Ariz. Admin. Code § 14-2-209

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section R14-2-209 - Meter Reading

A. Company or customer meter reading

1. Each utility, billing entity, or Meter Reading Service Provider may at its discretion allow for customer reading of meters.

2. It shall be the responsibility of the utility or Meter Reading Service Provider to inform the customer how to properly read his meter.

3. Where a customer reads his own meter, the utility or Meter Reading Service Provider will read the customer's meter at least once every six months.

4. The utility, billing entity, or Meter Reading Service Provider shall provide the customer with postage-paid cards or other methods to report the monthly reading.

5. Each utility or Meter Reading Service Provider shall specify the timing requirements for the customer to submit his or her monthly meter reading to conform with the utility's billing cycle.

6. Where the Electric Service Provider is responsible for meter reading, reads will be available for the Utility Distribution Company's or billing entity's billing cycle for that customer, or as otherwise agreed upon by the Electric Service Provider and the Utility Distribution Company or billing entity.

7. In the event the customer fails to submit the reading on time, the utility or billing entity may issue the customer an estimated bill.

8. In the event the Electric Service Provider responsible for meter reading fails to deliver reads to the Meter Reading Service Provider server within three days of the scheduled cycle read date, the Affected Utility may estimate the reads. In the event the Affected Utility responsible for meter reading fails to deliver reads to the Meter Reader Service Provider server within three days of the scheduled cycle read date, the Electric Service Provider may estimate the reads.

9. Meters shall be read monthly on as close to the same day as practical.

B. Measuring of service

1. All energy sold to customers and all energy consumed by the utility, except that sold according to fixed charge schedules, shall be measured by commercially acceptable measuring devices, except where it is impractical to install meters, such as street lighting or security lighting, or where otherwise authorized by the Commission.

2. When there is more than one meter at a location, the metering equipment shall be so tagged or plainly marked as to indicate the circuit metered or metering equipment.

3. Meters which are not direct reading shall have the multiplier plainly marked on the meter.

4. All charts taken from recording meters shall be marked with the date of the record, the meter number, customer, and chart multiplier.

5. Metering equipment shall not be set "fast" or "slow" to compensate for supply transformer or line losses.

C. Meter rereads

1. Each utility or Meter Reading Service Provider shall at the request of a customer, or the customer's Electric Service Provider, Utility Distribution Company (as defined in R14-2-1601 ), or billing entity reread that customer's meter within 10 working days after such a request.

2. Any reread may be charged to the customer, or the customer's Electric Service Provider, Utility Distribution Company (as defined in R14-2-1601 ), or billing entity making the request at a rate on file and approved by the Commission, provided that the original reading was not in error.

3. When a reading is found to be in error, the reread shall be at no charge to the customer, or the customer's Electric Service Provider, Utility Distribution Company (as defined in R14-2-1601 ), or billing entity.

D. Access to customer premises. Each utility shall have the right of safe ingress to and egress from the customer's premises at all reasonable hours for any purpose reasonably connected with property used in furnishing service and the exercise of any and all rights secured to it by law or these rules.

E. Meter testing and maintenance program.

1. Each utility shall file with the Commission, through the Compliance Section, a plan for the routine maintenance and replacement of meters that meets the requirements of National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Pub. No. ANSI C12.1-2008, American National Standard for Electric Meters: Code for Electricity Metering (2008), including no future editions or amendments, which is incorporated by reference, on file with the Commission, and published by and available from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, 1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1752, Rosslyn, Virginia 22209, and through http://www.nema.org.

2. Each utility shall file an annual report with the Commission, through Docket Control, summarizing the results of the meter maintenance and testing program for that year. At a minimum, the report should include the following data:

a. Total number of meters tested, at company initiative or upon customer request.

b. Number of meters tested that were outside the acceptable error allowance of +3%.

F. Request for meter tests. A utility or Meter Service Provider shall test a meter upon the request of the customer, or the customer's Electric Service Provider, Utility Distribution Company (as defined in R14-2-1601 ), or billing entity, and each utility or billing entity shall be authorized to charge the customer, or the customer's Electric Service Provider, Utility Distribution Company (as defined in R14-2-1601), or billing entity for such meter test according to the tariff on file and approved by the Commission. However, if the meter is found to be in error by more than 3%, no meter testing fee will be charged to the customer, or the customer's Electric Service Provider, Utility Distribution Company, or billing entity.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R14-2-209

Adopted effective March 2, 1982 (Supp. 82-2). Amended subsection (E)(1) effective April 1, 1986 (Supp. 86-2). Amended effective February 8, 1991 (Supp. 91-1). Amended effective August 16, 1996 (Supp. 96-3). Amended by an emergency action effective August 10, 1998, pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1026, in effect for a maximum of 180 days (Supp. 98-3). Emergency amendment replaced by exempt permanent amendment effective December 31, 1998 (Supp. 98-4). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 5 A.A.R. 3933, effective September 24, 1999 (Supp. 99-3). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 6 A.A.R. 4180, effective October 13, 2000 (Supp. 00-4). Amended by final rulemaking at 15 A.A.R. 1933, effective December 27, 2009 (Supp. 09-4).

The following Section was amended under an exemption from the Attorney General approval provisions of the Arizona Administrative Procedure Act (State ex. rel. Corbin v. Arizona Corporation Commission, 174 Ariz. 216 848 P.2d 301 (App. 1992)), as determined by the Corporation Commission. This exemption means that the rules as amended were not approved by the Attorney General.