ACT environment

​​​​​Rule 004: Alberta Tariff Billing Code Rules

Related information
Rule Rule 004:

Alberta Tariff Billing Code Rules

Effective date

January 1, 2020

​Description

Rule 004 sets out the requirements for owners of electric or natural gas distribution systems to provide timely and accurate tariff billing information to retail service providers in a standardized format. This helps to ensure that billing to the end-use electricity and natural gas customers are also billed in a timely and accurate manner. The rule defines business processes and mechanics for producing and transmitting t​he tariff bill-ready information. It also defines how retailers must operate to facilitate the transmittal of tariff bill-ready information.​

The AUC initially developed the tariff billing code in 2004 using a consultative process to define the necessary business rules and processes to enable the transfer of billing information between AUC-regulated electric and natural gas distribution companies and the retailers that are responsible for billing the end-use customers.

The AUC regularly engages with stakeholders to identify improvements and revisions that need to be made to Rule 004 to keep the rule relevant and reflective of the requirements of the retail electricity and natural gas market.

Distributor and retailer test scenarios have be developed as a result of the most recent work of the tariff billing code revision working group.​​

​Standard codes

Standard codes for Rule 004

The current codes provided are subject to Rule 004 requirements in order to provide timely and accurate tariff billing information.

Background to development of the code:

Carbon Levy Implementation and follow-up

Fort McMurray fires stakeholder meetings on customer and billing issues

On May 3, 2016, Fort McMurray and surrounding areas in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo were under threat of an out of control wildfire that resulted in the government issuing a mandatory evacuation order to approximately 80,000 residents in the area. On May 4, 2016, ATCO Electric and ATCO Gas advised market participants that they were actively monitoring the situation in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo area and working with local authorities and provincial officials to keep residents, employees and emergency personnel safe.

In order to ensure effective oversight of utility delivery, and to support government efforts to minimize the impact on affected Albertans, AUC staff invited industry stakeholders who had customers in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo area to participate in a number of telephone conference calls.

Retailer performance metrics reporting
The following document templates are to be used by regulated retailers for reporting results for each of the retailer performance metrics described in Table 2-2 in Section 2.14 of the code.

Performance Monitoring Metrics Pseudocode
The following document describes, in a generic way, the programming logic that should be taken into consideration when developing reporting results for each of the distributor performance metrics described in Table 2-2 in Section 2.14 of the code.

Distributor performance monitoring metrics reporting
The following document templates are to be used by regulated electric and gas distributors for reporting results for each of the distributor performance metrics described in Table 2-2 in Section 2.14 of the code.

Distributor specific practices
Distributors have different operational practices that affect how tariff billing information is disclosed.

The AUC has solicited disclosure of the following:

Compliance plans 
The compliance plans outline the procedures, roles, responsibilities and timelines to transact according to the rule. Version 2.0 of the rule was in effect as of April 1, 2015.

Compliance plans applicable to previous versions of the Tariff Billing Code (Versions 1.0 to 1.3)

Compliance plans – exemptions

Exemptions, if any, can be found within the compliance plan of the individual distributor and regulated rate providers.​​

Forms

​See all Rule 004 forms, templates and reference materials

​Reference material

Rule 004 Reference​ material (A​, C, D, E, F, G, H and I)

​​Previous versions​

​Previous versions of this rule and related bulletins can be found in the consultations library. Sort by topic (Rule 004) and by document type to find the information you are looking for.​​