it was radical, no. Now, you made a correction earlier in your testimony on page 46 where you changed 7: 00 a. m. 9: 00 m. to 7:00 a.Do you recall that? Uh-huh , yes. Now, would you agree that the more complicated a system is the more likely there will be errors in implementing it? The more complicated something is the more potential there would be if there s misunderstanding. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 879 83676 Correct.With all the vetting and editing and review your testimony endured before you file it with the Commission, even you made an error in implementing time-of -use rates for Schedule 19 customers. There was a typo in my testimony, yes. Do you know what a rate scavenger is? m afraid I don't. Would you accept that a rate scavenger is a term used by some utilities with complex time-of-use rates, to describe individuals who, for a percentage of the take, do nothing but review utility bills for errors. They obtain agency status from large companies and then go to the utility and review in detail billing records for errors. Does Idaho Power have any experience with such individuals now? I am not aware of any rate scavengers approaching Idaho Power, no. Would you expect to see them appear on the horizon if you implement a complex time-of-use rate structure such as you have proposed? I have no idea. Does your proposal to increase the service charge from $5.54 for secondary and $85.71 for primary, and transmission Schedule 19 customers to $500 include a CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 880 83676 monthly automated meter reading charge of $365? m not sure what you're asking.Could you ask that again? Do the proposed service charges include a $365 charge for monthly automated meter reading for Schedule 19 customers? I would have to double-check to see if any component was in there for that.I don't know the number specifically that you re referring to. Does your Exhibit 42 show that a residential meter only costs $1.55 to read manually each month? Could you direct me to where you I re looking? I can if you give me a second.I think it's page 1 of Exhibit 42, line 281. That line shows a monthly cost of $1. associated with the meter reading function for residential customers. And on page 4 - - page excuse me,line 7 0 1 see that costs the Company $365 read an industrial customer meter automatically. That line shows $365.70 for the meter reading function for Schedule 19 customers, yes. Do you find it a bit odd that it costs 200 CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 881 83676 times more to automatically read a Schedule 19 meter, than it does to manually read a residential meter? No, when you look at the totality of what' included in the meter-reading function. Could you explain some of that totality to us? That includes the phone lines thatYes. are attached to each of those meters.It includes personnel who are dedicated to managing the meter-reading function on a daily basis, gathering the electronic information , processing the information, and providing it to the company s billing system. How many Schedule 19 customers do you have? About 105, 106, in that area. Do you anticipate that this function going to get a lot more costly reading these meters for time-of-use rates?In other words, it costs 300 bucks to read a single industrial customer s meter now automatically.And you're going to impose three different demand charges, and five different energy charges, and depending on the day of the week , the month of the year and the hour of the day, you might have a different rate. That I s going to get pretty complicated for this person or people who are current charging this $360 or whatever a month to read a meter. CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 882 83676 Actually, the software will be modified to be able to translate the meter readings that come through. So once the system modifications have been done, although there may be initially with verification and checking some additional time involved, I wouldn I t anticipate there would be any significant change in the cost going to time-of -use metering - - time-of -use rates. Later on at a point in your testimony you talk about changing the voltage factor from 85 to 90 and say, well , giving the customer a chance to get used to that you suggested a sort of a grace period of until November to implement that.Do you recall that? Yes, I do. Now , would you agree that going to mandatory time-of-use rates potentially is, for many of these customers , more radical than going to 90 percent vol tage factor? I couldn't presume what individual customers might expect. Pardon?m sorry? I couldn I t presume to guess what they might anticipate or perceive. Did you ever consider doing some sort of grace period where the Industrial Customers are on their flat rate , not time of use, but billing them sort of dummy CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 883 83676 bills as if they were under time of use so that they could have the opportunity to attempt to get used to how to operate their plant under time-of-use rates? , did not anticipate that. Do you think that might be something the Industrial Customers would like? I don't think that it's necessary given the information that we've provided our customers.I believe that they re very capable customers, able to understand the pricing, and will be able to know what's going on and understand. Do you think the fact that I'm sitting here asking these questions suggests , perhaps, something else? No. Does the Company propose any changes to its line extension policy for Schedule 19 customers? The Company has proposed no changes toNo. its line extension policy. Do you recall Mr. Teinert' s testimony questioning the company s line extension policy for Schedule 19 customers? I do. And do you know whether the Commission Staff that a docket be opened for the purpose of clarifying the line extension policy and the schedule 19 CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 884 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 tariff in a different proceeding than this? m not aware of any recommendation. If the Company s line extension policy caused - - overestimates the customer's ultimate load, could that fact increase the contribution in aid of construction the customer pays the Company? The Company s line extension policy, as far as I am aware, does not have any implications for contributions in aid of construction in what I' prepared. Now , you referenced earlier , I may have mischaracterized it, but the power factor minimum from to 90 percent.And you proposed it to that because the Company is - - the delivery system is constrained; is that correct? The Company I s required to operate its delivery system at unity power factor.Our proposal to increase the requirement for Schedule 19 customers from percent to 90 percent just simply moves the requirement that the Company currently faces closer to or requires customers to get closer to that requirement than the Company currently faces. Do you recall the Company's response to the Industrial Customers' first production request No. 48 inquiring as to whether or not the Company s reliability CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 885 83676 indexes have shown a steady improvement in the last several years? I don't recall that I saw that response. Would you agree with me that a steady improvement in reliability indexes is or is not an indication of a constrained delivery system? m going to obj ect .I thinkMR. KLINE: this is beyond the scope of her examination - - of her direct testimony. COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Richardson. MR. RICHARDSON:I'll withdraw the question, Madame Chairman. BY MR. RI CHARDSON : Have the Industrial Customers Schedule 19 customers paid an energy efficiency rider under Schedule 91 since the inception of Schedule 91? Yes. And did the Company discontinue industrial conservation programs for Schedule 19 back in 1997? Yes. And did the Company begin again - - - did the Company only begin again administering industrial conservation programs for Schedule 19 customers in October of 2003? That is correct. CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 886 83676 That happens to coincide with the month that you filed this general rate case? Coincidentally, yes, it does. Did any of the energy efficiency fund charges collected from Schedule 19 go to programs administered for Schedule 19 customers prior to October of 2003? No. Given the Company's absence of an industrial conservation program until just last October, is it reasonable for the Schedule 19 class to request that funds generated by their Schedule 91 energy efficiency fund charges be self-directed to conservation programs in their facilities that are served by Idaho Power? I believe the way that the Schedule 91 rider funding mechanism has been set up now is an appropriate way to collect funds, and manage funds, and utilize funds, for an energy conservation program. And at page 31, you state that in order to gi ve customers time to get used to the new power factor from 85 to 90 you re proposing a grace period until November.Since some Industrial Customers are highly seasonal like the Amalgamated Sugar Company, which really doesn t get going until the fall , would you agree that a longer grace period would be more appropriate like, say, a CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 887 83676 full year? I don't believe a longer grace period is needed.Customers who have powe r factor issues right now know who they are.We have been able identify them, can work with them between now and November and be prepared to address the issue.I don't think an addi tional time frame is necessary. Well if a customer has an 88 percent power factor right now,that customer doesn'have a power factor issue with you right now. No.But customers know what their power factors are. But it will have an issue with you after November 1st? Correct. Isn t it true that the Company uses weather normalized energy for resource planning in the calculation of revenue requirements? m not sure what the Company uses for resource planning.For our cost-of-service modeling we use normalized energy values. And why do you do that? It's an attempt to capture what would be expected on a normal basis in any given year. Now , don t you think that this case CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 888 83676 presents the Commission with a substantial change in the load profile because rate payers are being asked to pay increased fixed charges for peaking generation plants based on peak needs? The proposals that we put forth have identified costs by customer class based on the loads they impose on the system at various times of the year. Okay.Thank you. Madame Chairman, that'MR. RICHARDSON: all I have. COMMISSIONER SMITH:Thank you, Mr. Richardson. Mr. Miller , it looks like you want to jump in here. MR. MILLER:I would , if the Commission would permit, just a few questions on a couple of topics. CROSS - EXAMINATION BY MR. MILLER: Ms. Brilz , the first topic I wanted to introduce, although I don't think we can pursue it to conclusion, we have to wait for your rebuttal to discuss it further, has to do with the different service levels wi thin Schedule And I believe your testimony and your CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 889 83676 direct testimony in that area is found on page 40 and 41 of your direct testimony. And while the parties are finding their way to that testimony, let me just ask you some general background questions. As I understand it within Schedule 9 there are actually three different service levels.There' primary, secondary, and - - there's transmission , primary and secondary.Could you briefly explain for the Commission the difference in eligibility requirements for the three service levels? Customers taking transmission serviceYes. under Schedule 9 own their own substations and we deliver power right to the substation.They then take service at the substation. Primary service level customers receive service at a primary voltage either 12-5 or 34-5 and we deliver basically to the property line and the customer then owns all of the facilities past that point of delivery or pay a facility charge to Idaho Power for use of those facilities. Secondary customers take service at a secondary voltage and generally we provide the service right there to their business, right outside their business. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company 890 83676 wi th respect to the primary customers you indicated that many of them have company-owned facilities beyond the point of delivery for which they pay a monthly facility charge. That is correct. And the, as I understand it, and correct me, the revenue from those charges flows back through somehow the cost-of-service study to reduce the revenue requirement for that class? Tha t is correct. with that background then , I'd like to direct your attention to page 41, starting at line where you indicate that the cost-of-service study indicated an increase in revenue of 8 percent for secondary customers, but a 24 percent increase for primary and transmission service level customers. Given the, I don't want to say modest differences between the three service levels, and also given that it appears that intuitively I think the primary ought to be less expensive to serve than the secondary, the result of your study appears, let me just suggest, to be counter intuitive.That is, why is there a 24 percent increase for primary and an 8 percent increase for a class that intuitively is more costly to serve? Then , as I say, I think we 'll get into this CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 891 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 further in your - - when we get to rebuttal and see some of the other witnesses, but just to introduce topic, could you try and explain for me and the Commission that apparent counter-intuitive result? That goes back to when we established service levels, which was at the conclusion of the 94- case.What we were attempting to do was meet several obj ecti ves specifically re+ated to what we were seeing as issues between customer right on the cusp there as far as their load size goes for qualifying for Schedule 19.What we wanted to do in establishing service levels was create an easier way for customers to move back and forth between Schedule 9 and 19 without introducing a number of administrative issues.So when we established the service levels we looked at the similarity between the schedule and the larger Schedule 9 customers that would become the first group of Schedule 9 primary service level customers. And identified that for many - - in many instances they were very, very similar in that we provide service to a primary point of delivery and they take service at that point either owning or paying a facilities charge on all of the facilities beyond the point of delivery. The specific rates that were set at the conclusion of the 94-5 case were not based on a cost-of-service modeling but rather looking at some CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 892 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 obj ecti ves we were trying to meet in establishing rates that seemed reasonable at the time to create this new service level concept. As we have had experience now with customers on Schedule 9 primary, and in fact we have more customers on Schedule 9 primary service than we do Schedule 19 we have been able to look at the specific load characteristics of those customers and in this particular instance have included them as a class within the cost-of-service modeling and have more specific results now for that particular group of customers. Okay.Well , I think that introduces the topic and we'll come back to it after we've seen other witnesses testimony on this topic as well as yours.So, thanks for the introduction. Just one other area.When you were preparing your cost-of-service study were you instructed by senior management to jigger the results in such a way that showed a larger deficiency for the irrigation class? No. Did you undertake on your own initiative to jigger the results of the study for those purposes? No. Is the cost -of - service study as presented part of the some plan or scheme to favor urban customers CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 893 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 at the expense of the agricultural class? No, it is not. What did you undertake to accomplish with your cost -of -service study? We were attempting to identify by each customer class, the cost to serve that customer class. And is that - - that was your goal.And are you relatively satisfied that you accomplished it? CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho Yes, I am. MR. MILLER:Those would be all my questions, Madame Chairman. questions? BY MR. PURDY: COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Ward, do you have MR. WARD.Thank you.No questions. COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Gollomp. MR. GOLLOMP:No questions. COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Purdy. MR. PURDY:Just briefly, Madame Chairman. CROS S - EXAMINATION Ms. Brilz , could you turn to page 30 of your direct testimony, please? you see that? Specifically line 10. 894 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 Yes. You were asked a question about this earlier but I just want to focus in on a few select words starting with , costs that do not vary with the amount of energy or capacity used. Now , in the context of that question and answer, is that just another way of saying fixed costs? Essentially, yes. Okay.And is that consistent with the policy that I believe Mr. Gale has testified to, which is to try to recover fixed costs through fixed charges? Yes. All right.Again , I don't want to go beyond the scope of your direct.We'll save my further questions on that area for rebuttal. The only other question I had, had to do with a couple of questions Mr. Richardson asked you about the residential class level pay program. And my first question is, do you have any idea what percentage of residential class customers take advantage of that program? I do not.Off the top of my head, no. don't know. Would you say it's intuitive that it' probably most desirable for people who have a hard time CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 895 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 paying their monthly power bills? It's most desirable for people who want to level out their paYments and know what they can expect on a monthly basis. Okay.But you don't have any idea what percentage of the class , again , takes advantage of the program? I don't. Okay.Ultimately, though, if I understand your testimony correctly, a customer who's taking advantage of the program over whether it's a six month or twelve month cycle , will pay their full bill for the year? That is correct. So with respect to sending a proper price signal, while it allows them to level out the monthly paYment, ultimately they still pay, if you have a seasonal rate in place for example, they'll still pay that higher seasonal rate. They will pay that higher seasonal rate and each month they'll see the actual charge for that particular month. They see that on their bill? They see it on their bill. MR. PURDY:Okay.That's all I have. Thanks. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 896 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Eddie. MR. EDD IE:Thank you.I do have a few questions. CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR. EDDIE: Ms. Brilz , if you could go to page 26 of your testimony.I assume you're in accord with Mr. Said on this that Idaho Power does have a dual capacity constraint throughout the year , summer time as well as November and December? I missed the first part of your question. That you simply agree that there is a peak period of capacity constraint in November and December? We have capacity needs, yes, in June, July, August , November , December. Why did the Company not propose some sort of price signal to address that winter time peak?You proposed a summer time rate for residential customers but no similar rate for that November-December peak? The June , July, and August time frame has a more significant peaking issue.And it is what comes up repeatedly in looking at when do we need specific resources.And we determined that that would be a better CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 897 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 approach to target the summer months as opposed to identifying a two-month time frame at the beginning of the winter season.And so we decided to stick with the three summer months as the target. But it's different, different societal or physical factors that are driving different peaks. other words , the winter peak is driven by winter heating, whereas the summer peak is driven by air conditioning and irrigation load; correct? The winter peaking has more of a space heating component to it, yes. Is it fair to say that the winter peak is not addressed by the Company I s pricing program , pricing proposal in this case? We have not proposed any pricing that addresses the winter peak. Okay.I think we'll come back to that on rebuttal but why don't we change - - if you could look at page 4 of your testimony. Really, page 4 and 5 , but on page 4 , I believe Mr. Stutzman asked you about this, but you included as an example of customer related costs - - down at the bottom of page 4 - - that there's a portion of the investment associated when distribution facilities are included. Physically what are you talking about? CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 898 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 What portion of distribution facilities are you talking about that are related, that are customer related? Okay.Potentially all components of the distribution system have a customer component to them. Meaning that you need to install and build your facilities to meet some component of having a customer there whether the customer takes service or not in any particular point in time. So if you were to look at other parts of my testimony, you would see that it includes basically components of substations, transformers , lines, other components of the system including meters, meter reading, and customer assistance expenses. Couldn't you say that all the assets of the Company that serve its system are customer related to some extent because customers are who you're selling to? Generally you don't look at trying to identify a customer component at investments above the delivery system or the distribution system.Generally it's the distribution system that you look to identify a customer component. The distribution facility that you identified , I presume you're talking about your Exhibit , the list of different components of the distribution system? CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 899 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 Exhibit 42 does show that, yes. That list of items, and I believe it' roughly lines 265 through 274 , on page 1 of Exhibit 42 those lines , for example, serve multiple customers.For example, primary customer lines.Would that, the next line, 266 , would that serve more than one customer? Yes. Are there any of these in line 265 through 274 that serve only one customer? No.Not at the residential level. Thank you.You note on page 5 of your testimony that in designating the different types of costs the Company looked to the electric utility cost of a station manual picked by the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners as a primary guide for that classification.Is there any other documentation you looked to in designating those customer-related charges? Not any published documentation , no. relied historically on what we've traditionally done in looking at the NARUC guide. Okay.Turning to page 36 of your testimony, if you would.You note that Exhibit 42 , which is at the top of page 36, that Exhibit 42 , the analysis reflected therein show a cost of service result of $24. for the residential class.And that $10 is 40 percent of CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 900 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 that amount.Why 40 percent? In looking at what appeared to be reasonable, we wanted to move towards what we' identified as our cost.But we recognize that at times you do need to take other considerations into account. And it was our belief that moving to the full $24 from $2.51 would be too great a move at one time.But that moving to $10 would be a reasonable step to take at this point. So there's no magic in the 40 percent number , it's arithmetic after you reached $10 from the outset? It's what appeared to be reasonable to us. You mentioned just now that there are other factors that are taken into account in analyzing the change in rates.Could you mention some of those other factors that might influence your decision of what amount to request for a service charge as you have in this case? Well , in this particular case what we took into account was what the potential increase would be, or the impact would be if we moved from $2.51 to $24 and decided that that could be too much of an increase.Could be perceived as rate shock.And that minimizing the increase to the $10 would be a reasonable step at this point. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 901 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 Was the potential disparate impact upon low-usage customers versus high-usage customers one of the factors you considered? No. Potential impact on low- income customers, was that a factor you considered? Not directly, no. All right.m going to ask you just one last set of questions about Exhibit 42.So if you could turn to that, please.Page 1 of the Exhibit 42. The Company receives other revenues apart from the sale of kilowat t -hours; is that correct? The Company receives other revenues for a number of other activities that are undertaken , yes. CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho For example, rental of pole space Yes. - - on distribution lines? Yes. What about connection and disconnection fee charges to customers? Those are also collected. This is a fairly broad question and I'll narrow it if you want me to, but what I'd like you to do is explain for the Commission , and for the parties, how those other revenues are treated on Exhibit 42.Are 902 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 there, for example , disconnect and reconnect fees?In my mind, I would connect that type of revenue with most likely line 278, install on customer premises. Are all of the revenues associated with disconnect and reconnect fees taken out of line 278 or are they taken out some other way? They're taken out on a more global basis. They are entered into the process of determining the overall revenue requirement for a customer class at a higher level as opposed to at a specific functionalized level that you see here on Exhibit 42. And are the rental of space on poles to other utilities or cable companies similarly treated?Not taken out of the distribution network lines 265 through 274, but treated as a global detriment to the revenue requirement? Gi ve me a minute and let me look through some of the other exhibits and I'll see if I can be more specific for you. Sure. If you look at Exhibit 39, page 23, you will see that we do have in that particular spreadsheet where we allocate the other revenues by functional category to the various customer classes , which ultimately as you sum up the various components, will identify by CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 903 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 functional category the overall revenue requirement that is needed. On Exhibit 42 what you see is what we ul timately need to recover from customers from sales of energy after we set the unit component cost.So the components of other revenue have been taken into account when you get to Exhibi t 42.And what Exhibit 42 is attempting to show is what we need to collect from the rate components themselves to recover revenue requirements from the customer classes. Let me ask you a similar question in this way.If all of the revenues taken from , for example, connection and disconnection fees were taken out of line 278 , install on customer premises , rather than spread as you re articulating I think across the revenue requirement, would that 20.7 cents reflected in column of this line 278 be higher or lower? Okay.First, I do want to clarify we do not have disconnection charges. Okay. But any connection fees that we would charge, if they were to all go to line 278 , the 20 cents that you see there would be lower. Okay.Similarly, if all of the revenues and I'm not going to get too particular with you here CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 904 BRILZ (X) Idaho Power Company83676 but all of the revenues associated with the rental of pole space to other companies such as cable companies or phone companies, were taken out of the list of costs for distribution networks would those figures in lines 265 through 274 , column I , be higher or lower than if the revenues were spread across the entire revenue requirement? m not sure I'm understanding or following you exactly on that. Okay.The difficulty I'm having is that there are nine lines for distribution and I presume that all of them to some extent may serve for pole rental space. Yes.And what we have attempted to do in the functionalization of the other revenues is attach the revenue to the source of the revenue.So, for example, if it is a pole attachment revenue , we attempt to give credit to the pole investment function so that we're matching the offset of the revenue with the investment that we have in that facility that's generated the revenue. And is that -- so are you saying that it' treated differently in this instance?Is it treated m sorry, I'm not articulating this question very well. Are those rental revenue incomes treated differently on the distribution system than , for example, the other CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 905 BRILZ (X)I daho Power Company83676 analogy I made which is for connection fees which were taken - - which could be taken out of install on premises for example, line 278? I believe that all of the other revenues incl uding connection fees , pole rentals, any other revenue classified as other is treated in similar fashion. Okay. MR. EDDIE:Nothing further.Thank you. COMMISSIONER SMITH:Thank you , Mr. Eddie. It's my intention, after I've asked my three simple questions , to adj ourn for the day and come back with Ms. Bril z in the morning.And Mr. Budge wi cross-examine and then there will be questions from the other Commissioners possibly. EXAMINATION BY COMMISSIONER SMITH: Just so I have it clear in my mind today. Ms. Brilz , with regard to the level pay, does that start at a certain time of the year for every customer or is it individualized for different customers? My understanding is at this point that customers can start on level pay at any point.Ms. Fullen could probably confirm that for us, but that's my CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 906 BRILZ (Com) Idaho Power Company83676 understanding. All right.I'll ask her that question. You were discussing with Mr. Richardson -- no, was it Mr. Miller , the primary service under Schedule 9 Uh-huh. - - as differentiated between secondary and transmission service. Uh-huh. And it seemed to me that the conclusion should draw from your answer was that essentially primary service has been underpriced since the last rate case. That is my conclusion. And finally, did Idaho Power always have a service charge as part of its rate structure? No.Actually prior to the 94-5 case, we had a minimum charge.And a service charge was adopted at the conclusion of the 94-5 case. And what do you see as the difference between a minimum charge and a service charge? A service charge is a component that is billed the customer each month that attempts to recover some component of cost that is there every month whether or not the customer consumes electricity or not.And a minimum basically sets a level that a customer is required to pay if consumption doesn't match the quantity of energy CSB REPORTING Wilder , Idaho 907 BRILZ (Com) I daho Power Company83676 included in that minimum. So in other words, the minimum charge includes some kilowatt-hours.And if you stay under the cutoff point for the minimum charge, you just pay the minimum? That's correct. COMMISSIONER SMITH:All right, thank you. Let's start tomorrow morning at 9: 00 a. m. Mr. Kline. MR. KLINE:Might I inquire in light of the fact that it's surprising to me that it's possible that the Company will have its case submitted tomorrow , who would then follow the Company s case? COMMISSIONER SMITH:Well, as I said when we began , I asked the Industrial Customers to be ready to go on Wednesday if the Company s case had concluded by then. MR. KLINE:And if we concluded on Tuesday, would they just go ahead and . . . MR. RICHARDSON:Madame Chairman. COMMISSIONER SMITH:Mr. Richardson. MR. RI CHARDSON :The Industrial Customers would be prepared tomorrow to put on Dr. Reading and Mr. Teinert.And Mr. Henderson would have to be here on Wednesday because he's out of town. CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 908 BRILZ (Com) Idaho Power Company83676 COMMISSIONER SMITH: might fill up our day. MR. KLINE: Okay.I think that I think you're right. COMMISSIONER SMITH: adj ourned for the evening. All right.We' We'll see you all at 9:00 a. (The Hearing recessed at 4:50 p. CSB REPORTING Wilder, Idaho 83676 909 COLLOQUY