SAP Implementation Technical Bulletin - National Fuel Gas Bulletin... · SAP Implementation...

SAP Implementation Technical Bulletin

1 ESCO Rate Code Effective Date Processing Changes - October 21, 2015

UCB - Rate Ready Billing Enhancement - ESCO Rate Code Effective Date Processing Changes – (Update 4) Impacts New York and Pennsylvania

Upon implementation of National Fuel’s new billing system, ESCOs/NGSs will be able to provide an effective date, other than the next regularly scheduled bill cycle date, for a Rate Code change for customers billed under the Utility Consolidated Billing (UCB) model. The current billing system only allows for Rate Code changes to take effect at the next regularly scheduled bill cycle date1 or for a future regularly scheduled bill cycle date. Under the new system, an ESCO/NGS can elect to have changes take place on any other day of the month, e.g. the 1st calendar day.

As with the current system, ESCOs/NGSs will use the REF Reference Identification (ESCO

Rate Code) segment in the EDI 814 Change (“814C”) Transactions2 to change a customer’s ESCO Rate Code. The DTM Date/Time Reference (Effective Date of Change) segment will continue to be used to communicate an effective date for the ESCO Rate Code change, however the date provided in the DTM*007 segment (subject to validation) will be used to set the effective date of change.

If the ESCO/NGS wants to have the ESCO Rate Code changes take effect at the next

regularly scheduled bill cycle date, i.e., have the code be in effect for the entire next bill as it would be under the current system, they should not provide a DTM*007 segment with the 814C Transaction.

Presuming the ESCO/NGS sends a valid Effective Date of Change in the DTM*007

segment, the bill calculation in the new system will:

Apply the rate associated with the former rate code for the days starting with the first day of the billing cycle up through and including the day before the effective date of the new ESCO Rate Code.

Apply the rate associated with the new ESCO Rate Code for the days starting with the effective date of the new code and all remaining days of the billing cycle. Changes to ESCO Rate Codes should be prospective; if an 814C Transaction contains an

Effective Date of Change prior to the date the transaction is submitted, the new billing system will record the Effective Date of Change as the date the transaction was submitted.

1 The rate code change, however, is applicable to the entire billing cycle. For example, if a customer has a billing

cycle that runs from the 1st

of the month to the 31st

and the ESCO/NGS submits a rate code change on the 22nd

, when the account is billed the new rate code will be applied to the entire cycle. 2 Pennsylvania NGSs that do not use EDI may use the Company’s web site to modify a customer’s rate code.



Questions concerning Marketer Rate Codes should be directed to Transportation Services at (716) 857-7432 or by email: [email protected].

Creation of New Rate Codes

Under the current system, an ESCO/NGS can create a new rate code during a customer’s

billing cycle and submit a rate value3 for the rate code, assign that new rate code to a customer prior to the date a bill is issued but applicable to the entire billing cycle. The new system will provide the same functionality but the process will be different due to default software configurations. National Fuel will set the rate code submission date to ‘01/01/1900’ to ensure that a rate value (also called a ‘price key’) is applied to the entire billing cycle. This process is necessary to ensure that a portion of the customer’s bill isn’t prepared using a zero rate but is not a means to back date a rate value. Additionally, the ‘01/01/1900’ date will be recognized by the new system such that the associated rate isn’t being used for the cancel-rebill process for any prior months other than the month during which the rate became effective.

An example of the process is as follows:

1) Rate Code/Rate Value Setup

An ESCO/NGS submits a NEW rate code (A1) to the Company with a price effective date of 10/1/2015 and a rate value equal to $0.75.

The A1 rate code is entered with effective date of 1/1/1900.

The rate value is also entered into the system with effective date of 1/1/1900 (as requested). This is necessary to ensure a price is effective during the entire billing period.

The ESCO/NGS sends 814C for all its residential customers to put them on the new rate code and leaves the effective date blank.

o The intention of ESCO/NGS, because the effective date is blank, is read as applying the new rate code for the entirety of each customer’s billing cycle.

o To implement this intention, the rate code is set on each customer's account to the last bill +1.

2) Billing Example – if rate code submission was set to 10/1/2015

Suppose a customer is billed from 9/15/15 - 10/15/15 (note that the effective date of rate code A1 is set on the customer's account to 9/15/15)

o When this customer is billed on 10/15/15, billing “fails” because there is no price key effective from 9/15/15 - 9/30/15. Effectively, a zero rate is applied from 9/15/15 - 9/30/15 and $0.75 from 10/1/15 – 10/15/15

3 Two key things to remember are the difference between a Rate Code and a Rate Value (e.g. the rate code = "A3"

and the rate value is $0.35 per CCF effective 9/1/2015) and that a customer can be assigned to a different Rate Code that MAY also be a NEW Rate Code.

mailto:[email protected]



3) Billing Example - Rate Code submission set to ‘01/01/1900’

For new Rate Codes only, to avoid a time slice without a rate value, the price key effective date will be set to 1/1/1900.

Again, suppose a customer is billed from 9/15/15 - 10/15/15 (note that the effective date of rate code A1 is set on the customer's account to 9/15/15)

o When this customer is billed on 10/15/15, billing “succeeds” because there is a price key for the entire period; i.e. $0.75 is applied from 9/15/15 – 10/15/15

To summarize, the system will operate using the following rules: A) When a customer is assigned to a different rate code, that rate CODE is in effect for the entire billing period if they do not provide a an effective date for the rate code (i.e. they do not provide a DTM*007 segment with the 814C transaction). B) If, based on the provided effective date, there are multiple rate codes for a billing period the rates will be prorated just as they are prorated for multiple rate values within a rate code. C) Before a customer can be assigned a different rate code, that rate code must exist and a rate value must exist for the intended billing period. D) When a new rate code is created, it is important that a rate value exists for that rate code that predates the start of the billing period for any customers assigned to that new rate code. To ensure that happens, the FIRST rate value for a new rate code will be assigned the default date of 1/1/1900 by the system.



EDI Matters

For customers to be billed under the UCB Rate Ready model, an ESCO Rate Plan is required4 on the EDI 814 Enrollment (“814E”) transaction.

Note that National Fuel does not echo back the ESCO Rate Code change in an Accept Response; the response to the request is reflected in the J0 and J1 web files discussed below. Example 1:

Change Request for ESCO Rate Code submitted on 9/20/2015 to be effective 10/1/2015

ST*814*0001! Transaction Set header;

transaction defined is an 814;

control number assigned by

originator

BGN*13*20150920058*20150920! Transaction is a Request; Unique

id number for this transaction;

transaction creation date

N1*SJ*ESCO NAME*1*845750011! ESCO Name & DUNS number

N1*8S*NATIONAL FUEL GAS*1*006976666! Utility Name & DUNS number

N1*8R*JON D. KARDASHIAN! ESCO Customer Name

LIN*20150920A051*SH*GAS*SH*CE! Unique transaction reference

number, change pertains to gas

service

ASI*7*001! Action is a Change Request

REF*12*112284806! Utility Account Number

NM1*MQ*3******93*ALL! Start of Meter Attribute Change

Loop; Change pertains to all

existing meters on this account

REF*TD*REFRB! Change Reason Code – Change ESCO

Rate Code

REF*RB*R2! New ESCO Rate Code

DTM*007*20151001! Effective Change Date

SE*13*0001! Transaction Set trailer; segment

count; control number

4 The ESCO Rate Plan is not required for enrollments in Dual Billing or Marketer Combined Billing.



Example 2:

Change Request for ESCO Rate Code submitted on 9/20/2015 to be applied next regularly scheduled bill cycle date

ST*814*0001! Transaction Set header;

transaction defined is an 814;

control number assigned by

originator

BGN*13*20150920058*20150920! Transaction is a Request; Unique

id number for this transaction;

transaction creation date

N1*SJ*ESCO NAME*1*845750011! ESCO Name & DUNS number

N1*8S*NATIONAL FUEL GAS*1*006976666! Utility Name & DUNS number

N1*8R*JON D. KARDASHIAN! ESCO Customer Name

LIN*20150920A051*SH*GAS*SH*CE! Unique transaction reference

number, change pertains to gas

service

ASI*7*001! Action is a Change Request

REF*12*112284806! Utility Account Number

NM1*MQ*3******93*ALL! Start of Meter Attribute Change

Loop; Change pertains to all

existing meters on this account

REF*TD*REFRB! Change Reason Code – Change ESCO

Rate Code

REF*RB*R2! New ESCO Rate Code

SE*12*0001! Transaction Set trailer; segment

count; control number



Web (non-EDI) Entry Pennsylvania NGSs that do not use EDI and grandfathered New York Direct Customers may enter UCB enrolled customers into the new consolidated Budget Plan as well as modify the customers ESCO Rate Code via web entry screens by utilizing the Billing Options Update transaction on the Services For Marketers, Producers & Suppliers web page at: http://nationalfuelgas.com/marketers/default.aspx .

A more detailed explanation of Web (non-EDI) Entry will be provided in a subsequent technical bulletin.

http://nationalfuelgas.com/marketers/default.aspx



Web File (non-EDI) Matters

The Company provides two files that may be used to verify an ESCO/NGS customer’s rate plan and when changes are made, the effective date of the rate plan change. These files are accessible from the Supplier / Customer Download Files link on the Services For Marketers, Producers & Suppliers web page at: http://nationalfuelgas.com/marketers/default.aspx

The first file provided, the Aggregation Group Assignment Report, is the customer list by group and is reflective of the billing database. The Budget Plan Indicator is also available in this file and is available as a report for online viewing (file T0) and a file for downloading (file J0).

http://nationalfuelgas.com/marketers/default.aspx



Revised File Layout – Aggregation Group Assignments File

(file J0)

Current Layout New Layout

Marketer id 7 ch Marketer id 7 ch

Aggregation group id 9 ch Aggregation group id 9 ch

Assignment status code 1 ch Assignment status code 1 ch

Ratepayer billing id (RBA) 7 ch Ratepayer billing id (RBA) 9 ch

Assignment start reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment start reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Assignment start billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment start billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Assignment end reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment end reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Assignment end billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment end billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Customer last name 20 ch Customer last name 20 ch

Customer first name 12 ch Customer first name 12 ch

Customer middle initial 1 ch Customer middle initial 1 ch

Revenue class 2 ch Revenue class 2 ch

Service class 2 ch Removed

Check digit 2 ch Removed

Marketer Rate Code 2 ch (12

occurrences) Marketer Rate Code 2 ch (12

occurrences)

Marketer Rate Effective Dates 8 ch (12

occurrences) Marketer Rate Effective Dates 8 ch (12

occurrences)

Marketer Late Payment Code 2 ch Marketer Late Payment Code 1 ch

Marketer Budget Plan Indicator 1 ch Budget Plan Indicator 1 ch

Marketer Budget Plan Indicator Chg Date 8 ch Removed

Budget Plan Current Balance 11 ch Removed

Budget Plan Monthly Payment Amount 7 ch Removed

Current Service Class 2 ch Current Service Class 2 ch

County Code 2 ch County Code 2 ch

County sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

School district sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

State sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

Town sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

Town Code 4 ch Town Code 4 ch

School District Code 4 ch School District Code 4 ch

Capacity Release Indicator 1 ch Capacity Release Indicator 1 ch

Current Bill Control Number 2 ch Current Bill Control Number 2 ch

NEW>>> Sales Tax Exempt Indicator 1 ch

NEW>>> ESCO Provided Sales Tax Rate 1.4 ch

Note that in the web file Marketer Rate Code corresponds to ESCO Rate Code in 814C and 814E



transactions. Similarly, Marketer Rate Effect Dates corresponds to the Effective Date of Change in these EDI transactions. Additionally, while the J0 file created by the current system would show the Marketer Rate Effective Date set to the process date (the day after the ESCO/NGS sent the 814C transaction) when the transaction was sent without a DTM*007 segment, prospectively the Marketer Rate Effective Date will the date after the day the last customer billing was issued. This change has no effect on the end result; in either case the new ESCO Rate Code is applied to the entire billing cycle.



The second file provided, the Daily Aggregation Assignment Changes, is the customer detailed change list by group and is reflective of the billing database. This information is available as a file for downloading (file J1).

Revised File Layout – Daily Aggregation Assignment Change File

(file J1)

Current Layout New Layout

Marketer id 7 ch Marketer id 7 ch

Aggregation group id 9 ch Aggregation group id 9 ch

Assignment status code 1 ch Assignment status code 1 ch

Ratepayer billing id (RBA) 7 ch Ratepayer billing id (RBA) 9 ch

Assignment start reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment start reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Assignment start billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment start billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Assignment end reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment end reference date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Assignment end billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd) Assignment end billing date 8 ch

(yyyymmdd)

Customer last name 20 ch Customer last name 20 ch

Customer first name 12 ch Customer first name 12 ch

Customer middle initial 1 ch Customer middle initial 1 ch

Revenue class 2 ch Revenue class 2 ch

Service class 2 ch Removed

Check digit 2 ch Removed

Marketer Rate Code 2 ch (12

occurrences) Marketer Rate Code 2 ch (12

occurrences)

Marketer Rate Effective Dates 8 ch (12

occurrences) Marketer Rate Effective Dates 8 ch (12

occurrences)

Marketer Late Payment Code 2 ch Marketer Late Payment Code 1 ch

Marketer Budget Plan Indicator 1 ch Budget Plan Indicator 1 ch Marketer Budget Plan Indicator Chg Date 8 ch

Removed

Budget Plan Current Balance 11 ch Removed

Budget Plan Monthly Payment Amount 7 ch Removed

Current Service Class 2 ch Current Service Class 2 ch

County Code 2 ch County Code 2 ch

County sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

School district sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

State sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

Town sales tax exempt rate 6 ch (1.4) Removed

Town Code 4 ch Town Code 4 ch

School District Code 4 ch School District Code 4 ch

Capacity Release Indicator 1 ch Capacity Release Indicator 1 ch

Current Bill Control Number 2 ch Current Bill Control Number 2 ch

NEW>>> Sales Tax Exempt 1 ch

NEW>>> ESCO Provided Sales Tax Rate 6 ch (1.4)



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) Will use of the DTM Date/Time Reference (Effective Date of Change) segment in 814C Transactions be required for ESCO Rate Code changes? What happens if no Effective Date of Change is provided when the rate code is changed?

No – if the DTM*007 segment is not provided the ESCO Rate Code change will be used at the next regularly scheduled bill cycle date for the entire billing period, i.e. effective date of the rate code will be the day following issuance of the previous bill. 2) What happens if the ESCO/NGS provides an ESCO Rate Code Effective Date of Change that

predates the first day of the customer’s current billing cycle?

The ESCO Rate Code change will be set to the transaction submission date and the billing cycle proration will be based upon that date. 3) If the ESCO/NGS provides an ESCO Rate Code Effective Date of Change that predates the

current date but is after the first day of the customer’s current billing cycle, will the new ESCO Rate Code be used to prepare the next customer bill?

No – the ESCO Rate Code change will be set to the transaction submission date. 4) If an ESCO/NGS wants the Effective Date of Change to be the first of the month, when

should it submit the 814C transaction?

The 814C should be submitted at least one business day prior to the 1st of the month and should include the effective date (the 1st of the month) in the DTM*007 segment. 5) How does an ESCO/NGS get an ESCO Rate Code Change processed in the same manner as

the current billing system?

The ESCO/NGS should submit an 814C without an Effective Date of Change, i.e. without a DTM*007 segment. 6) If an ESCO/NGS submitted an ESCO Rate Code Change to be processed in the future month

under the current billing system, will that change need to be resubmitted for the new billing system?

No – the effective date for the ESCO Rate Code change will be migrated into the new billing system.



7) Will future ESCO Rate Code changes submitted under the current billing system be processed in the new system as they would have been the current billing system?

No – If an ESCO/NGS had provided a future effective date of 1/1/2016, under the old system it would have been applied to the entire billing cycle during which 1/1/2016 occurs. In the new system, the new Rate Code will go into effect on 1/1/2016 and be prorated. 8) How can an ESCO/NGS that has submitted a future ESCO Rate Code change under the

current billing system be certain that it will be processed in the new system as it would have been processed under the current billing system?

Using the future effective date of 1/1/2016 as an example, at least one business day prior to that date, the ESCO/NGS would have to submit an 814C for the same ESCO Rate Code without a DTM*007 segment. 9) ESCOs/NGSs often enroll customers for a particular rate applicable for an annual period (12

billing cycles). At the end of the 12th billing cycle, the customer typically converts to a different rate. Under the current system, the timing of the rate change is accomplished by sending a future effective dated rate code change and that the current system picks up based on the customer's billing cycle. The new system appears to require that the ESCO/NGS know the exact meter read date 12 months after initial enrollment to accomplish the same business result. Since this date is not available at the time of initial enrollment, is there a way to change the customer rate code in advance so that the change takes place at the end of the 12th billing cycle?

Under the current system, providing a future rate code change effective 12 months from the initial enrollment date does not always accomplish this result because the timing of the end of the 12th billing cycle does not always fall on the same calendar day in the following year. Under the new system, the desired business result can be accomplished by providing a rate code change without an effective date after the customer’s 12th billing cycle has completed but before the next bill is issued. Since the billing schedule for each control is posted, the ESCO should know the approximate date when the customer will be billed. Without an effective date in a DTM*07 segment, the ESCO Rate Code change will be used at the next regularly scheduled bill cycle date for the entire billing period, i.e. effective date of the rate code will be the day following issuance of the previous bill. 10) If an ESCO/NGS does not use the DTM segment, what is the last day we can send a Rate

Code Change to be applicable on the next scheduled bill cycle date?

An ESCO/NGS may send a Rate Code Change to be applicable on the next scheduled bill cycle date without a DTM segment up until the business day before the next regularly scheduled bill cycle date. Note that the rate code will apply to the entire billing period.



11) Under the current billing system, if an ESCO sends a future rate code that is effective on 6/10/2016 and then that customer has a read from 5/23/2016 through 6/22/2016, the entire billing period ending 6/22/2016 would be billed using the new rate code. According to the changed process that customer would be billed from 5/23/2016 to 6/9/2016 using the previous rate code and then 6/10/2016 through 6/22/2016 using the new rate code. Under the new system, please advise how the obtain the same result as the current system, i.e. how to avoid the application of two rates codes during the billing period.

The ESCO should send an 814 Change transaction containing the new rate code WITHOUT an effective date. The new billing system will align that change with the start of the bill period (retroactively starting the day after the last bill was issued), thereby preserving the current intent. The ESCO should not send a retroactive date; the 814 Change transaction will be rejected. 12) How does an ESCO determine if it needs to change future rate effective dates? While only the ESCO knows the terms under which rates should be applied for its customers, web file J0 shows up to 12 rate codes and rate code effective dates per account. If an ESCO review the contents of the J0 file just prior to the SAP implementation date, it will be able to manage any necessary changes after implementation as discussed in the response to the question above.

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