20161006INT to Staff 35-64.pdf

WILLIAMS · BRADBURY
ATTO R NEYS A T LAW ECE IVE D
October 6, 2016
Jean D. Jewell
Commission Secretary
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
4 72 W. Washington Street
Boise, ID 83 702
Huv-A
201 6 OCT -6 PM I: 53
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RE: IGC :;npplcmwww. Response to Staffs S::e-,qnf! Request for Production
Case No. INT-G-16-02
Dear Ms. Jewell:
Enclosed for filing with the Commission are one original and two conformed copies of
Intermountain Gas Company's Response to Staffs Third Request for Production, and one
CD-ROM that contains the answers and attachments.
Please direct any questions related to the transmittal of this filing to Mike McGrath at
208-377-6168.
Sincerely,
,RA#' l tJ;JA;.__
Ronald L. Williams
Attorney at Law
RLW
1015 W. Hays Street -Boise, ID 83702
Phone: [phone] -www.williamsbradbury.com
CERTIFICATE OF DELIVERY
I HEREBY CERTIFY that on this 6th day of October, 2016, I caused to be served a true
and correct copy of the Response of Intermountain Gas Company to Third Production Request of
the Commission Staff upon the following individuals in the manner indicated below:
Hand Delivery: (original and 2 copies)
Jean Jewell
Commission Secretary
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
472 W. Washington Street
Boise, ID 83 720
Michael P. McGrath
Intermountain Gas Company
555 S. Cole Road
Boise, ID 83 707
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Brad M. Purdy
2019 N. 17th Street
Boise, ID 83 702
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Attorney for Community Action
Partnership Association of Idaho (CAP Al)
Benjamin J. Otto
Idaho Conservation League
710 N. 6th Street
Boise, ID 83702
E-Mail: [e-mail]
F. Diego Rivas
NW Energy Coalition
1101 8th Avenue
Helena, MT 59601
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Edward A. Finklea
Northwest Industrial Gas Users (NWIGU)
545 Grandview Drive
Ashland, OR 97520
E-Mail: [e-mail]
D Hand Delivery
!ZI US Mail (postage prepaid) D Facsimile Transmission
D Federal Express
!ZI Electronic Transmission
D Hand Delivery !ZI US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission
D Federal Express
!ZI Electronic Transmission
D Hand Delivery !ZI US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission
D Federal Express
!ZI Electronic Transmission
D Hand Delivery
!ZI US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission
D Federal Express !ZI Electronic Transmission
D Hand Delivery
!ZI US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission
D Federal Express
!ZI Electronic Transmission
Chad M. Stokes
Tommy A. Brooks
Cable Huston LLP
1001 SW Fifth Avenue, Ste. 2000
Portland, OR 97204-1136
E-Mail: [e-mail]
[e-mail]
Attorneys for NWIGU
Electronic service only:
Michael C. Creamer
Givens Pursley LLP
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Attorneys for NWIGU
Scott Dale Blickenstaff
The Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC
1951 S. Saturn Way, Ste. 100
Boise, ID 83702
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Peter Richardson
Gregory M. Adams
Richardson Adams, PLLC
515 N. 27th Street
Boise, ID 83 702
E-Mail: [e-mail]
[e-mail]
Attorneys for The Amalgamated Sugar
CompanyLLC
Ken Miller
Snake River Alliance
223 N. 6th St., Ste. 317
P.O. Box 1731
Boise, ID 83701
E-Mail: [e-mail]
D Hand Delivery
[8J US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission
D Federal Express
[8J Electronic Transmission
[8J Electronic Transmission
D Hand Delivery
[8J US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission D Federal Express
[8J Electronic Transmission
D Hand Delivery
[8J US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission D Federal Express
[8J Electronic Transmission
D Hand Delivery
[8J US Mail (postage prepaid)
D Facsimile Transmission
D Federal Express
[8J Electronic Transmission
Ronald L. Williams
Ronald L. Williams, ISB No. 3034
Williams Bradbury, P.C.
1015 W. Hays St.
Boise, ID 83 702
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Attorneys for Intermountain Gas Company
:r.=r =1VED ·-v -
20 1 OC T-6 PH 1:54
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITES COMMISSION
IN THE MATTER OF INTERMOUNTAIN GAS )
COMPANY'S APPLICATION TO CHANGE )
ITS RA TES AND CHARGES FOR NATURAL )
GAS SERVICE )
)
) _________________ )
Case No. INT-G-16-02
RESPONSE OF INTERMOUNT AIN
GAS COMPANY TO THIRD
PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE
COMMISSION STAFF
COMES NOW, Intermountain Gas Company, and in response to the Third Production
Request of the Commission Staff to Intermountain Gas Company dated September 15, 2016,
herewith submits the following information:
REQUEST NO. 35: Please provide the workpapers and data used to develop the regression
equations and zero cost computation described in Exhibit 19.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 35:
The workpapers and data can be found in the file "PR 34_2015 Mains Study.xis" that was
submitted as part of the Responses to the Second Production Request of the Commission.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Lori Blattner, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 36: Please provide the source data, workpapers, and an explanation for the
methods and rationale used to derive the demand, customer, and commodity allocators used in the
workpapers at "EXTERNAL, Exhibit 20 -23.xlsx."
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 1
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 36:
The attached file "PR 3 6 External Tab Analysis.xis " provides a roadmap to the EXTERNAL
tab found in Exhibits 20 -23. The first tab of that file is a copy of the "EXTERNAL " tab to which
the following explanations and clarifying information has been added:
a) The tab contains allocators for 2 different scenarios. The first scenario is based on
Intermountain 's current tariff structure and is the first line under each allocator. There is a
header for this scenario on line 2 and it is highlighted in pink. Additionally, each of the first
scenario allocators is also highlighted in pink and labeled "December 31, 2016 (current)".
The second scenario is the proposed rate structure which collapses RS-I and RS-2 into a
new RS class and collapses T-4 and T-5 into a T-4 class. The headers for this scenario are
on line 2 and are not highlighted. The second scenario allocators are labeled "December
31, 2016 (proposed)".
b) The following files provide the support for the allocators. For each allocator, column M
denotes exactly where the supporting information/or the allocator can be found. As noted
in the yellow highlights, the supporting files are as follows :
DEMAND ALLOCATORS -See "PR 36 FINAL Peak Day Study.xlsx"
CUSTOMER ALLOCATORS-See "PR33_2015 Meter Study.xlsx "
MAINS ALLOCATION (On the classifier tab of the model) -See "PR34 2015 Mains
Study.xis "
COMMODITY ALLOCATORS -The support for these can be found in Exhibit No. 15 of
Intermountain 's filed testimony
This file also contains a rationale for the allocations on an account by account basis (see
the second tab "Allocation Rationale ''). Column L of this tab shows the function of the account.
Column M shows how the account has been classified. Columns N through U show how the account
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 2
has been allocated. Column W explains the rationale behind the allocation for each account or
directs the reader to the location in the filed testimony where it is discussed.
Finally, the third tab "Notes " includes an explanation of how the allocators are split into
Groups I and 2.
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: Lori Blattner, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 37: Please provide units for the quantities used to derive demand,
customer, and commodity allocators used in the workpapers at "EXTERNAL, Exhibit 20 -23.xlsx."
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 37:
Column M of the EXTERNAL tab of the file "PR 36 External Tab Analysis.xis " indicates the
units for the demand, customer and commodity allocators.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Lori Blattner, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 38: Please explain the methodology and provide workpapers used to
determine the weighted customer allocators at "EXTERNAL, Exhibit 20 -23.xlsx."
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 38:
The weighted customer calculation can be found in the file submitted as part of Production
Request 33, "PR 33 2015 Meter Study-CONFIDENTIAL.xlsx". The first tab of that file, "Customer
Allocators", uses meter cost to weight customers. RS-I and RS-2 use a basic size meter, so the
index for those customer classes is 1.0. The average meter costs for each of the other classes is
divided by the Residential meter cost to arrive at the index for each class. That index is then
multiplied by the annual customers for each class to arrive at weighted customers. The weighted
customers are then converted to a percentage for inclusion in the EXTERNAL tab of the ACOSS
model.
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 3
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: Lori Blattner, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 39: Please provide the procedures and policies used by the Company to
determine MDFQ.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 39:
The large volume group of customers reflects a significant portion of lntermountain 's
system peak day usage. In its efforts to make the most efficient use of its distribution system and
avoid unnecessary capital investment, lntermountain uses an approach designed to best match
estimated peak day of each large volume customer with its MDFQ.
Every firm large volume Rate Schedule states that each customer must sign a minimum one
year service contract that includes an MDFQ that will be in effect throughout the term of the
[customer 's J contract. The MDFQ reflects the amount of capacity the Company reserves for the
customer and the amount of natural gas the Company 's distribution system, including the service
line and meter, can deliver to the customer on a peak day. The goal is to determine as accurately as
possible, the maximum amount of natural gas the customer will use on a peak day and then validate
through the Integrated Resource Plan (!RP) methodology whether or not the Company's system can
meet that daily amount.
When a new customer requests service with lntermountain, the Company completes a
Customer Load Summary (see Response to AR-32) which inventories all natural gas-fired
equipment and its accompanying plate ratings or other statement of maximum hourly gas
consumption. Jntermountain 's engineering group has developed an algorithm that converts those
ratings into an estimate of maximum daily (or Peak Day) therm consumption. Because
lntermountain has no historical gas use patterns for a new customer, the only source of peak day
information comes from the CLS or the customer's own estimate of their peak usage. If the
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page4
requested capacity ( or bundled gas supply in the case of an L V-1 customer) is available, the
customer can elect that amount as the MDFQ in its contract.
When existing customers approach Intermountain with a request to change their MDFQ due
to the installation of additional equipment, facility expansion or enhanced operations, the Company
is able to use the customer's historical usage information along with the CLS and customer usage
estimate to estimate peak day use.
Once the Company validates, through its !RP process, that its system can provide the
requested MDFQ on the coincident peak day, the customer may nominate that amount as the
MDFQ and the parties negotiate and come to agreement on the MDFQ.
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: David Swenson, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 40: Please provide the Company's performance objectives for handling
incoming calls.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 40:
The Company's objective is to reach a service satisfaction level by answering 80% of all
calls in 60 seconds or less.
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 41: What steps does the Company take if it fails to meet its performance
objectives?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 41:
If the service satisfaction level is not met during a specific week; review of staffing levels,
volume of calls, and resources assigned are reviewed to ensure corrections are put in place and
evaluated the following week to ensure service level is met.
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 5
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 42: Please provide the number of incoming calls handled by the customer
service call center by month for each of the past three years (2014, 2015 and YTD 2016).
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 42:
Incoming call, abandoned call, average speed of answer, service level, and average
handling time statistics for years 2014, 2015, and YTD 2016 are included in the attached
spreadsheet titled PR#42-45 and 48.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 43: Please provide the number of abandoned calls to the customer service
call center by month for each of the past three years (2014, 2015 and YTD 2016). "Abandoned
calls" are calls that reach the Company 's incoming telephone system, but the calling party
terminates the call before speaking with a customer service representative.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 43:
Incoming call, abandoned call, average speed of answer, service level, and average
handling time statistics for years 2014, 2015, and YTD 2016 are included in the attached
spreadsheet titled PR#42-45 and 48.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 44: Please provide the average speed of answer for the customer service
call center by month for each of the past three years (2014, 2015 and YTD 2016). "Average speed
of answer" is the interval (typically measured in seconds) between when a call reaches the
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 6
Company's incoming telephone system and when the call is picked up by a customer service
representative.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 44:
Incoming call, abandoned call, average speed of answer, service level, and average
handling time statistics for years 2014, 2015, and YTD 2016 are included in the attached
spreadsheet titled PR#42-45 and 48.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 45: Please provide the service level for the customer service call center by
month for each of the past three years (2014, 2015 and YTD 2016). "Service level" is the
percentage of calls answered within a certain number of seconds, e.g., 80% of calls answered within
20 seconds.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 45:
Incoming call, abandoned call, average speed of answer, service level, and average
handling time statistics for years 2014, 2015, and YTD 2016 are included in the attached
spreadsheet titled PR#42-45 and 48.
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 46: Please provide the average number of busy signals reached by parties
calling the customer service call center by month for each of the past three years (2014, 2015 and
YTD 2016).
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 7
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 46:
All trunks (lines) busy is not a statistic that is monitored and reported. It is very rare a
busy signal would be received. The company uses Virtual Hold which offers a customer the
opportunity to receive a call back rather than wait on hold and create an "all trunks busy " signal.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 47: Please provide the average response time for e-mail transactions by
month for each of the past three years (2014, 2015 and YTD 2016). "Average response time" is the
average number of hours from receipt of an e-mail by the Company to sending a substantive
response; auto-response acknowledgements do not count as a substantive response.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 47:
Although this is a metric that is not directly tracked, the average e-mail response time is
estimated at under 12 hours, during the business week, for all months in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 48: Please provide the average handling time by month for each of the
past three years (2014, 2015 and YTD 2016). "Average handling time" is the average amount of
time (usually expressed in minutes) it takes for a customer service representative to talk with a
customer plus any additional "off-line" time it takes to complete the transaction or fully resolve the
customer's issue(s).
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 48:
Incoming call, abandoned call, average speed of answer, service level, and average
handling time statistics for years 2014, 2015, and YTD 2016 are included in the attached
spreadsheet titled PR#42-45 and 48.
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 8
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 49: Please provide the first call resolution rate by month for each of the
past three years (2014, 2015 and YTD 2016). "First call resolution rate" is the percentage of calls
where the transaction, inquiry or complaint is resolved upon initial contact with the Company.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 49:
Although this statistic is not tracked, our goal is to resolve all calls within the initial phone
call.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 50: When did Intermountain Gas implement its previous customer care
and billing system? What was the total cost of that system?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 50:
The previous customer information system used by lntermountain Gas Company was
implemented in 2004 at a cost of $4,400,000.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 51: What was the total cost to Intermountain Gas to convert to MDU's
current customer care and billing system?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 51:
The total cost to lntermountain Gas Company for Customer Care and Billing was
$26,400,000.
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 9
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 52: Please provide the cost/benefit analysis performed by Intermountain
Gas in its consideration of whether to convert to MDU's platform?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 52:
Jntermountain Gas Company 's Customer Care and Billing system (CC&B) is used by all
four (4) MDU utilities serving nine (9) different Jurisdictions. This common platform allows each
Customer Service Center team member to use identical technology when serving any of the utility
brands. With this commonality, workloads (phone calls) can then be shared among the team
members across all utility brands helping to minimize customer wait times and maximize customer
satisfaction. "Back office support" for the CC&B technology (servers, technicians, programmers,
etc.) is therefore minimized as only one skill set is needed to serve one platform. These kinds of
synergistic savings are on top the savings realized by sharing the overall cost of the CC&B
platform. Additionally, Jntermountain 's legacy system replaced by CC&B, Customer Watch, could
no longer be supported, as the company behind that system dropped that product line.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 53: Please identify areas in which functionality was lost through the
conversion, e.g., decreased ease of use by Customer Service Representatives, more difficulty or lack
of ability to update or customize the system to meet Intermountain Gas' needs, etc.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 53:
Due to the complexity ofCC&B the Company initially found it was more time consuming for
our CSR 's to use the CC&B system but this has been minimal as CSR 's have more time into
learning the system. Any initial gaps in functionality have been addressed since implementation of
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 10
the system. The following are features that were lost when converting from Customer Watch to
CC&B:
• Ability to make comments on the Premise -i.e. comments that stay attached to the address
regardless of the customer.
• Prorated calculation for the first year of Level Pay (Now it is a 12 month calculation for a
new sign-up no matter the time of year).
• Ability to move the date to work on afield order (This was useful with collections where the
date could be moved beyond the expected posting time for a payment plan).
• Pay Plans results in the debt being sheltered and stops the collection process -results in
more manual follow up after a broken payment plan.
• Audit function to see who and when changes were made (It is more complicated to
determine which user made changes such as mailing address, or other customer info).
• Ease of determining chronology of tenants at a premise -It can be done today but is more
time consuming where it was previously available on one screen.
• Ease of accessing premise usage history.
• Complexity of setting up the customer 's mailing address.
Improvements gained through the implementation ofCC&B include:
• Application is web based rather than a stand-alone program -easier to access from any
computer. Also easier to navigate and use default Windows based shortcuts (Copy, Paste).
• More information directly accessible on the main customer screen. Able to answer many of
the frequently asked questions without navigating to another page. (next bill/read date, field
order history, recent customer/account activity, etc.).
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 11
• Use of "ToDo 's "for handling account routing or reminders for follow-up. Eliminates
department to department email assignment and/or writing reminders on a calendar to
follow up.
• The use of 2D splat in combination with Intelligent Mail Barcode on billing statements and
other correspondence. Aids in identifying account information during the printing process
and allows to access account information on returned mail without opening the envelope.
• Denial of service process has been simplified. It is no longer tied to a 'dummy' field service
order.
• Date to reflect the last time customer information was reviewed/updated. Allows us to avoid
asking for updated contact, work, and emergency contact info if it was recently handled on a
previous call.
• Automate and standardize letters sent to the customer -Letters sent to the customer can be
viewed by all users.
• Field related fees are based on the Field Activity type and not a manual adjustment (Regular
Hours vs. After Hours fee).
• The ability for automatic email notification to the customer -for example notification is
emailed when service reverts to the name of the accountholder on a Continuous Service
Agreement.
• Improved interfaces with external systems that allowed for development of other
applications such as the Property Portal and new features that were not previously
available on the customer web site.
• Customers with a very large number of services can now all be grouped under one Person
ID. Builders such as Corey Barton used to have to be broken in to smaller specific names
RESPONSE OF JGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 12
(Corey Barton -Hunter's Pointe) because of the number of services they have. (I'hese used
to take several minutes to load in Customer Watch).
• Addition of PIN number for a customer characteristic. Allows customer to select a four-digit
PIN to use for verification and authentication when using online self-service options in lieu
of providing a Social Security Number.
• Ability to use "Customer Aliases " -alternate spellings or 'known as ' monikers to aid in the
search of customer accounts. Customer can use legal name on the account, but can have
other names that would match when the CSR searches for the account.
• Improved interface with our Customer Web Application that now automatically updates
information changed on the website where it was previously entered manually. (Mailing
Address, Emergency Contact Information, Contact Information).
• Additional alerts on the account to inform the CSR of special circumstances. (LIHEAP,
Access Requirements -Dog, Level Pay, AutoPay, Landlord/CSA, Password Required, Cash
Only).
• Better tracking of Field Activity types and Contact Reasons -More categories that classify
the reason for the call or type of field order.
• There is the ability to change/delay the due date for the customer outside of their normal
cycle. i.e. delay due date 5 days, IO days, etc.
• Improved handling of adding/identifying information for third parties that can obtain
information on the account. (Okay To Talk To) In Customer Watch it was more difficult to
add a party that could get basic account information but was not a responsible party.
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 13
REQUEST NO. 54: Please provide the number of complaints made directly to the utility in
2015 and YTD 2016 pursuant to Rules 401 and 402 of the Commissions Utility Customer Relations
Rules, the general nature of their subject matter, how received (in person, by letter, etc.), and
whether a Commission review was conducted. Did the Company change its practices or modify its
bill statements or other public documents, website or IVR in response to its analysis of those
complaints? If so, please explain the changes and/or modifications made.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 54:
Please see the CD spreadsheet labeled PR#54-Customer Complaints, for a list of the 427
complaints made to Intermountain pursuant to Rules 401 and 402. The Company did not change
any of its practices or modify its bill statements or other public documents, website or IVR in
response to its analysis of these complaints.
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 55: Please provide the number and total dollar amount of deposits the
Company is currently holding for residential and commercial accounts. Please report the numbers
based on the reason the deposit was requested (termination of service, misrepresentation of identity,
damages, unauthorized service, failure to pass credit screen, indebted household, new commercial
customer, bankruptcy) and the customer's rate schedule.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 55:
The Company requests deposits from certain customers where we identify the reason/or the
required deposit as a line item on their statement. However, we do not store that information in the
Customer Information System and are therefore unable to break down the deposit information by
reason that the deposit was requested Following is a summary of deposits by customer rate
schedule;
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 14
Residential -RSl
Residential -RS2
Commercial -GSll
Total
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
Count Amount
1,662 $180,222
4,089 297,286
864 169,347
6.615 $646.855
REQUEST NO. 56: Please provide the audit parameters the Company uses to detect
slowing or stopped meters. How often are reports reviewed, and within what time frame are field
investigations conducted and corrective action taken if necessary?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 56:
To detect slowing meters, the billing audit department reviews the 'Low Usage Audit' report
(Please see CD file labeled PR56-#CJJ994 Low Usage). The key parameter of the report is an 80%
change in usage compared to the same month last year.
To detect stopped meters, the billing audit department reviews the 'Zero Usage Audit' report
(Please see CD file labeled PR56-#CI2002 Zero Usage). The key parameter of the report is zero
usage compared to the previous month, two months back, and the same month last year.
Both reports are reviewed daily. When a customer 's meter is detected as slowing or
stopped, then a field activity order is send to a service technician. The service technician has three
days to complete the investigation of the meter. Based on their investigation the meter may be
replace. The billing audit department review the completed field activity orders and creates a
billing adjustment if needed.
The files have been redacted for customer name and address confidentiality.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Hart Gilchrist, 208-377-6000
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 15
REQUEST NO. 57: The number of customer payments sent to the Commission instead of
directly to the Company increased significantly in 2016. Has the Company noted this trend and
looked into what may be causing customers to send payments to the wrong address?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 57:
The number of times this has occurred is not logged but we believe that no more than I 0
payments have been directly mailed to the !PUC in 2016 YTD. It appears that the payments that
have been sent directly to the !PUC were related to disconnect notices. We have noted this and
made changes to aspects of the notice so the focus is on the company address rather than the PUC
address to help remedy the mailing of payments to the wrong address.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mark Chiles, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 58: For each of the past three years, how many customers have
participated in the Residential Space Heating Equipment Rebate under current Rate Schedule ER?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 58:
Year
2013
2014
2015
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Number of
Participating
Customers
232
217
182
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Ted Dedden, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 59: Please provide total expenditures for the Residential Space Heating
Equipment Rebate program for each of the past three years. Please separately identify rebate
amounts for each year.
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 16
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 59:
2013
2014
2015
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Rebate Amount
$ 46,400.00
$ 43,600.00
$ 36,800.00
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Ted Dedden, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 60: Does the Company intend either to cancel or revise Rate Schedule ER
if the Commission accepts the Company's proposed DSM Program?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 60:
In the DSM program proposal included in the filing as shown in Exhibit No. 31 p. 12, Rate
Schedule DSM, the Company is proposing a rebate for a high efficiency natural gas furnace.
Therefore, if the DSM program is approved, the Rate Schedule ER would be cancelled.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 61: Does the Company intend to update its line extension policy to reflect
the rate of return authorized by the Commission in this case (INT-G-16-02)?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 61:
Yes.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 62: Please describe in detail how the Company determines if existing
customers are on the correct rate. How often are billing audits conducted? Do the audit methods
vary by customer class (residential/commercial/industrial)? If so, please describe the variations.
RESPONSE OF JGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 17
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 62:
RSJ: Residential Service -Periodically, the billing audit department reviews RSI accounts
(accounts with one essential appliance) to determine if they are using gas over the summer months
which may indicate that the customer should be on the RS2 rate schedule (multiple use). Please see
sample customer letter included in the CD-File Name P R#62. If the customer is determined to be
RS2, then a credit/refund is calculated and the customer is reclassified to RS2.
RS2: Multiple Use Residential Service -The billing audit department regularly reviews for
low usage accounts. If an account is found that is not a multiple use service (for example, no water
heat thus near zero summer usage), then the customer is billed accordingly and reclassified to RSI .
GS: General Service -The GS rate schedule is based on city zoning for the customer 's
location. The district offices report a zoning or use of property change to the billing audit
department for billing changes and rate rec/ass.
LV Large Volume Firm Sales Services & T-3 I T-4 I T-5: Transportation Services -All
industrial customers are reviewed monthly by Revenue Accounting and the Manager of Industrial
Services.
Record Holder: Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
Location: 555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Sponsor/Preparer: Ted Dedden, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 63: Does the Company regularly review commercial customer accounts to
determine whether the customer should be moved to a different rate schedule? If so, how often are
accounts reviewed?
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 63:
On a quarterly basis, the Company reviews the largest commercial accounts (GS-I) to
determine if any have grown large enough to merit large volume service. When it is determined that
any GS-I customer's rolling twelve-month gas use is near or exceeds 200,000 therms, the Manager
RESPONSE OF IGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 18
of Industrial Services makes initial contact with that customer to assess future gas use and explain
the customer 's available service options.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
David Swenson, 208-377-6000
REQUEST NO. 64: For CY2015, please provide the number of customers moved to a
different rate schedule, listing both the previous and new rate schedule assigned.
RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 64:
Please see detailed response included in the CD-File Name P R#64-1-January-July and
PR#64-2-July-December Customer Rate Schedule.
Record Holder:
Location:
Sponsor/Preparer:
Mike McGrath, 208-377-6000
555 S Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83707
Marcy Spackman, 208-377-6000
DATED at Boise, Idaho, this 6th day of October, 2016.
Res2ectfully submitted,
))~ L t,);j£___
Ronald L. Williams
Williams Bradbury, P.C.
Attorneys for Intermountain Gas Company
RESPONSE OF JGC TO THIRD PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF Page 19