Ariz. Admin. Code § R14-2-301 - Definitions

In this Article, unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions shall apply:

1. "Advance in aid of construction." Funds provided to the utility by the applicant under the terms of a main extension agreement the value of which may be refundable.

2. "Applicant." A person requesting the utility to supply gas service.

3. "Application." A request to the utility for gas service, as distinguished from an inquiry as to the availability or charges for such service.

4. "Arizona Corporation Commission." The regulatory authority of the state of Arizona having jurisdiction over public service corporations operating in Arizona.

5. "Billing month." The period between any two regular readings of the utility's meters at approximately 30 day intervals.

6. "Billing period." The time interval between two consecutive meter readings that are taken for billing purposes.

7. "British Thermal Unit." The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit (1° F) at standard conditions.

8. "Btu." British thermal unit.

9. "Commodity charge." The unit of cost per billed usage, as set forth in the utility's tariffs.

10. "Contributions in aid of construction." Funds provided to the utility by the applicant under the terms of a main extension agreement and/or service connection tariff the value of which are not refundable.

11. "Cubic foot"

a. In cases where gas is supplied and metered to customers at the standard delivery pressure, a cubic foot of gas is the volume of gas which, at the temperature and pressure existing in the meter, occupies one cubic foot.

b. Regardless of the pressure supplied to the customer, the volume of gas metered will be converted to the volume which the gas would occupy at standard conditions of 14.73 pounds per square inch absolute at 60° F.

c. The standard cubic foot of gas for testing the gas itself for heating value shall be that volume of gas which, when saturated with water vapor and at a temperature of 60° F and under a pressure equivalent to that of 30 inches of mercury (mercury at 32° F and under standard gravity), occupies one cubic foot.

12. "Ccf." 100 cubic feet.

13. "Curtailment priority." The order in which gas service is to be curtailed to various classifications of customers, as set forth in the utility's tariffs.

14. "Customer." The person or entity in whose name service is rendered, as evidenced by the signature on the application or contract for that service, or by the receipt and/or payment of bills regularly issued in his name regardless of the identity of the actual user of the service.

15. "Customer charge." The amount the customer must pay the utility for the availability of gas service, excluding any gas used, as specified in the utility's tariffs.

16. "Day." Calendar day.

17. "Distribution main." A gas line of the utility from which service lines may be extended to customers.

18. "Elderly." A person who is 62 years of age or older.

19. "Handicapped." A person with a physical or mental condition which substantially contributes to the person's inability to manage his or her own resources, carry out activities of daily living, or protect oneself from neglect or hazardous situations without assistance from others.

20. "Illness." A medical ailment or sickness for which a residential customer obtains a verifiable document from a licensed medical physician stating the nature of the illness and that discontinuance of service would be especially dangerous to the customer's health in the opinion of a licensed medical physician.

18. "Federal poverty level" means the U.S. federal poverty guideline for the pertinent household size published annually in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines.

21. 19. "Inability to pay" means a circumstance under which a residential customer either:

a. Cannot pay the full balance of the customer's monthly bill and has attested to and, if requested, has provided documentation issued by an Arizona or U.S. governmental agency or a licensed medical practitioner verifying that the customer meets one of the following:

i. Is at least 62 years of age;

ii. Has a physical or mental condition that substantially limits the customer's ability to manage resources, carry out activities of daily living, or secure protection from neglect or hazardous situations without assistance from others; or

iii. Has a medical condition that makes termination of gas service especially dangerous to the customer's health; or b. Cannot pay the full balance of the customer's monthly bill and meets one of the following as attested to by the residential customer:

a.i. Is not gainfully employed;

b. ii. Qualifies for monetary government welfare assistance but has not yet begun to receive assistance; or

c. iii. Has an annual income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

d. Signs a declaration verifying that the customer meets one of the above criteria and is either elderly, handicapped, or suffers from illness.

22.20. "Interrupt" or "Interruption" means to cease or the cessation of gas service to a customer at the point of delivery.

21. " Licensed medical practitioner" means one of the following types of health care providers, actively licensed to practice in Arizona:

a. An allopathic or osteopathic physician,

b. A registered nurse practitioner, or

c. A physician assistant.

22. " Limited income" means:

a. A residential customer with annual household income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level; or

b. A residential customer with annual household income at or below a percentage of the federal poverty level higher than 250 percent, as established by a gas utility in a Commission-approved tariff.

23. "Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program" or "LIHEAP" means the federally funded program that provides low-income residential customers energy bill assistance.

23. 24. "Main extension." The lines and equipment necessary to extend the existing gas distribution system to provide service to additional customers.

24. 25. "Master meter." An instrument for measuring or recording the flow of gas at a single location where said gas is transported through an underground piping system to tenants or occupants for their individual consumption.

25. 26. "Mcf." 1,000 cubic feet.

26. 27. "Meter." The instrument for measuring and indicating or recording the volume of gas or flow that has passed through it.

27. 28. "Meter tampering." A situation where a meter has been illegally altered. Common examples are meter bypassing and other unauthorized connections.

28. 29. "Minimum charge." The amount the customer must pay for the availability of gas service, including an amount of usage, as specified in the utility's tariffs.

29. 30. "Permanent customer." A customer who is a tenant or owner of a service location who applies for and receives gas service.

30. 31. "Permanent service." Service which, in the opinion of the utility, is of a permanent and established character. The use of gas may be continuous, intermittent, or seasonal in nature.

31. 32. "Person." Any individual, partnership, corporation, governmental agency, or other organization operating as a single entity.

32. 33. "Point of delivery." The point where pipes owned, leased, or under license by a customer connect to the utility's pipes or at the outlet side of the meter.

34. "Preferred method of communication" means the communication method that complies with R14-2-312(K).

33. 35. "Premises." All of the real property and apparatus employed in a single enterprise on an integral parcel of land undivided by public streets, alleys or railways.

34. 36. "Residential subdivision." Any tract of land which has been divided into four or more contiguous lots for use for the construction of residential buildings or permanent mobile homes for either single or multiple occupancy.

35. 37. "Residential use." Service to customers using gas for domestic purposes such as space heating, air conditioning, water heating, cooking, clothes drying, and other residential uses and includes use in apartment buildings, mobile home parks, and other multiunit residential buildings.

36. 38. "Restricted apparatus." Apparatus prohibited by the Commission or other governmental agency.

39. "Service address" means the physical location at which a utility provides service to a customer.

37. 40. "Service area." The territory in which the utility has been granted a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity and is authorized by the Commission to provide gas service.

39. 41. "Service establishment charge." A charge as specified in the utility's tariffs which covers the cost of establishing a new account.

38. 42. "Service line." A gas pipe that transports gas from a common source of supply (normally a distribution main) to the customer's point of delivery.

40. 43. "Service reconnect charge" means the charge specified in a utility's tariffs that must be paid by a customer prior to restarting gas service each time the customer's gas service is terminated for nonpayment or for failure to comply with the utility's tariffs.

41. 44. "Service reestablishment charge" means the charge specified in a utility's tariffs that must be paid to reinitiate service at the same location where the same customer ordered a service termination within the preceding 12-month period.

42. 45. "Single family dwelling." A house, an apartment, a mobile home permanently affixed to a lot, or any other permanent residential unit which is used as a permanent home.

43. 46. "Standard delivery pressure." 0.25 pounds per square inch gauge at the meter or point of delivery.

44. 47. "Tariffs." The documents filed with the Commission which list the services and products offered by the gas company and which set forth the terms and conditions and a schedule of the rates and charges for those services and products.

45. 48. "Temporary service." Service to premises or enterprises which are temporary in character, or where it is known in advance that the service will be of limited duration. Service which, in the opinion of the utility, is for operations of a speculative character is also considered temporary service.

49. "Terminate" or "Termination" means to discontinue or a discontinuance of gas service to a customer's service address, by intentional action of the utility, and is synonymous with "disconnect" or "disconnection" as used in this Article.

46. 50. "Therm." A unit of heating value, equivalent to 100,000 British thermal units (Btu's).

47. 51. "Third party" means an entity or a person authorized by a customer and willing to receive notification of the customer's pending termination of service and to communicate with the utility on behalf of the customer for the purpose of making arrangements to prevent termination of gas service.

48. 52. "Utility." The public service corporation providing gas service to the public in compliance with state law.

49. "Weather especially dangerous to health." That period of time commencing with the scheduled termination date when the local weather forecast, as predicted by the National Oceanographic and Administration Service, indicates that the temperature will not exceed 32 degrees Fahrenheit for the next day's forecast. The Commission may determine that other weather conditions are especially dangerous to health as the need arises.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R14-2-301

Adopted effective March 2, 1982 (Supp. 82-2). Amended by final rulemaking at 28 A.A.R. 564, effective 4/18/2022.