At the Colorado Public Utilities Commission hearing in proceeding 25ADash0194E, Public Service Company of Colorado described a multi-year Solar Rewards Community standard-offer pricing error the company discovered and reported to staff and the commission months after the initial contract notices.

Robert Veil 'Neil' Cowan, Public Service's regulatory witness, said the company found the incorrect price after contract execution and disclosed the issue to staff around December 2021; later filings reflected the disclosure to a broader audience. Cowan characterized the incident as a human mistake and said the company attempted mitigation discussions with developers but received limited success.

Cowan testified the company is seeking recovery of the higher bill-credit outlays arising from that pricing error through the Renewable Energy Standard Adjustment (RESA), estimating an incremental cost recovery need of approximately $12,000,000 over 20 years. "An estimated $12,000,000 over 20 years," he stated in response to questioning about the amount; counsel for EOC pressed whether customers who received no IQ-related bill credits during the 2022'25 plan period should nevertheless contribute via RESA to recovery of the pricing mistake.

EOC and other intervenors told the commission that, while some SR-C projects that received the higher price are now interconnected and producing benefits, many IQ customers who paid into RESA did not receive the promised IQ-dedicated bill credits under the 2022'25 plan. EOC witness Andrew Bennett urged the commission to consider an energy-assistance allocation from available RESA surplus funds while the company completes interconnection of IQ-targeted gardens.

Public Service's witnesses said company-administered programs and prior-plan vintages have delivered benefits to many customers and stressed legal and programmatic limitations on using RESA for direct energy-assistance payments rather than for renewable-resource incentives. The company noted that admitted settlement language and prior precedent allowed donated CSG subscriptions as a form of RESA-supported energy assistance in some contexts, but said using RESA for direct payments would require careful legal interpretation.

Judge Rosenberg admitted discovery materials and supplemental exhibits related to EOC's calculations, over the company's objection, and asked parties to address in their statements of position whether and how RESA funds could support the types of energy-assistance proposals EOC outlined. The judge will weigh the factual record and legal arguments in a recommended decision.