SB0651 Summary: Home Energy Affordability and Transparency (HEAT) Act

• Establishes comprehensive certification and oversight requirements for alternative retail electric and gas suppliers, including mandatory bonding ($30,000-$500,000 depending on customer type), compliance plans, and disclosure of past legal disputes or regulatory violations.

• Requires alternative suppliers to provide customers with clear comparative pricing information, including utility electric supply price to compare and the utility gas supply cost rates, prominently displayed in all marketing materials and on bills using specific standardized statements.

• Prohibits alternative suppliers from enrolling customers receiving Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding or participating in Percentage of Income Payment Plans unless the customer is in a Commission-approved savings guarantee plan that charges less than the utility.

• Eliminates early termination fees and penalties for residential and small commercial customers beginning January 1, 2020, allowing them to terminate contracts at any time without charges while remaining responsible for unpaid balances.

• Establishes enhanced consumer protections including mandatory third-party verification for certain enrollment methods, language accessibility requirements for all solicitations, training standards for sales representatives, restrictions on automatic contract renewals with advance notification requirements, and reporting of residential rates to the Commission and Attorney General.