(1) Within 20 days after receipt of an application for allocated cost of service and rate design changes, the commission may, on its own motion or upon petition by any party, request the utility and all other interested parties to attend a conference for the purpose of identifying and clarifying potential issues associated with said application. Such conference shall be informal and without prejudice to the rights of the parties, and no statement or admission made at such conference shall be admissible in evidence in any formal hearing before the commission.