Customers
Committed to well-being and sustainable development, Copel is present in the day-to-day life of the communities in its area of influence, promoting socioeconomic growth, with environmental responsibility.
All of the Company’s units are based in Brazil, distributed across 10 states and serving approximately 5,1 million customers.
Copel Comercialização
The company operates in the Free Energy Market that adopts the following segmentation of final consumers:
Wholesale Consumer – one who can choose their electricity supplier through free negotiation, with contracted demand equal to or greater than 500 kW, and can purchase energy from any source, whether alternative or conventional. The wholesale modality is characterized when the consumer company joins and becomes an agent of the Electricity Trading Chamber – CCEE, starting to act in accordance with the rules and procedures. This includes the need to obtain commercial adequacy, present financial guarantees and be exposed to the risks of the Short Term Market – MCP. To this end, this modality is most recommended for large organizations that, preferably, already have experience with the operation of the free energy market or have a competent team of energy managers, either their own or outsourced. It is worth noting that Auben Energia provides this type of energy management service.
Retail Consumer – Group A consumers connected to a voltage above 2.3 kilovolts (kV) and with demand below 500 kW. From 2024 onwards, all Group A consumers will be able to purchase energy on the free market, as long as they are represented by a retail agent at CCEE. The consumer has greater ease in joining the free market, as the contract is directly with a retail energy supplier. In this case, the process is much simpler and less bureaucratic, since the supplier is responsible for all obligations to the market and the CCEE, without requiring the consumer to commit to the CCEE’s financial obligations.
In the retail market, as regulated in the sector, Copel Comercialização (Copel COM) assumes all the obligations and responsibilities of the customer before the Electrical Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE).
In addition to trading energy with end consumers, Copel COM also trades energy with other traders and generators.
The main needs and expectations of Copel COM’s customers are: quality and security in the commercialization contracts; cost reduction and predictability; flexibility of negotiation, assistance, sustainability, reliability, and creation of value by crediting renewable energy sources.
Copel COM’s customers operate in the following segments: agribusiness, commerce, industry, services, public sector, energy trading, and have units located in several states.
Copel Comercialização’s main product refers to power purchase and sale agreements, while its portfolio also includes Renewable Energy Certificates and consulting services in the Free Energy Market.
The power purchase and sale agreements include the following parameters that have an impact on their final value:
- Source (conventional, incentivized);
- Submarket (South, Southeast/Central-West, Northeast and North);
- Supply period (month/year);
- Seasonalization;
- Flexibilization;
- Modulation;
- Payment date.
Consulting services are also offered in the Free Energy Market for consumers and small generators as shown in the table below:
| Consumers | Feasibility analysis and support in migration to the Free Market; |
| Support for adhesion and representation at the CCEE and adaptation of the energy measurement system; | |
| Support for signing demand use contracts with the distributor; | |
| Monitoring and control of energy consumption in the Free Market, to avoid surpluses and deficits in contracting; | |
| Monitoring and control of demand and power factor with the distributor, to avoid overcharges and penalties; | |
| Validation of CCEE measurement, accounting and settlement, to avoid overcharges and penalties; | |
| Audit and validation of energy invoices in the Free Market and demand with the distributor; | |
| Support for the contribution of financial guarantees in the CCEE and for energy contracts; | |
| Advice for the purchase of energy and specification of the product tailored to the client and seasonalization of contracted amounts; | |
| Purchase and sale of surpluses and deficits of contracted energy; | |
| Reports on savings in relation to the captive market. | |
| Execution of Prudential Monitoring | |
| Small generators | Support for adhesion and representation at the CCEE and execution of demand use contracts with the distributor; |
| Validation of the registration of contracted amounts in the CCEE; | |
| Monitoring and control of energy production and ballast in the Free Market, to avoid energy surpluses and deficits; | |
| Audit and validation of energy invoices in the Free Market and demand with the distributor; | |
| Support for the contribution of financial guarantees in the CCEE and for energy contracts; | |
| Support for seasonalization of contracted amounts; | |
| Advice for the sale of energy in the regulated market; | |
| Purchase of energy deficit of contracts in the free market; | |
| Regulatory and commercial consultancy; | |
| Reports on energy sales. |
In order to build customer loyalty, contract renewal campaigns are developed with specific conditions.
For traders, a credit analysis policy is applied involving the management of guarantees and trading limits.
Copel Distribuição
The value proposition of Copel Distribuição (Copel DIS) is to distribute electricity without interruption or, when this is not possible, with a quick return, quality service, providing useful information, with agility and an error-free energy bill.
To this end, Copel DIS invests heavily to strengthen the reliability of its networks and automate the operations for reestablishing the system. The main action in this regard is the Paraná Trifásico, an infrastructure program in the rural energy network.
The regulation of the electricity distribution service, aiming at isonomy in tariffs and benefits, segments the customers by voltage group A and B, in accordance with Aneel Normative Resolution number 1000/2021. Group A clients, served in medium and high voltage, are those that have greater technical and regulatory complexity, being the largest ones; Group B clients, served in low voltage, have less technical and regulatory complexity, and are smaller. Copel DIS uses this segmentation in its relationship with customers and with the market, applying specific strategies for each group.
As the public service of electricity distribution constitutes a natural, regulated monopoly, current and potential consumers of the same class and group must be treated in an isonomic way, thus being considered target customers.
Copel DIS provides integral service to 4.9 million energy consumers in 1,149 locations, in 396 municipalities in Paraná and Porto União (SC). It has 402 on-site service stations in all the municipalities of its concession area.
The company’s relationship with its customers, in all its operating segments, is guided by the continuous search for excellence in the services provided.
Customer Management
Copel seeks to meet customers’ expectations by marketing and distributing energy with low prices, error-free billing, agile and quality service, as well as favorable conditions for contracting. To this end, a series of online and in-person channels are available.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is directly linked to the economic-financial performance and reputation of organizations, and is a performance indicator that allows measuring how well the company meets customer expectations regarding products and services, under several aspects, such as relationship, service, time, price, trust, operational efficiency and cost/benefit ratio.
