For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
“Aggregation” means combining the natural gas loads of multiple customers for the purposes of supplying or arranging for the supply of competitive retail natural gas service to those customers.
“Aggregation program manager” means the person or entity designated by the city to oversee the operation and management of the city of Columbiana’s municipal natural gas aggregation program.
“Competitive retail natural gas service (CRNGS)” means a component of retail natural gas service deemed competitive under the Ohio Revised Code or pursuant to an order of the PUCO. This includes but is not limited to the services provided by competitive retail natural gas service providers, natural gas marketers, aggregators and governmental aggregators.
“Competitive retail natural gas service provider (CRNGS provider)” means a person or entity certified by the PUCO and registered with COH who supplies or offers to supply a competitive retail natural gas service over the COH natural gas distribution system. This term does not apply to COH in its provision of standard offer natural gas service.
“Consumer” means any person or entity that is an end user of natural gas and is connected to any part of COH natural gas distribution system within the City of Columbiana’s corporation limits.
“Delivery charge” means the charge imposed by COH for delivering natural gas to a consumer’s home or business. The charge includes meter reading, billing, transition costs, maintaining natural gas system reliability and responding during emergencies and outages (also called the distribution charge).
“Distribution” means the delivery of natural gas to a home or business through COH owned pipelines, meters and other equipment. COH distribution system operations will remain regulated by the PUCO.
“Governmental aggregator” means an incorporated village or city, township or county acting as an aggregator for the provision of a CRNGS under authority conferred under Ohio R.C. 4929.26.
“Mercantile customer” means a customer that consumes, other than for residential use, more than 500,000 cubic feet of natural gas per year at a single location within the state; or a customer that has three or more locations within the state that consume natural gas, other than for residential use.
“Natural gas related service” means service directly related to the consumption of natural gas at a consumer’s home or business. This may include, but is not limited to, the installation of metering, remote reading indices, regulation; the maintenance, repair or replacement of appliances and other energy-consuming devices at a consumer’s premises, and the provision of energy consumption measurement and billing services.
“Natural gas supply charge” means all charges related to the acquisition of natural gas by the CRNGS provider, and its delivery to the city’s distribution system.
“Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC)” means the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), established by the Ohio Legislature in 1976, represents the interests of Ohio’s four million residential utility customers served by investor-owned utilities in proceedings before the PUCO, other regulatory agencies and in the courts. The OCC also educates consumers about utility issues and resolves complaints individuals have with investor-owned utility companies.
“Participant” means a consumer enrolled in the City of Columbiana’s municipal natural gas aggregation program.
“Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO)” means the state agency charged with assuring all consumers (residential commercial and industrial) served by investor-owned utilities have access to adequate, safe, and reliable utility services at fair prices. The PUCO regulates a wide variety of investor-owned utilities, including natural gas, electricity, pipeline, heating/cooling, local telephone, long distance telephone, waterworks, wastewater, railroad, household goods carriers, water transportation, hazardous materials carriers, and commercial transportation carriers.
(Ord. 05-O-2198, passed 6-7-2005)