Xcel Energy Inc. has asked for permission to start sending catch-up bills to Minnesota customers whose broken gas meters reported no use for several months last winter.
The power company had suspended its rebilling after the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission complained that Xcel had acted without alerting regulators to the problem affecting thousands of customers.
In a filing Thursday, Xcel apologized for the inconvenience to customers and the "lack of timely communication" with the commission. It also said that it intends to charge affected customers based on the lower of their past two years' consumption over the comparable timeframe.
The filing said Xcel had billed about 1,300 Minnesota customers before suspending the process, and that an estimated 8,300 more remain. Most of those affected are in central Minnesota.
H.J. CUMMINS
