Hi everyone, Janice N. here from Arkansas. I've got a client in North Carolina with a small manufacturing operation that Duke Energy has on Schedule SGS (Small General Service) when they should clearly be on Schedule LGS (Large General Service) based on their 125 kW demand. The facility has been operating for 18 months and we're looking at about $3,200/month in overcharges. What documentation has worked best with Duke for getting retroactive adjustments? I've heard they can be resistant to reclassification.
Duke Energy misclassified manufacturing facility - need help with documentation
Karen W. here - I've had good success with Duke by providing 12 months of interval data showing consistent demand above threshold, plus a detailed load analysis. Make sure you reference their tariff Section 3.2.1 which clearly states the automatic reclassification requirement. They tried to fight me on a similar case last year but caved when I cited the Commission order. Document everything in writing!
Randy here. Karen's advice is solid - Duke responds better to regulatory pressure than customer requests. Also check if your client qualifies for the Industrial rate schedules instead of LGS. Manufacturing operations often have load factors that make Schedule I-22 more favorable than LGS, especially with demand above 100 kW. File the reclassification request in writing and reference NCUC Rule R8-36 regarding proper rate classification. If they deny it, you can escalate to the Commission. I've seen retroactive adjustments going back 24 months when the utility clearly misclassified from day one.
Thanks Karen and Randy! I'll pull together the interval data and check the industrial schedules. The load factor is around 0.72 so industrial might indeed be better. Will report back on how it goes with Duke.