About the Office of Consumer Services

The Office of Consumer Services (OCS) is Utah's utility consumer advocate, representing residential, small commercial and agricultural consumers of natural gas, electric and telephone service before the Utah Public Service Commission.

Utah's utility consumer advocate was first established as the Committee of Consumer Services in 1977 by the Utah Legislature. In 2009 the Utah Legislature reorganized the Committee into the Office of Consumer Services. The OCS has a small staff of full-time professionals led by a Director who is appointed by the Governor, with the concurrence of the Committee and consent of the Senate, for a term of six years. The Director, on behalf of the OCS, represents the interests of residential and small commercial consumers. The Committee of Consumer Services is a five-member layperson board that advises the OCS regarding utility rate changes and other regulatory actions on residential, small commercial and irrigator customers and helps establish policy objectives.

The OCS belongs to a national organization of utility consumer advocates, NASUCA . Through our association with NASUCA we can better remain up-to-date on consumer advocacy issues nation-wide which, in turn, helps us be more effective in addressing issues here in Utah.