U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis

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FAQs for Survey Form EIA-861m

Used in conjunction with the form instructions, this FAQ should serve to answer more specific questions about the EIA-861M form. If you still have questions once reviewing the instructions and FAQ, please contact a staff member at EIA-861M@eia.gov for more information.

Accessing the survey online

I forgot my username and password, how can I get it?

If you are the registered Preparer and have forgotten your User ID, go to the EIA SSO Login screen (https://signon.eia.doe.gov/ssoserver/login) and click the 'Forgot your Userid?' link. From there you can enter your last name and email address, and then it will be emailed to you. If that doesn't work, either you're not the registered Preparer, or the email address we have on file for you is different. In that case, contact a staff member for help.

If you have your User ID but forgot your password, go to the login screen and enter your User ID, then click the 'Forgot your password?' link. You will then see your previously established security question to answer in able to reset your password. Survey staff is unable to see or retrieve your password.

I can't gain access to the form, got any tips?

Start by trying the following suggestions. If these don't work, more software tips are below.

Most of the time log-in problems are the result of entering an incorrect User ID. Try the 'Forgot your Userid' link and make sure that you are using what we have on record.
We recommend that you use the most recent version of your web browser. The form will work with any of the following browsers; Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Safari.
If you need to download the latest version of Java Client software, go here: http://www.java.com/en/. To determine if you need an updated version of Java, follow that link and then click the "Do I have Java?" link. Once your version is detected, you'll be able to see if you need an update. The form will work with Java 1.7 or better.
You can also check the Java help index by clicking here.
You will need to add: https://elecidc12c.eia.doe.gov/ as a trusted site in the Java control panel.
Try logging in on another computer; some people find better results with this even though they have the same computer that worked last year.

How do I open the form from the EIA survey form launch page?

Click the 'Keep' button at the bottom left corner of your browser or 'Ok' when prompted to open the file with Java Web Start Launcher.
Wait while the application launches in a new window.
Click the 'Run' when prompted to run the application.
Wait for the application to load (this may take up to a minute).
Contact a staff member or review the Java troubleshooting document.

When trying to open the form on the EIA survey form launch page, what do I do if I receive one of the following errors?

Application Error "Unable to launch the application." - You may need to download Java 1.8.
Application Error: "General Exception" - You may need to modify your Java Advanced Security Settings in your Java Control Panel under the advanced tab. (see Appendix).
"This page can't be displayed" - Security settings in 'Advanced' tab of Internet options are set incorrectly (see Appendix).
"Windows can't open this file" - Java is not the default program. Please refer to the Java guide (see Appendix).
White screen with 'X' box - This may be caused by having 'Very High' or 'High' selected in the Security tab of the Java Control Panel without the site added to the "Exception Site List" (see Appendix).
Java starts to open but no window pops up to prompt you to 'Run' the application (see Appendix).

How do I determine if I have Java, and which version?

Start Button → Settings → Control Panel → Java → About

How do I see if I have ADMIN rights to install Java?

Start Button → Settings → Control Panel → User Accounts

How do I remove an older version of Java?

Start Button → Settings → Control Panel → Add or Remove Programs

What if I need to have an old version of Java for other purposes?

Start Button → Settings → Control Panel → Java icon → Java tab → View → Check 'Enabled' box for all required versions → Click OK to complete

I have the correct version of Java and I'm still getting a blank screen.

This is most likely a firewall issue. Contact your IT staff and ask them to allow connection to the EIA site by ensuring that ports 80 and 443 are open.

I have the correct version of Java and I'm getting the message, "On Oracle.Forms.Engine.Main Error" or "Plugin Not Found."

This may be a Proxy Server issue. If you are accessing the internet through a Proxy Server, contact your IT staff. It is possible that the proxy server is not handling the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) session fully. It may only be changing the address in the network part of the packet, then passing the data packet along (with the embedded IP address unchanged). If this is true, the following steps may provide a solution:

Have your IT staff assign a fixed address and then make sure they do not NAT this address at the firewall. Even though they are running DHCP it is still possible to always give a particular address to a user or Web server, etc.
Another solution, though not as easily implemented, is to establish the SSL session with the proxy server and then have the proxy server establish a session with your IT staff, who would need to move the certificates that are on your machine to the proxy server.

This could also be a Java configuration issue. If your computer is running Java Version 7 follow these steps:

Start Button → Settings → Control Panel → Java →Advanced Tab → Advanced Security Settings → Check the box next to TLS 1.0

If your computer is running Java Version 8, follow these steps:

Start Button → Settings → Control Panel → Java →Advanced Tab → Advanced Security Settings → Check the box next to SSL 2.0 compatible ClientHello format

I am unable to print the form, what do I do?

The report server may be down for maintenance. Wait a few minutes and retry. Also, be certain you have Acrobat Reader 7 or better installed on your PC. If it still won't print, most often the problem is because of a pop-up blocker. To temporarily override this, hold down the Control (CTRL) button on your keyboard while pressing the Print button on the screen. Be sure to hold down the CTRL button for about 5 seconds after you press print. If this does not work, send an email to survey staff requesting a PDF copy of your form. Make sure to reference the legal entity name, and/or utility ID number as found on schedule 1 of the survey.

Schedule 1 - Identification

The person filling out the form has changed this year. Can they just use the old username and password?

For security purposes, we require that whenever there is a change with the person who prepares the form, the new contact must register with EIA's "Single Sign-On" system and create their own username and password. In this case, send an email requesting assistance to survey staff with "New Preparer" in the subject line. Make sure to provide the new Preparer's full contact profile including full name, email address, phone number, job title, work address, and fax number (if applicable). Once added, we will send the new Preparer instructions on how to register for EIA's data collection system.

Some of my contact information has changed. How do I update that?

If there is a change with an existing contact person's information (telephone, name, title, etc.) send an email to survey staff with the updates. Please reference the entity name and/or utility ID number so we may locate your contact information in the system.

Why do you need my supervisor's contact information? What if I don't have a supervisor?

We need a secondary contact person in case we have questions and the primary contact person is unavailable. A supervisor contact is preferred, but if there is no supervisor, please provide information for someone else we can refer to with questions in the event we cannot reach the primary contact person.

What are ownership codes and what do they mean?

Ownership codes are related to a category of respondent, and are used to analyze the data.

A= Municipal Marketing Authority: Voted into existence by the residents of a municipality and given authority for creation by the state government. They are supported by the taxes or other contributions of the persons directly served by that organization. They are nonprofit organization.
B = Behind the Meter Provider: Entities that install, own, and/or operate a system (usually photovoltaic), and sell, under a long term power purchase agreement (PPA) or lease, all the production from the system to the homeowner or business with which there is a net metering agreement.
C= Cooperative: Member owned organizations.
F= Federal: Government.
G= Community Choice Aggregation: Public agency that aggregates end user's electricity demand for a particular area and manages supply for those users.
I= IOU: Investor owned Utilities are entities that are privately owned and provide a public service.
A = Municipal Marketing Authority: Voted into existence by the residents of a municipality and given authority for creation by the state government. They are nonprofit organizations.
M= Municipal: Entities that are organized under authority of state statue to provide a public service to residents of that area.
P= Political Subdivision: Also called "public utility district." Independent of city or county government, and is a form of a local tax-supported organization, voted into existence by a majority of the residents of any given area for the specific purpose of providing the utility service to the voters. State laws provide for the formation of such districts.
R= Retail Power Marketer: Entities that market power to retail customers in restructured markets. S= State: Entities that own or operate facilities or provide a public service.
S = State: Entities that own or operate facilities or provide a public service.
Q= IPP: Independent Power Producer or Qualifying Facility, these are entities that own power plants and sell their power into the wholesale market

Schedule 2 - Sales to ultimate customers

How do I add an additional state?

Click within the state box and then click the arrow button on your keyboard. This may be done on Schedule 3 as well.

How do I split up the customer classes?

You may view examples of each customer class on the sector chart from the survey instructions. EIA classifies customers based on their business type (NAIC classification), as opposed to rates or the amount of load.

For apartment buildings, do I count each resident as one Residential customer or the whole apartment building as one Commercial customer?

It depends on who gets billed. If each resident receives their own bill, they each get counted as a Residential customer. If the apartment building is billed one cumulative invoice, then report that as one Commercial customer.

When reporting Transportation customers, for example a metro system, do I count each station as a customer?

No - The system as a whole should be counted as one customer. Each different type of transportation system counts as one, so therefore most utilities do not have more than a few transportation customers.

How do I report the number of customers?

Use the month's end customer count.

What does it mean to report the Revenue in "thousand dollars to the nearest 0.001?"

Revenue should be reported in thousand dollar increments, allowing for one decimal place. For example, if the total Revenue is $100,581.00 then it should be reported as 100.581 on the form.

Schedule 3A - Net metering (Previously reported on Schedule 3B)

Do we report Net Metering customers with whom we have only a Power Purchase Agreement?

No. For the purposes of this survey, Net Metering is defined as onsite installations that are primarily used to offset a customer's own energy needs, and only selling electricity back to the utility if the net metering application produces more electricity than the customer needs for their own use. Net metering customers are usually provided a "credit" that can be used to offset usage at another time period. If the excess generation is netted against the customer's bill, then it's considered net metering.

Do we only report Net Metering customers who put electricity back on the grid?

No. All customers having a net metering application or arrangement should be reported, whether or not they produce enough electricity to sell back to the utility.

How do we figure out the installed net metering capacity?

The 'installed net metering capacity' is the sum of nameplate capacities of all customers within the specified group. For example, if you have 5 Residential Photovoltaic customers who each have an installed capacity of 0.01 MW (10 kW), then the Residential Photovoltaic installed net metering capacity should be reported as 0.05 MW (50 kW). Remember to report in MW, up to 3 decimal places. The installed capacity should be detailed in each customer's interconnection agreement, and should be reported as AC capable. Capacities should not exceed limits set up by each state, which can be found here.

What if the Installed Net Metering Capacity is too small to enter in MW, even with 3 decimal places?

In that case, enter the smallest amount possible (0.001 MW) and then add a footnote with the actual amount.

What do you mean by "electric energy sold back to the utility?"

If the net metering installation produces more electricity than needed, the excess may be sold back to the utility or a credit is provided based on their contract. The excess electricity should be entered as MWh. Often there will be no energy sold back, and in that case either enter '0' or leave this line item blank on the survey. This data point is only required to be reported if available.

If a single customer has both photovoltaic and wind technologies, should this be considered as two customers?

Yes. The two generating types would be counted as two customers, reported as one for each installed technology on the survey.

What renewable technologies, other than Photovoltaic and Wind, can be eligible for net metering?

'Other' can include Solar Thermal Electric, Combined Heat and Power (CHP), Landfill Gas, Biomass, Geothermal Electric, Fuel Cells, Municipal Solid Waste, Biogas, Small Hydroelectric, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy, and Ocean Thermal, but should be based on the state program eligibility.

Schedule 3B - Non-net metered distributed generators

What are distributed generators?

Distributed generators are grid-connected generators that are not net-metered.

What if the capacity is greater than 1MW?

If the generator has a nameplate capacity of 1 MW or greater, then it must be reported on Form EIA-860. However, distributed generators less than 1 MW should be reported on Schedule 3B.

What is the difference between net metering (Schedule 3A) and distributed generators (schedule 3B)?

The determination comes with the customer contract; if an agreement is in place for the customer to use the generator to offset their own energy needs, with the capability to sell back or receive credit for any excess energy produced, then it is considered net metering (3A). If there is generation that is not net metered, or is not integrated with the customer load (and less than 1 MW capacity), then it should be reported as distributed generators (3B).

Schedule 4 - Mergers and/or acquisitions

My company has acquired another utility, should I just email the 861 staff?

Please inform EIA-861M of any mergers or acquisitions by email and provide information on Schedule 4. If your company no longer provides sales to an ultimate customer, please let a staff member know as soon as possible.

What is the difference between net metering (schedule 7A) and distributed generation (schedule 7B)?

The determination comes with the customer contract; if an agreement is in place for the customer to use the generator to offset their own energy needs, with the capability to sell back or receive credit for any excess energy produced, then it is considered net metering (7A). If there is generation that is not net metered, or is not integrated with the customer load (and less than 1 MW capacity), then it should be reported as distributed/dispersed generation (7B).

Error log

I believe the data I've entered is correct, but I'm still getting error messages.

The most common mistake is entering data in the wrong units. The unit of energy you should use is the MW (Megawatt) and MWh (Megawatthour). You should convert to this unit instead of entering data using the kW (kilowatt) or kWh (kilowatt hour). 1 MWh = 1,000 kWh. To convert from kW to MW, divide by 1,000. You can find power conversion calculators on the internet, such as the one found here. You should always have a copy of the previous month's form handy, which will aid in comparing month over month data.

What do I put for an override comment?

Your comments should explain WHY the data differs in the manner outlined in each error message. Many times there is a reasonable explanation for why data is outside of the set criteria, and as long as it is detailed thoroughly there likely will be no further questions. "Data is correct" is not an acceptable answer and you will be contacted for further explanation.

What if there were errors with the previous month's data?

If this is the case, please notate corrections for that month in your override and send a copy of the revisions to EIA-861M staff.

Appendix

Java issues and solutions

If you get the error below when launching the survey you may need to modify your Java Advanced Security Settings in your Java Control Panel under the advanced tab.

Check one or more of TLS 1.2, TLS 1.1, and TLS 1.0 (checking all three is suggested) and have the "Use SSL 2.0 compatible ClientHello format" setting unselected as depicted in the screenshot below.

If you still experience issues and the same error message, try unselecting "Use TLS 1.1" and "Use TLS 1.2" and selecting the "Use SSL 2.0 compatible ClientHello format" setting, each in turn, reattempting in between each variation.

However, if you receive the following error below, make sure only "Use TLS 1.0" is selected and unselect the "Use SSL 2.0 compatible ClientHello format" setting.

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