20111011UWI to Staff 27,28,30,33-41,62,63,71.pdf

McDevitt & Miller LLP
[phone]
[phone] (Fax)
Via Hand Delivery
Jean Jewell, Secreta
Idaho Public Utities Commssion
472 W. Washigton St.
Boise, Idao 83720
Re: Case No. UWI-W-ll-02
General Rate Case Filng
Dear Ms. Jewell:
Lawyers
'rQEC¡=I\Jr::n1¡ ",! i."., ~ '" ',..;,-,-' ...r
420 W. Bannock Street
P.O. Box 2564-8370:îOl I OCT l I AM II: 53
Boise, Idaho 83702
October 11, 2011
Chas. F. McDevitt
Dean J. (Joe) Miler
Enclosed for fig, please fid thee (3) copies of United Water Idaho's Responses to the
Commssion Staffs Second Production Request No's 27, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,40,41,
62, 63, and 71.
Kidly retu a fie stamped copy to me.
DJM/hh
End.
Very Truy Yours,
McDevitt & Mier lL
~ULDean J. Mier
-..
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-LL-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 27:
Please identify the number of disconnections for non-payment on a monthly basis for calendar
years 2009, 2010 and 2011 to date, by customer class (residential or commercial). For
residential accounts identified as having been disconnected for non-payment, please provide the
number of accounts that received UW Cares benefits prior to disconnection.
RESPONSE NO. 27
The number of accounts disconnected for non-payment is indicated below. United Water Idaho
does not track disconnections by customer class. Also, the Company does not separately track
UW Cares recipients that are disconnected for nonpayment.
Customer Disconnections for Non Payment:
2009 2010
Janua 157 134
Februar 161 221
March 206 213
April 211 214
May 108 174
June 241 197
July 102 161
August 203 160
September 232 257
October 245 262
November 209 219
December 164 133
Total 2,239 2,345
2011to date
130
263
216
228
168
217
165
163
177
1,727
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
Preparer: Patricia Foss
REQUEST NO. 28:
For those accounts that received benefits from UW Cares and were later disconnected for non-
payment, please provide the monthy and anual total dollar amount owed at the time of
disconnection.
RESPONSE NO. 28
The Company does not track accounts that received benefits from UW Cares and may have later
been disconnected for non-payment.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-LL-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
Preparer: Patrcia Foss
REQUEST NO. 30:
F or those accounts identified in your response to the previous question that received payment
assistance through UW Cares, please provide: (a) the monthly and anual tota dollars wrtten
off (gross), and (b) the monthy and anual total dollars wrtten off due to customer banptcy.
RESPONSE NO. 30:
The Company does not keep track of the requested information.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
Preparer: Patricia Foss
REQUEST NO. 32:
Please describe how incoming calls from customers to the Company are handled. Include in that
explanation answers to the following questions: (a) Are all calls handled by a centralized
customer service call center, or are some types of calls (e.g., service outage or new constrction)
directed to a separate call center or deparment? (b) If some types of calls are directed outside
the customer service call center, are those calls separately measured or tracked? (c) If some
types of calls are handled through an interactive voice response (IVR) system without the callng
pary speakng to a customer service representative, are those calls separately measured or
tracked?
RESPONSE NO. 32:
Customer calls come into the Company via a dedicated customer service line and are answered
in the order they are received by a group of customer service representatives at the Company's
Victory Road offce. The customer service line is tracked via a computerized system and the
Company reviews telephone reports for speed of answer, dropped calls, and other statistics on a
daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
The Company publishes telephone numbers for other areas of the business as well. Developers,
builders, other utilties, vendors, and others can call directly into the area of the business they
need and by pass customer service. If calls come into those areas, the calls are not tracked or
measured via the computerized system.
Customers have an opportity to make payments though an IVR system, but that is the only
service option available on the IVR. United Water can ru reports on the number of calls to the
IVR.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Sponsoring Witness: Gregory P. Wyatt
Preparer: Patricia Foss
REQUEST NO. 33:
Please describe all types of calls the Company's IVR system can handle and identify the
implementation date for each type of call handled by the IVR system. Please provide a call
routing and choice selection char or drawing for the system.
RESPONSE NO. 33:
United Water Idaho's IVR system is curently limited to customer payments only. As such,
there is no call routing and choice selection char for the system. The customer can call the toll-
free number at any time and is connected to the Western Union SpeedPay system for payments.
The IVR was available in Idao beginning in May 2007.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-LL-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patrcia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 34:
Please provide the Company's performance objectives for handling incoming calls; include
objectives for both IVR and customer service representative (CSR) handled calls. What steps
does the Company take if it fails to meet its performance objectives?
RESPONSE NO. 34:
United Water Idaho's performance objectives for handling incoming calls are to maitain a 30-
second (or less) average speed of answer, and to achieve 3% or fewer abandoned calls.
Durng peak hours, the Company adjusts work flow among its telephone and biling CSR's to
enable as many calls to be answered as possible. The performance objective results are reviewed
with the CSR's daily, and reviewed by management monthly so action can be taen if the
metrics consistently fallout of line.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 35:
Please provide the service level for the customer service call center by month for calendar years
2009,2010 and 2011 to date. "Service level" is the percentage of calls answered within a certain
number of seconds, e.g., 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds. Please differentiate between
IVR and CSR calls.
RESPONSE NO. 35:
United Water Idaho does not track calls by service leveL. The performance objective is to
maintain a 30-second (or less) average speed of answer applying to CSR calls. Following is the
average number of seconds in which calls were answered during the periods requested for all
calls coming into the customer call center.
2009 2010 2011to date
Januar 16 seconds 27 seconds 28 seconds
Februar 16 34 31
March 16 21 26
April 19 18 18
May 23 21 21
June 32 26 51
July 43 28 28
August 41 37 21
September 46 51 21
October 46 43
November 38 46
December 29 31
Average 30 32 27
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 36:
Please provide the number of incoming calls handled by the customer service call center by
month for calendar years 2009, 2010 and 2011 to date. Please differentiate between IVR and
CSR calls.
RESPONSE NO. 36:
The following information represents CSR calls only. IVR calls are not counted.
2009 2010 2011to date
Januar 6,873 6,415 6,935
Februar 5,803 6,268 6,305
March 6,822 7,447 7,123
April 6,559 7,185 6,649
May 6,191 6,988 7,000
June 7,328 8,473 7,393
July 7,947 8,033 7,267
August 8,510 8,689 8,297
September 9,172 8,632 7,815
October 8,658 8,273
November 7,439 7,865
December 7,160 6,706
Total 88,462 90,974 64,784
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 37:
Please provide the number of busy signals reached by paries calling the customer service center
by month for calendar years 2009, 2010 and 201 1 to date. Please differentiate between IVR and
CSRcalls.
RESPONSE NO. 37:
There are suffcient phone lines into the call center to prevent customers from getting a busy
signal under normal conditions. If all the customer service representatives are on calls, the next
call goes into a queue until someone is available. United Water Idao does not have the
capability to track data on busy signals. A customer would receive a busy signal only if all of
United Water Idaho's twenty-five phone circuits (one Tl circuit) were in use. If this limit was
reached, any outbound calls would also receive a busy signal. To date, the Company has no
knowledge of this type of event occurng.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 38:
Please describe how the Company handles e-mail inquiries, complaints, payment arrangements,
service orders, and other routine customer transactions. Please provide the average response
time for e-mail transactions by month for calendar years 2009, 2010 and 2011 to date. "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 substative
response.
RESPONSE NO. 38:
All email inquiries are processed through Customer Service the day they are received or the
following business day if received afer normal business hours. United Water Idaho does not
track the number of emails received nor does it track the average response time. The Company
also does not use an auto-response acknowledgment with emails.
Emails to the Company come in via one email address. The Commercial Manager or the
Customer Service Supervisor opens each email and either prepares a response or refers the email
to the appropriate Customer Service group or deparent for a response.
Each complaint is handled by the appropriate group or deparment and is resolved as quickly as
possible. The majority of complaints are handled by the Customer Service group. How the
complaint is processed depends on what the customer is complaining about.
Customers who email regarding payment arangements are assisted by a Customer Service
Representative. Ifpossible, the payment arangements proposed by the customer in the email are
accepted and entered onto the customer's account. An acknowledgment email is then sent to the
customer that the arangement has been accepted. If the arangement is not acceptable, the
Representative wil call to negotiate different arangements or email with another suggestion.
Emails regarding service orders are processed by the Field Customer Service group. If the
Company needs more information or updated information to process a service order, we will
attempt to contact the customer by phone. If we are not able to contact the customer by phone,
we email them and ask them to contact the business office.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 39:
Does United Water handle customer calls for other entities? If so, what are those entities? Are
the United Water complaint and inquiry calls tracked separately? If so, please quantify calls by
United Water complaints and inquiries and All Other entity calls.
RESPONSE NO. 39:
No, United Water Idaho does not regularly handle customer calls for other entities. Thè
Company however does get an occasional inquiry from a United Water Idaho customer whose
legacy Leakguad service(s) is biled on their United Water Idaho water bil. If the customer has
an inquiry regarding their Leakguad service agreement, Customer Service Representatives
provide the customer with the phone number for Home Service USA, who provides the
Leakguad service(s). These calls are infrequent.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI..W-LL-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 40:
Regarding the Company's Televox outbound callng system, please explain how the system
tracks completion of calls. How does it differentiate among calls where the customer answers,
an answering machine or voice mail records a message, or when there is no answer?
RESPONSE NO. 40:
The Company's Televox system does have the abilty to differentiate between different tyes of
call outcomes. After the daily calls are complete, the system delivers a fie that is uploaded into
the cis and placed in customer contacts. The Televox system report contains the followig
information: customer name, telephone number dialed, date & time of call and the outcome of
the calL. There are at least nine call outcomes identified, including the thee outcomes above.
Furher information on Televox is provided in response to Second Production Request No. 41.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer: Patricia Foss
Sponsoring Witness: Greg Wyatt
REQUEST NO. 41:
Regarding the Company's Televox outbound callng system, please explain how the calls, once
completed, are uploaded in the customer's account and utilzed in the collection process. Does
the Company make more than one attempt to call the customer ifthere is no answer, or the phone
was busy? Does the system have the capabilty of handling multiple phone numbers for a single
account? How does the Company handle an account if the phone is out of order or the number is
invalid in the attempt to contact the customer prior to disconnection?
RESPONSE NO. 41:
Once the Televox calls and the re-tres are made, the system prepares a report and a fie. The
Televox system generates an email to the Company with a report indicating which calls were
successfuL. The report is reviewed to ensure it is complete, and then it is saved. Televox
transmits the call result file to the biling system. Individual account information from this file is
uploaded into customer accounts durng overnight processing. If the first call attempt goes
unanswered or is busy, a second call attempt is made to the same number 45 to 60 minutes later.
The Televox system curently uses only one number.
Prior to disconnection for non-payment, a customer has received a bil, a reminder notice and a
shutoff notice. A Field Service Person wil also go to the door to attempt collection prior to
disconnection. The Company makes every attempt to gain a working telephone number each
time we talk with a customer.
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer/Sponsoring Witness: Jeremiah Healy
REQUEST NO. 62:
Regarding Company witness Healy's Exhibit NO.1 1, Schedule 1, page 19 (Adjustment to
Purchased Power Expense), please provide workpapers and any associated spreadsheets showing
how the ($36,941) - Benefit of Enemoc Demand Response Program was estimated.
RESPONSE NO. 62:
The benefit of the EnerNOC demand response program, $36,941.15 on Schedule 1, Page 19 is
not an estimate. It represents the proceeds received from EnerNOC related to United Water
Idaho's paricipation in the demand response program for the test period ending April, 2011.
The Company enrolled several facilties into the program in the spring of2010. By December
2010, EnerNOC had paid the Company $18,775.51 for delivered capacity, $9,083.60 for energy
payments and $9,082.04 in tre-up payments for tota payments of $36,941.05 in the test year.
The attached EnerNOC letters dated September 20,2010 and December 15,2010 sumarze
these payments. The Company is proposing that this total amount is representative of a normal
year in the program.
(lENERNOC , EnerNOC, Inc
! 101 Federal Street
, Suite 1100
¡ Boston, MA 02110
i
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
wwwenernOC.com
! Inf~enerno.com
~.
".-4
September 20. 2010
Bil Carr
United Water-Idaho
8248 W. Victory Rd.
Boise, 10 83709
Dear Bil,
It Is our pleasure to present yor EnerNOC DemandSMART payment. The tale below Is a summary of your
activity for the statement period of April through June, 2010. Throgh DemandSMART, you provide a valuable
service to your community, helping to reduce peak deman and keeping the elecrial grid running wh it is
most vulnerable to blackout.
Please let me know If you have questons about your payment, and thank you for making the electrcal grid in
your region more reliable.
Sincerely,
Ken Wicker
Business Development Manager
kwckerOenemoc.com
[phone]
United Water-Idaho
Idaho Power Demand Response
p''''''',,, .
1010268 Check Numbe 00006146
Site: Unit Wat.'dlho Columbia W'
Jun Capaaty
Jun Energ 99kW $4.00IkWM
$O.40IkWh'
SIt. Totl:
$397.27
$152.00
$549.27
Sit. United W.twldao PIonee Wei...
Jun Capcit
Jun Energ 270kW $4.00IkWM
$0.40 /kWh
Sit. Totl:
$1,081.09
$4.20
$1,518.2
Site: United Wat Idlho Rlptor Well."
Jun Capacity 143kW $4.00IkWM $572.72
o
1...'
. .
(jENERNOC i EnerNOC,Inc
I 101 Federal Street
i Suite 1100
i Boston, MA 02110
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
wwwenernoc.com
Inf~enernoc.com .- ..
Slt.i Unit Wlfldo Ra. WeltF
Jun Energ
Sit. Unlh W8t.lcho RI Pump St8on~
Jun Capacit
Jun Energ.
404kW
Sltt: Uni W.. ldho Ten MI" Welr
Jun Capacit
Jun Energ 463kW
$O,401k $3.80
Site Total:$81.52
$4.00IkWM $1,615.82
$0.40 /kWh $68.40
Site Total:$2,2.
$4.00IkWM $1,852.00
$0.40 /kWh $778C
Site Total: $2,824.0
Paym this Period:$7,874.10
'. .....
4\.
(jENERNOC EnerNOC, Inc
101 F"deral Street
':",lIte 1100
, Boston, MA 02110
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
'NWwenernoc,com
, infoi~enernoccom
December 15, 2010
Bil Carr
United Water-Idaho
8248 W. Victory Rd.
Boise, 10 83709
Dear Bill,
It is our pleasure to present your EnerNOC DemandSMART payment. The table below summarizes your
activity for the statement period of July through September, 2010. Through DemandSMART, you
provide a valuable service to your communit, helping to reduce peak demand and keeping the electrical
grid running when it is most vulnerable to blackouts.
Please let me know if you have questions about your payment, and thank you for making the elecrical
grid n your region more reliable.
Sincerely,
Mike Shaughnessy
Business Development Manager
mshaughnessyO enernoc.com
[phone]
United Water-Idaho 10 #036268
Idaho Power FlexPeak Management ProgramPeriod Paymen Capacit:
Type Rat.;
Check Number: 000065167
Site: United Water Idaho Columbia WTP
Jul Capacity
Jul Energy
Aug Capacit
Aug Energy
Aug TRUE UP
388kW
569 kWh
220kW
481 kWh
101 kW
$4.0000IkW
$0.4000IkWh
$4.000IkW
$0.4000IkWh
Site: Unite Water Idao Pionee Well
Jul Capacit
Jul Energy
Aug Capacit
Site Total:
l,070kW
1,594 kWh
532kW
$4.000IkW
$O.4000IkWh
$4.000W
Totar',
Payment
$388.58
$227.60
$418.18
$H~2.40
$704.38
$1,931.14
$1,070.47
$637.60
$996.36
HD
1
\
Payment this Period:$29,067.05
HD
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer/Sponsoring Witness: Jarila Car
REQUEST NO. 63:
Regarding Company witness Car's testimony, page 7 and Exhibit No. 11, Schedule 1, page 15,
please provide the following:
a. A copy of the most recent anual United Water Report on PCA Balancing
Account. Please attach any worksheets supporting the report.
b. Worksheets supporting the projected deferred PCA balance of$337,483 as of
Februar 29, 2012 approved in Case UWI-W-09-01 as cited in lines 15-16.
c. Worksheets supporting the 2011 deferred pending power expense of$201,845
balance as of Februar 29,2012 accumulated since March 2010.
RESPONSE NO. 63:
Item a. The PCA Anual Report as fied with IPUC and the joural entr support, along with the
deferral calculation worksheet is included in the enclosed fie titled "#63 2010 PCA Report &
Deferral Proj.xlsx". Also enclosed is the fie titlet "#63 PCA 2010 Monthly Deferral
worksheets.xlsm" which contains the monthly deferrals supporting the 2010 PCA Report.
Item b. The Deferred PCA projected balance is outlined on Tab b. 18625 Proj. Def. PCA of the
fie titled "#63 2010 PCA Report & Deferral Proj .xlsx".
Item c. The Deferred Pending Power expense projection is outlined on Tab c. 18714 Proj. Power
Deferral of the file titled "#632010 PCA Report & Deferral Proj.xlsx".
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE UWI-W-ll-02
SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF
Preparer/Sponsoring Witness: Jeremiah Healy
REQUEST NO. 71:
In reference to the Company's response to Staff Production Request No. 22, please provide an
explanation or documentation for the amount shown for diesel fuel and natural gas of$15,555 as
shown in line 12, Exhibit No.4, Schedule 1, Adjustment for Purchased Power Expense. The cell
formula indicates 13,693.46 + 1795.36 + 66.3.
RESPONSE NO. 71:
The numbers in the cell formula indicate purchases from three vendors (invoice copies are in the
accompanying PDF fie titled "#71 Expenses.pdf'):
· $13,693.46 - Baird Oil: 14 invoices for diesel fuel for generators located at wells or
boosters. The generators require periodic exercising to ensure their availabilty and
fuctionality in the event of an electrical power outage.
· $1,795.36 - Owyhee Construction: one invoice for diesel fuel for generators
· $66.30 -CASS Information Systems: CASS is a third pary payment service that pays
Intermountain Gas bils on behalf of United Water Idao. This paricular account is for
gas service to Hidden Valley well # 1 to fuel a generator at that site.