The Customer shall be obligated to pay the total amount of charges for electric service shown on the Customer’s bill. Such charges shall be calculated in accordance with the Cooperative’s latest approved rate schedule or schedules applicable to the class or classes of service furnished to Customer and these rules. Bills shall be rendered promptly following the reading of meters.
324.1 Determining Usage of Electric Energy
Usage of electric energy (expressed as KWh) shall be determined by a meter reading. The meter reading is conclusive and established absolutely the amount of energy used unless it is shown by meter test that the meter was inoperative or inaccurate, in which case the meter reading shall not otherwise be adjusted. Electric energy usage is measured at the metering point regardless of whether or not it is the same as the point of delivery.
324.2 Meter Reading
The Cooperative reads designated meters monthly. Customers with meters that are not read by the Cooperative are required to read all such meter(s) on their premises monthly. The Cooperative may charge a meter reading fee as provided in section 204.1 of these tariffs.
Unless specifically stated in the applicable rate schedule, all charges are based on a billing month. A billing month or billing period is the period between two consecutive meter reading dates and typically ranges from 28 to 33 days. The Cooperative may check the meter reading of any meter at any time.
324.3 Estimated Billing
Usage as well as Demand may be estimated by the Cooperative where there is good reason for doing so, such as inclement weather, personnel shortage, etc. provided an actual meter reading is taken every two (2) months. If the Customer does not report a meter reading to the Cooperative in time for billing, the Cooperative will estimate the meter reading and render a bill accordingly.
324.4 Meter Test and Accuracy Adjustment
Upon request of a Customer and if he or she desires in the Customer’s presence or the presence of his or her authorized representative, the Cooperative shall make a test of the accuracy of Customer’s meter. The test shall be made during the Cooperative’s normal working hours at a time convenient to the Customer if he or she desires to observe the test. The test may be made on the Customer’s premises or at a test laboratory as determined by the Cooperative. Following completion of testing, the Cooperative shall promptly advise the Customer of the date of removal of the meter, if removed, the date of the test, the result of the test, and who made the test. If any meter is found to be outside of the accuracy standards established by the American National Standards Institute, Incorporated, proper correction shall be made according to 203.3.
324.5 Minimum Charges
The Customer will pay a minimum bill in accordance with the applicable rate schedule irrespective of the amount of electricity consumed, even if none is consumed. The minimum charge shall be in addition to any fuel cost adjustment charges, power cost adjustment charges or other billing adjustments. All billing adjustments shall be billed in addition to and exclusive of the minimum charge.
If service is made available for any portion of a billing period, the minimum charge for the entire billing period shall apply.
324.6 Reconnecting Meters
A consumer eligible for electric service under all rates, shall, before being reconnected pay all unpaid balances, be billed a $45.00 trip fee and, if consumer’s meter has been out of service less than twelve months shall, in addition, pay the minimum bills for the months he was disconnected. After twelve months or more has elapsed, consumer shall pay all unpaid balances and a $45.00 trip fee. If a property has changed hands since the meter was last disconnected, the reconnect charge shall be waived.
Every applicant who has previously been a customer of the Utility and whose service has been discontinued for nonpayment of bills or meter tampering or bypassing of meter shall be required before service is rendered to pay all amounts due the Utility or execute a Deferred Payment Agreement, if offered, and re- establish credit.
The Cooperative will endeavor to reconnect services during regular working hours, Monday through Friday, except holidays. Reconnects at times other than during regular working hours may be made, provided the consumer has paid the account in full plus a $100.00 trip fee to cover a portion of the cost of reconnecting service at times other than regular working hours.
324.7 Terms of Payment
Each bill for utility service(s), regardless of the nature of the service(s), is due 16 days after issuance unless such day falls on a holiday or weekend, in which case payment is due on the next work day. If full payment is not received in the office of the Cooperative or at any agency authorized by the Cooperative to receive payment on or before the date such bill is due, the Customer’s account will be considered delinquent and subject to disconnection in accordance with these rules.
324.8 Disputed Bills
In the event of a dispute between a Customer and the Cooperative regarding any bill for electric utility service, the Cooperative shall make such investigation as may be appropriate under the particular circumstance, and report the results thereof to the Customer. In the event disputes are not resolved, the Cooperative informs Customers of the complaint procedures of the Cooperative and the Commission.
Customers shall not be required to pay the disputed portion of the bill which exceeds Customer’s average monthly usage at current rates pending the resolution of the dispute, but in no event more than sixty (60) days. For purposes of this rule only, the Customer’s average monthly usage at current rates shall be the average of the Customer’s gross utility service for the preceding 12-month period. When no previous usage history exists, consumption for calculating the average monthly usage shall be estimated on the basis of usage levels of similar customers and under similar conditions.
324.9 Deferred Payment Plan
The Cooperative may in its discretion enter into a deferred payment plan for any amount owed to the Cooperative or any portion thereof. The Cooperative shall offer upon request a deferred payment plan to any residential member who has expressed an inability to pay all of his or her bill, if that member has not been issued more than two termination notices at any time during the preceding 12 months.
A. A Cooperative is not required to enter into a deferred payment agreement with any Customer who is lacking sufficient credit or a satisfactory history of payment for previous service when that Customer has had service from the present Cooperative for no more than three months. In cases of meter tampering, bypass, or diversion, a Cooperative may, but is not required to, offer a Customer a deferred payment plan.
B. A deferred payment plan may include a five percent (5%) penalty for late payment but shall not include a finance charge.
C. If a Customer has not fulfilled terms of a deferred payment agreement, the Cooperative shall have the right to disconnect service pursuant to the disconnection rules herein and under such circumstances; it shall not be required to offer subsequent negotiation of a deferred payment agreement prior to disconnection.
324.10 Level Payment Plan
Level payment billing is available to Cooperative members upon the following terms and conditions.
Level payment billing is optional to the Customer but subject to the Cooperative’s approval in each case. Level payment billing allows the Customer to know in advance (subject to certain limitations) the amount he or she will be required to pay each month for electric utility service based upon an average of estimated future billings. Level payment billing may not be used to defer payment of a member’s delinquent electric bills. Level payment billing may be advantageous to customers who experience wide variations in their monthly electric billings.B. Customer’s Obligation
Notwithstanding anything in this section (324.11), a customer entering into a level payment agreement with the Cooperative shall be obligated to pay for electric utility service the total amount of charges that would be applicable to the customer in absence of any level billing plan or level billing agreement. The level payment does not relieve customer of any obligation to pay based upon actual billing units (e.g. KWh metered to the customer).C. Level Payment-Monthly Billings Calculation
If the Cooperative and the customer mutually agree to level payment billing, the customer’s monthly charges shall be the total amount of estimated annual electric billings divided by 12. However, this amount is subject to adjustment as provided below. The Cooperative will take the total of the Customer’s last 12 months billings plus an amount to cover any increase due to abnormal weather conditions, changes in member’s usage or changes in the Cooperatives costs of purchase power. This total will be divided by 12 to arrive at an average monthly billing. The member will pay this amount each month until it is adjusted by the Cooperative.
The Cooperative shall review the member’s account after billing for December usage and after billing for June usage of energy. The monthly charges may be adjusted as a result of such review. Additionally, the Cooperative shall take an actual meter reading for the June and December billing cycle and shall debit or credit the member’s account as soon as practicable thereafter. Any amount which would be due based on member’s actual usage shall be paid by the member when due in accordance with the Cooperative’s standard billing practice.
D. Eligibility
In order to be eligible for level payment billing, the customer must meet the following requirements:
1. In most recent 12 months, member must have occupied a permanent residential dwelling continuously connected to the Cooperative’s electric system and have had a satisfactory payment history during such period;
2. All bills except the current bill for electric utility service if not then due, must have been paid;
3. Customer must pay a security deposit of not more than 1/6 of estimated annual billings if requested by the Cooperative;
4. Customer must sign and deliver to the Cooperative a level billing agreement.
E. Termination of Level Payment Billing
Level payment billing may be discontinued at any time by either customer or the Cooperative. If level payment billing is discontinued, any debit balance will become due and payable immediately. A credit balance will either be refunded or applied to future billings. At the time level payment billing is discontinued, the Customer will be placed on the regular method of billing.
If a customer fails to pay when due the amount of any level payment billing, the Cooperative may at its option terminate level payment billing and any debit balance will become due and payable.
324.11 Cancellation of Agreement
If Customer terminates service without proper notice or prior to the end of the contract term or Cooperative terminates service due to a default or breach by Customer, in addition to the amount then due Cooperative, there immediately becomes due and payable to Cooperative as liquidated damages and not as a penalty a further sum equal to the minimum amount specified in the applicable rate schedules or guaranteed in the Agreement for Electric Service for the unexpired term of the Agreement for Electric Service, whichever is greater. Proper notice will be as specified in the contract with customer or, if no notice period is specified in the customer’s contract; proper notice will consist of oral or written notice to Cooperative customer service personnel. The customer shall be obligated to pay for all electricity used until such time as Cooperative has taken final meter reading.