All retail electricity and natural gas customers are entitled to timely and accurate billing. In early 2004, the EUB (the predecessor of the AUC) established a consultative process to develop a Tariff Billing Code 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. This effort resulted in the publication of Rule 004: Alberta Tariff Billing Code (the Code) which came into effect July 1, 2006. Entities under the AUC's jurisdiction carrying out the functions of an owner of an electric or natural gas distribution system are now required to provide tariff billing information to retailers in a standardized format in accordance with the requirements of the Code.

Tariff Billing Code working group

The Code Revision Working Group makes decisions regarding revisions to the code by reviewing proposed amendments, validating or adjusting these amendments, and deferring items that are out of scope. Click on the above link for documents have resulting from the Code Revision Working Group.

Background to Development of the Code
Letter to Stakeholders (Feb 27, 2004) Announcing the process and inviting feedback
Project Charter (May 21, 2004) Tariff Billing Code Standards Development Project 
Program Charter - Phase II (Nov 15, 2004)

Communications with Steering Committee

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 Metrics Quarterly Report Template [Word file] (Last Updated: Jul 20, 2007)
Performance Metrics Supporting Data Template [Excel file] (Last Updated: Jul 20, 2007)

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.

Performance Monitoring Metrics Pseudocode (Last Updated: Jul 20, 2007)

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.

Performance Metrics Quarterly Report Template [Word file] (Last Updated: Jul 20, 2007)
Performance Metrics Supporting Data Template [Excel file] (Last Updated: Jul 20, 2007)

Market Testing Working Group
The Market Testing Working Group makes decisions regarding scope, process, and timeframe of market testing to support implementation of the Code, and subsequent versions of the Code. Click on the above link for documents resulting from the Market Testing Working Group meetings.

Gas Tariff Billing Code Working Group
The Gas Tariff Billing Code Working Group reviews the code from the perspective of gas distributors and retailers. The group determines what specific tariff billing requirements are needed to support gas tariff billing via the Code. Click on the above link for documents that have resulted from the Gas TBC Working Group.

Program Management Group
The Program Management Group oversees all aspects of the program and makes decisions on processes and program changes. Click on the above link for documents resulting from managing the program.

Standard Codes
The standard codes defined in this section are limited to those not contained in the code. Alberta Municipal Affairs is the source of record for the Municipality Codes and therefore, its format standards will remain, and market participants should be aware of changes made to this format through Municipal Affairs. Other codes, including Tariff Rate Codes, Tariff Cross Reference Codes, Component Type Codes, One-Time Charge Codes and Miscellaneous Determinant Codes will be maintained by each distributor and provided to the AUC for publication on this web site.

TBC Municipality Codes (Last updated February 2, 2012)
REA Codes (Last updated November 1, 2011) [csv]

V1.4 Production (effective June 1, 2008)
AltaGas Utilities [zip file] (Last updated: May 2, 2013)   
ATCO Electric [zip file] (Last updated: July 25, 2011) 
ATCO Gas North [zip file] (Last updated: January 11, 2011)
ATCO Gas South [zip file] (Last updated: July 22, 2011)
City of Lethbridge [zip] (Last updated: December 13, 2012) 
EPCOR Distribution and Transmission [zip file] (Last updated: March 21, 2013) 
FortisAlberta [zip file] (Last updated: April 9, 2013)
ENMAX Power [zip file] (Last updated: March 15, 2013)

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

AltaGas Utilities Inc. distributor specific practices

The AUC has solicited disclosure of the following:
Deemed Time [Excel file] (Last updated: Sep 29, 2006)
Charge Alignment Greater than 365 Days [PDF file] (Sep 28, 2005)
Optional Processing [zip file] (Oct 17, 2005)

Compliance Plans 
The compliance plans outline the procedures, roles, responsibilities and timelines to transact according to the Code. Version 1.4 is the code in effect as of July 1, 2007.

AltaGas Utilities Inc.

Compliance Plans applicable to previous versions of the Tariff Billing Code (Versions 1.0 to 1.3)
ATCO Electric
ATCO Gas
Direct Energy Regulated Services
ENMAX Power
EPCOR Distribution
EPCOR Energy Alberta Inc.
EPCOR Energy Inc.
FortisAlberta Inc.

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