Frequently Asked Questions
For Panhandle Eastern, Trunkline Gas, Sea Robin Pipeline
and Trunkline LNG
Customer Service FAQ
Invoices/Billing
Q: How can I get a copy of my invoice?
A: If you are the Service Requester or the Billing Agent on a contract, your invoice can be accessed from the Messenger system for viewing, emailing or faxing. An email will be sent to the Billing Contact for each contract as soon as invoices are finalized notifying that contact that the invoices can be accessed online. Invoices remain available for 14 months.
To access invoices, once you have logged into the Messenger System, follow these steps:
- From the Customer Activities menu, click "Invoicing", then "View Invoices"
- The date of the most recent invoice will be displayed in the Accounting Period field. (If you want to access an older invoice, supply the date in the Accounting Period field.)
- Click "Retrieve", then click on the line in the grid that is returned to display the invoice summary
- Click "View Invoice" to open a PDF version of the invoice. Click the printer icon to print the invoice.
- If you wish to email or fax the invoice, close the Adobe Reader and click either the Fax Invoice to or Email Invoice to box on the invoice summary screen. Your email address or fax number will be displayed. Click "Send" and the invoice will be emailed or faxed to you. You may also email or fax the invoice to someone else by inputting their email address or fax number
Q: Where do I send my payment?
A: For questions about payments, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-275-7375 or 713-627-4272.
Q: What comprises prior unpaid balances reflected on the invoice?
A: The unpaid balances remaining at the end of the production month being billed can include amounts invoiced but not paid at all ("no-pays"), amounts invoiced but not paid in full ("short-pays"), and/or any associated interest charges from prior month(s) invoicing.
Q: When and on what basis would I be charged interest?
A: Interest is charged on any unpaid balance beginning on the original due date, and will continue to accrue until payment is received, or until a bona fide dispute is entered into our system. Each of our pipelines’ tariffs provide that interest accrues at an average prime interest rate computed in a manner consistent with Section 154.501(d) of the Commission’s Regulations.
Rates
Q: How can I determine my transportation costs?
A: The Informational Postings menu option on this site provides screens for each of our pipelines and tariff rates for each rate schedule. On Panhandle and Trunkline, we provide an additional screen on which a rate can be calculated given specific receipt and delivery locations. To view these screens start at the home page and proceed as outlined below.
Informational Postings
 Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company
Tariff
Currently Effective Rates - for current rates
Other
Mileage Rate Information - for specific point-to-point rates
Informational Postings
Trunkline Gas Company, LLC
Tariff
Currently Effective Rates - for current rates
Other
Point to Point Rate Information - for specific point-to-point rates
Informational Postings
Sea Robin Pipeline
Tariff
Currently Effective Rates - for current rates
Volumes
Q: How can I get allocated volume information at a contract level?
A: If you are a Service Requester on a contract, you can access the Service Requester Contract Location Daily Imbalance Report on Messenger for viewing, emailing or faxing. This report reflects nominations and corresponding allocations on a daily basis at each receipt and delivery location on the contract. This information remains available on-line for 14 months.
See Reports in the Messenger FAQ to learn how to access this information on Messenger.
Q: How can I get allocated volume information at a location level?
A: If you are the Operator or a Producer at a location, you can access nominated and allocated volumes on Messenger for viewing, emailing or faxing. A report called Allocation Location Quantity Statement (Daily or Monthly) can be run in the Messenger System. Operators can see all activity at a location; however, to safeguard proprietary information, producers can only see their portion of the data when running the producer report.
See Reports in the Messenger FAQ to learn how to access this information on Messenger.
Q: How do imbalances occur?
A: An imbalance occurs when there is a difference between the actual receipt quantity, less the appropriate fuel percentage, and the actual delivered quantity.
Q: What are daily scheduling penalties?
A: On Panhandle and Trunkline, daily scheduling penalties occur when a Service Requester’s actual delivered quantity varies from the nominated quantity on a gas day, and the variance exceeds the tolerance level. However, there is no daily scheduling penalty charged to any Service Requester at a location if the aggregate deliveries by all Service Requesters at such location do not vary >10% from aggregate nominations.
Q: Why do Trunkline and Sea Robin pipelines cash out 100% on a monthly basis?
A: The cash-out process is used to control transport imbalances outside of tolerance levels by selling or purchasing excess delivery or receipt volumes between the pipeline and the Service Requester.
- Excess receipts are purchased by the pipeline.
- Excess deliveries are purchased by the Service Requester.
Messenger FAQ
About the system
Q: What is the Messenger system?
A: The Messenger system is a proprietary interactive electronic system used by customers of Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company, Trunkline Gas Company, Sea Robin Pipeline Company, Trunkline LNG Company and Southwest Gas Storage Company for transactions associated with nominations, confirmations, allocations, capacity release, contracts, invoicing, which are categorized as Customer Activities, and Informational Postings.
Informational Postings is accessible to the public; however, Customer Activities requires security rights to conduct transactional business. Messenger can be accessed from this site via the Customer Activities or Informational Postings menu options on the Panhandle Energy home page.
For more information, call the Messenger help line, toll-free at 877-689-7800 or at 713-989-7800 in Houston.
Using the system
Q: How can I learn more about using the Messenger system?
A: There is extensive on-line help available from every screen in the Messenger system. If you need help on a screen, simply click "Help" in the upper middle of the screen. Then click "Help for Current Screen" and help about the screen you were on will be displayed. You may also click "Help Contents" to open the entire Help document and select any topic. Also, you can always call the Messenger help line (toll-free at 877-689-7800 or 713-989-7800 in Houston) and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have about the system.
Q: How do I print a screen?
A:You can click on the "Print" icon in the upper right of any screen to print a capture of that screen. On some screens such as the Nomination Matrix, there is also a feature under Screen Functions called "Print as Report". This option will print all information in a grid even if it is not all currently viewable without scrolling.
Q: Do I have to go back to the Messenger Launch screen to do business on another of the pipelines?
A: No. To switch from one of the pipelines to another, click on "User Options" in the upper middle of the screen, next click "Change Asset", and then click on the name of the next pipeline you wish to access.
Q: What do I do if I don't know the correct information to supply on a screen?
A: When you are not sure about the information to provide, you may want to use the Lookup function in Messenger. An ellipsis (…) following a field designates a field in Messenger where a Lookup is available. To perform a lookup, click on the ellipsis following the field where the information is required, or put your cursor in the field and press the F2 key. Once the Lookup screen is displayed, click on "Retrieve" to display all of the available choices for the field or use the filters at the top of the Lookup screen that allow you to narrow down the amount of information that is retrieved.
Reports
Q: How do I run a report?
A:
- From the Customer Activities menu, click on "Reports", then "Schedule and View Reports"
- Click "New" to display the report menu
- Double-click on any of the available reports to select it
- Supply any needed information (such as dates) in the "Parameters" area of the report screen or accept the defaults
- Click "Submit" in the upper right hand corner of the screen. The status will change to "Executing".
- Click "Refresh" until the status changes to "Success" indicating that the report has completed
- Click the "View Report" box. Adobe Reader will open and a PDF version of the report will be displayed. Click the printer icon to print the report.
- If you wish to email or fax the report, close the Adobe Reader and click either the Email or Fax box on the Report screen. Your email address or fax number will be displayed. Click "Submit" and the report will be emailed or faxed to you. You may also email or fax the report to someone else by inputting their email address or fax number.
Call the Messenger help line (toll-free at 877-689-7800 or at 713-989-7800 in Houston) if you need assistance with a report.
Q: How can I get my invoice?
A: If you are the Service Requester or Billing Agent on the contract, then you can access your invoice in Messenger by following these instructions:
- From the Customer Activities menu, click "Invoicing", then "View Invoices"
- The date of the most recent invoice will be displayed in the Accounting Period field. (If you want to access an older invoice, supply the date in the Accounting Period field.)
- Click "Retrieve", then click on the line in the grid that is returned to display the invoice summary
- Click the "View Invoice" box to open a PDF version of the invoice. Click the printer icon to print the invoice.
- If you wish to email or fax the invoice, close the Adobe Reader and click either the Fax Invoice to or Email Invoice to box on the invoice summary screen. Your email address or fax number will be displayed. Click "Send" and the invoice will be emailed or faxed to you. You may also email or fax the invoice to someone else by inputting their email address or fax number.
Q: How can I get an allocations report?
A: If you are the Operator or Operator/Agent, or a Producer or Producer/Agent on a location, you can run the Daily or Monthly Allocation Location Quantity Statement.
See Reports in the Messenger FAQ to learn how to access this information on Messenger.
Q: How can I get an allocations report for my contract?
A: If you are a Service Requester or Service Requester Agent on a contract, you can run the Service Requester Contract Location Daily Imbalance Report reflecting nominations vs. allocations on a daily basis at each receipt and delivery location on that contract.
See Reports in the Messenger FAQ to learn how to access this information on Messenger.
Troubleshooting
Q: I'm having a problem accessing information about my contract or location. What would cause this problem?
A: Check to make sure you are logged in as the correct Business Associate (BA). This information is displayed at the bottom of the screen. If the contract or location that you are trying to access is under a different BA than your current one, click on "User Options" in the upper middle of the screen and then click on "Change BA". A list of the BAs under which you have access is displayed. Select the BA with which your contract or location is associated by clicking on it.
You should also check to be sure you are logged into the correct pipeline.
Security
Q: How do I become a Messenger user?
A: The forms necessary to become a Messenger system user (Messenger System Service Agreement and Attachments A and B) are available from the Messenger Launch screen. Access this screen by clicking "Customer Activities" from the main website, then click on "Messenger Forms". Once the paperwork has been processed, you will be issued an ID and password. If you have any problems accessing or printing the forms, call the Messenger help line (toll-free at 877-689-7800 or 713-989-7800 in Houston) and a representative will email or fax you the proper forms.
Q: I have not used my password in a long time. Do I need to have it reset?
A: Your Messenger password should not have to be reset. If you are having problems getting into Messenger, make sure you are typing in your Messenger ID and password using lowercase letters. If you still cannot get into Messenger, call the Messenger help line (toll-free at 877-689-7800 or at 713-989-7800 in Houston) for assistance.
Q: Is it okay if I share my user ID with someone else at my company? What should I do if they leave?
A: We strongly encourage all users to have their own IDs and are happy to furnish your company as many as you need. Attachment B is the form for adding and deleting Messenger system users. It is available from the Messenger Launch screen (see answer to question "How do I become a Messenger User?" above).
Pool Balancing/AutoPark FAQ
Q: How do I check to see if my pool is out of balance?
A: The Messenger System assigns a unique code for every pool or TABS Location. All pool or TABS Service Requesters are encouraged to check their Location imbalances via the Confirmation screen under the Nominations menu. Markets purchasing gas at the pool or TABS Location appear as receipts, with the Service Requestor Name, contract number and volume. Supply into the pool or TABS appears as the delivery volume. If the total at the bottom of the screen is zero, the pool is in balance. A positive total means that the market volume exceeds supply, while a negative total indicates excess supply into the pool. All Service Requesters are encouraged to check the Confirmation screen soon after the nomination deadlines. The Maintain Location Pre-Confirmations tab reflects the pool status for the upcoming cycle.
Q: How do I rank my supply?
A: Supply can be ranked on the pooling contract using the Nomination Matrix screen. Ranks should be entered in the Rec Rank field.
Q: How do I rank my markets?
A: Poolers are encouraged to rank the markets nominating out of their pools. Rankings can be performed for a future flow date via the Pre-determined Allocation screen under the Flowing Gas option of the Messenger menu.
Q: How will I be notified of reductions that happen as a result of pool balancing?
A: Any reductions will be reflected in the confirmed quantity volumes on the Nomination Matrix screen. In addition, any pool balancing reduction will result in an email with the subject “Service Requestor Pool Balancing Reduction Notification” to both the primary and secondary email address of the Nomination contact on the pooling contract, as well as all other contacts at the company who are set up to receive bump emails. This report lists the nomination that was reduced as well as any AutoPark activity.
Q: What are the advantages of having an AutoPark contract?
A: The AutoPark service balances the pool and keeps the supply and market nominations whole. Pools with excess supply result in a park position, while excess market volumes create an unpark position. The AutoPark service protects a pooler’s markets as well as its supply and helps reduce the risk of reductions due to nomination errors.
Q: Do I nominate an AutoPark transaction?
A: AutoPark transactions are the result of the pool balancing process. A pooler wanting to either park or unpark should leave his pool out of balance. The Messenger System will automatically create a park nomination when supply exceeds market or an unpark nomination when market exceeds supply.
Q: How do I elect to participate in the AutoPark service?
A: A pooler can elect to participate in the AutoPark service by checking the Participate? box next to its AutoPark contract under Flowing Gas >>Auto Pool Balancing>> AutoPark Service Election. Once checked, the election to participate in the AutoPark service is effective until the check is removed. This screen also indicates whether the pipeline is allowing imbalance payback.
Q: How do I get an AutoPark contract? What are the requirements?
A: Once a Service Requestor has been approved for a pool or TABS contract, there are no additional requirements for an AutoPark contract. The Service Requester just has to request and execute a Gas Parking Service (GPS) contract for AutoPark.
Q: Where do I find the rates for Autopark transactions?
A: AutoPark rates can be found on the pipeline’s Informational Postings site under Non-critical Notices. There is an in/out charge per dekatherm on the day of the transaction as well a per dekatherm daily charge on the outstanding balance.
Q: Are there limits on imbalance payback on my AutoPark contract and how do I nominate this payback?
A: Imbalance payback is subject to pipeline operating conditions. If payback is being allowed, the pool balancing process will accept up to 1000 dth or a volume equal to the contract imbalance divided by the number of days remaining in the month. A nomination must be entered in the Messenger System for the payback.
Q: Where can I find my Autopark activity and balance?
A: There are several options. On the Messenger menu, select Flowing Gas>>Imbalance>>View Daily Contract Balance and input your AutoPark GPS contract number to review the GPS balance. In addition, every evening the GPS Ledger Balance Report is emailed to both the primary and secondary email address of the Nomination contact on the GPS contract. The report contains both the daily activity as well as the cumulative balance on the AutoPark contract.
Q: What is the difference between PBAL and AUTOPK?
A: For Panhandle, PBAL is the location code for imbalance transactions and AUTOPK is the location code indicating system-generated park/unpark transactions. Both are results of the pool balancing process. On Trunkline, instead of AUTOPK, there is one Location per zone – AUTOEL, AUTOWL, AUTONT, AUTOST, AUTO1A and AUTO1B.
Q: How do I move gas between TABS zones on Trunkline?
A: In order to move gas from one TABS zone to another, a nomination and transportation must occur. Bounce points (i.e. BTW01) are set up in Messenger to be used in this type of nomination. Please contact your sales or optimization representative for rate and contract information if you do not have a current transportation contract. Applicable zone fuel rates apply.
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