16 • Service Connections, Meters and Member/Owner's Facilities

Adopted: 1976-03-01
Revised: 1998-08-21
Reviewed: 1998-08-21

A. General

1. Electric service will be supplied under and pursuant to a properly executed service agreement and to the Rates, Rules and Regulations of the company.

2. The company will, in cases where it is advantageous or necessary for permanent installation furnish and install a meter pole on which the customer will install the meter loop and to which the company will extend the service wires.

3. Number of Services to be Installed

a) The company will not install more than one service, either overhead or underground, for the same voltage and phase classification for any one building or groups of buildings on a single premise, except that separate services may be installed for separate buildings or groups of buildings where necessary for the operating convenience of the company or where required by law or local ordinance. Where more than one class of service is required for a member/owner and is to be supplied from the same pole, manhole, or service box, the service outlets are to be located as closely together as practicable.

b) Where more than one meter is required to serve separate buildings or groups of buildings, the company will bill each meter according to the appropriate rate schedule and will not group meters to eliminate facility or customer charges.

4. Member/Owner Attachments to Company Facilities

a) Only authorized employees of the company will be permitted to connect a member/owner's service to, or disconnect the same from the company's electric line.

b) Member/Owner installations on any company primary voltage structure shall be made by the company at the member/owner's expense. Companies or persons approved by the company may also perform this work if attachments are pre-approved and in accordance with the company's specifications.

5. Meters and Associated Equipment

a) The company will, at its own expense, install a suitable meter on an applicant's premises in a location furnished by him/her and approved by the company, which location shall, at all reasonable times, be accessible for reading, testing and maintaining the meter. No rent or other charge shall be made by the applicant for the use of this location.

b) In multiple occupancy buildings where a number of meters are required to measure the electricity supplied, all meters will be located at a central point and each meter socket or panel will be clearly marked to indicate the particular location supplied through it.

c) All meters will be sealed by the company at the time of installation and no seal shall be altered or broken except by one of its authorized employees.

d) All service switches, meter sockets, cutouts, and similar devices, irrespective of voltage and required by law in connection with a service and meter installation on a member/owner's premises, shall be furnished and installed by the member/owner.

B. Installation

1. Overhead Service Connection:

Upon a bona fide application for service and where the company's distribution pole line is located on the member/owner's premises, or on a street, highway, lane, alley, road or private easement immediately contiguous thereto, the company will, at its own expense, furnish and install a single span of service wires from its pole to the member/ owner's first approved permanent support, provided such support is of a type and is so located that such service wires may be installed in accordance with good engineering practice, and in compliance with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules, including those governing clearances and points of attachments.

2. Underground Service Connection

a) Conversion of Existing Overhead Facilities to Underground Facilities.

The company will remove existing overhead lines and install underground facilities to replace them at the request of a member/owner. The member/owner will be required to pay the company's cost of such conversion determined as follows:

1. The estimate cost of removing the existing overhead facilities, less the salvage value of the facilities removed.

2. The installed cost of obtaining any new easements that may be required.

b) The company may require the installation by the member/owner of a master meter at such a location that the total KWH consumption through the underground service will be recorded. The losses, evidenced by the difference between the registration of the master meter and the total consumption as recorded on the meter or meters employed to otherwise register the consumption of the customer or customers involved, shall be charged to the owner of the underground service.

c) Underground Services from Overhead Systems at Primary Voltage to Company Owned Transformers.

1. If an underground primary service is necessary or is requested by a customer in place of an overhead service to a company owned transformer installation located in a vault, transformer room, outdoor enclosure or other structure on his premises, the member/owner shall, at his/her own expense but in accordance with company standards, furnish and install conduit and/or conductors as required on the load side of the meter. If meter is located on transformer, the company will connect customer conductors to the transformer.

d) Transformer Installations in Vaults, Rooms or Outdoor Enclosures on member/owner's Premises

The member/owner shall furnish, at his/her own expense, a vault, room, outdoor enclosure and/or suitable foundation for the transformer installations together with necessary easements. The vault, room or outdoor enclosure, if required, shall conform with all applicable laws of the governing authority having jurisdiction thereof and shall meet with the approval of the company.

C. Ownership & Maintenance

1. Member Owned Equipment

a) All such materials and equipment installed by the member/owner or furnished by him for installation by the company on company-owned poles shall remain the member/owner's property, in conformity with all applicable laws of the governing authority having jurisdiction thereof, and shall be so maintained by the company at member/ owner's expense.

b) All underground services and facilities furnished and installed on the load side of the point of interconnection by the member/ owner shall become the property of the member/owner and shall be maintained by him/her at his/her expense. The company will maintain member/owner's facilities when requested and, as time is available at the member/owner's expense. No rent or other charge whatsoever shall be made by the member/owner against the company for placing or maintaining transformers, meters and other facilities upon the member/owner's premises. The member/owner shall exercise reasonable care to prevent the facilities of the company on said premises from being damaged or destroyed and shall refrain from interfering with the same and in case of any defect therein is discovered, shall notify the company thereof.

2. Company Owned Equipment

The service wires, meters, and associated equipment furnished by the company up to the point of interconnection at its own expense or customer's expense as defined in Rule #9 and located wholly or partially upon a member/owner's premises will at all times be and remain the property of the company which shall have the right to repair or replace them at any time, or to remove them after service to the member/owner has been discontinued.

The company will be responsible for the maintenance of its own property only, and the member/owner shall be responsible for the maintenance of all other required for the receipt of electric energy from the company.

D. Inspection of Member/Owner's Installations

1. Where the inspection of wiring by any governing body is required by ordinance, the company is not permitted to furnish service until it receives a certificate signed by the proper inspecting official, except when it is amply established as a matter of law, which mandatorily requires written approval of all plans and specifications by the State Planning Board, then no certificate of inspection is required. All of member/owner's wiring shall be done in accordance with the National Electric Code as may be modified by local ordinance.

2. Company reserves the right, but does not assume the duty, to inspect member/owner's installation at any time. The member/owner's installation includes all wiring and equipment (except company's meter installation) on the member/owner's side of the point of interconnection of company's electrical energy.

E. Right of Access

The company will, at all reasonable times, have the right of access to a member/owner's premises for any purpose normally connected with the furnishing of electrical energy and the exercise of the right secured to it by law or by these rules.

F. Responsibility for Loss or Damage

The company will not be responsible for any loss or damage caused by any negligence or wrongful act of a member/owner or member/owner's authorized representatives in installing, maintaining or operating the receiving facilities or utilizing equipment for which electric energy is being supplied.

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