Steven in Denver here. Does anyone have a good Excel template for tracking monthly fuel adjustment clause changes? Xcel Energy's ECA (Energy Cost Adjustment) changes every month and I'm spending way too much time manually updating client rate comparisons. Their website posts the new factors around the 15th of each month but I need a better system to track the trends and impacts on different rate schedules.
Fuel Adjustment Clauses - Monthly Tracking Spreadsheet?
Jennifer R. from Sacramento. I built a spreadsheet that pulls PG&E's PCIA and generation rates monthly. It's not automated but has formulas that calculate the impact on Schedule A-6 vs A-10 for our clients. The key is setting up separate tabs for each rate schedule since the fuel adjustments hit differently. I can share the template structure if you're interested.
Randy here. Great topic Steven. I've been working on a multi-utility tracker for our Memphis clients. The challenge is that every utility names their fuel clauses differently - TVA calls it the Fuel Cost Adjustment, others use ECA, FAC, PCA, etc. I set up a master tab with utility names and clause types, then individual tabs for monthly tracking. The biggest pain is that effective dates vary - some start first of month, others mid-month. Jennifer, I'd love to see your PG&E template.
Dale O. in Columbus. AEP Ohio's fuel rider changes quarterly instead of monthly, but their DIR (Distribution Investment Rider) updates constantly. I gave up on Excel and moved to a simple Access database. Way easier to query and generate client reports. Happy to share the structure if anyone wants it.
Rick in Indianapolis here. Duke Energy Indiana posts their fuel factors in PDF format which makes data entry a nightmare. I found their tariff XML feeds on the IURC website work better for automated updates. Still requires some VBA scripting in Excel but saves hours each month.
Thanks everyone! Jennifer, I'd definitely like to see your template structure. Randy, the multi-utility approach is exactly what I need since we have clients in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Dale, Access might be overkill for us but I'm curious about your table structure. Rick, I hadn't thought about XML feeds - that could be a game changer.
Tony F. in Vegas. NV Energy just switched to quarterly fuel adjustments last year which helps with tracking. But they also added a new renewable energy rider that changes monthly. Sometimes feels like they're making it complicated on purpose. I stick with a simple monthly log in Excel and just bite the bullet on manual entry.
Jennifer C. in Anchorage. Chugach Electric posts their fuel surcharges weekly during winter months due to fuel price volatility. Weekly! I can barely keep up with monthly changes. Alaska's energy market is just different from the lower 48.
I'll put together a generic version of my PG&E template and post it to the file sharing section this weekend. The key formulas can be adapted for any utility once you identify their fuel clause structure and effective date patterns.
Ruben E. in Albuquerque. PNM has been changing their fuel factors twice monthly since natural gas prices started spiking. Our September bills had three different fuel rates applied to different periods. Absolute chaos for reconciliation. Looking forward to Jennifer's template!