Ohio Admin. Code 4901:1-10-05 - Metering

(A) Electric energy delivered to the customer shall be metered, except where it is impractical to meter the electric usage, such as in street lighting and temporary or special installations. The usage in such exceptions may be calculated or billed on a demand or connected load rate as provided in an approved tariff on file with the commission.

(B) A customer's electric usage shall be metered by commercially acceptable measuring devices that comply with "American National Standards Institute" (ANSI) standards. Meter accuracy shall comply with the 2014 version of ANSI C12.1 standards. No metering device shall be placed in service or knowingly allowed to remain in service if it does not comply with these standards.

(C) Electric utility employees or authorized agents of the electric utility shall have the right of access to the electric utility's metering equipment for the purpose of reading, replacing, repairing, or testing the meter, or determining that the installation of the metering equipment is in compliance with the electric utility's requirements, or other such purposes necessary to permit the electric utility to carry out its authorized functions.

(D) Meters that are not direct reading meters, such as meters with a multiplier not equal to 1.0, shall have the multiplier plainly marked on or adjacent to the meter. All charts taken from recording meters shall be marked with the date of the record, the meter number, the customer name, and the chart multiplier. The register ratio shall be marked on all meter registers. The watt-hour constant for the meter shall be placed on all watt-hour meters.

(E) The electric utility's meters shall be installed and removed by the electric utility's personnel or authorized agent. Before initial service to a service location is energized, the electric utility shall verify that the installation of the meter base and associated equipment has been both inspected and approved by the local inspection authority or, in any area where there is no local inspection authority, has been inspected by a licensed electrician.

(F) Metering accuracy shall be the responsibility of the electric utility.

(1) Upon request by a customer, the electric utility shall test its meter to verify its compliance with the ANSI C12.1 standards within thirty business days after the date of the request.

(2) The customer or the customer's representative may be present when the meter test is performed at the customer's request.

(3) A written explanation of the test results shall be provided to the customer within ten business days of the completed test.

(4) If the accuracy of the meter is found to be within the tolerances specified in this rule:

(a) The first test at the customer's request shall be free of charge.

(b) The electric utility may charge the customer an approved tariffed fee for each succeeding test conducted less than thirty-six months after the last test requested by the customer on the same meter. Each electric utility shall notify the customer of such charge prior to the test.

(5) If the accuracy of the meter is found to be outside the tolerances specified in this rule and such inaccuracy is not caused by tampering or unauthorized reconnection, the electric utility:

(a) Shall not charge a fee or recover any testing expenses from the customer.

(b) Shall recalibrate the meter or provide a properly functioning meter that complies with the ANSI C12.1 standards without charge to the customer.

(c) Shall, within thirty days, pay or credit any overpayment to the customer, in accordance with one of the following billing adjustments:

(i) When the electric utility or customer has established the period of meter inaccuracy, the overcharge shall be computed on the basis of metered usage prior and/or subsequent to such period, consistent with the rates in effect during that period.

(ii) When the electric utility and customer cannot establish the period of meter inaccuracy, the overcharge period shall be determined to be: the period since the customer's "on" date or the period since the date of most recent meter test performed, whichever is shorter. The applicable rates shall be those in effect during the period of inaccuracy in order to determine the appropriate credit or refund.

Paragraph (F)(5) of this rule shall not apply to meter or metering inaccuracies caused by tampering with or unauthorized reconnection of the meter or metering equipment.

(d) Any undercharge shall be billed in accordance with rule 4901:1-10-23 of the Administrative Code.

(G) Each electric utility shall identify, by company name and/or parent trademark name and serial or assigned meter numbers and/or letters, placed in a conspicuous position on the meter, each customer meter that it owns, operates, or maintains.

(H) Each electric utility shall maintain the following records regarding each meter that it owns, operates, or maintains, for the life of each such meter plus three years:

(1) Serial or assigned meter number.

(2) Every location where the meter has been installed and removed, together with the dates of such installations and removals.

(3) Date of any customer request for a test of the meter.

(4) Date and reason for any test of the meter.

(5) Result of any test of the meter.

(6) Meter readings before and after each test of the meter.

(7) Accuracy of the meter found during each test, "as found" and "as left".

(I) Each electric utility shall comply with the following requirements regarding meter reading:

(1) The electric utility shall obtain actual readings of all its in-service customer meters at least quarterly each calendar year, unless a customer, consumer, property owner, landlord, or his/her agent prevents utility company personnel from reading the meter during that time period. Every billing period, the electric utility shall make reasonable attempts to obtain accurate, actual readings of the energy and demand, if applicable, delivered for the billing period, except where the customer and the electric utility have agreed to other arrangements. Meter readings taken by electronic means shall be considered actual readings.

(2) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (I)(1) of this rule, the electric utility shall provide, upon the customer's request, two actual meter readings, without charge, per calendar year. The customer may only request an actual meter read if usage has been estimated for more than two of the immediately preceding billing cycles consecutively or if the customer has reasonable grounds to believe that the meter is malfunctioning.

(3) An actual meter reading is required at the initiation and/or the termination of service, if the meter has not been read within the sixty calendar days immediately preceding initiation and/or termination of service and access to the meter is provided.

(4) If the meter has most recently been read within the thirty-three to fifty-nine calendar days immediately preceding the initiation and/or termination of service, the electric utility shall inform the customer, when the customer contacts the electric utility, of the option to have an actual meter read at no charge to the customer.

(5) If the meter has been read within the thirty-two calendar days immediately preceding the initiation and/or termination of service, the electric utility may estimate usage.

(J) Advanced meter opt-out service

(1) An electric utility shall provide customers with the option to remove an installed advanced meter and replace it with a traditional meter, or in the event that an advanced meter has not been installed, the option to decline installation of an advanced meter and retain a traditional meter, including a cost-based, tariffed opt-out service.

(2) Prior to installation of an advanced meter, the utility shall give notice to the customer at least one business day in advance.

(3) The electric utility shall notify the customer of the following if a customer expresses interest in using a traditional meter:

(a) The customer will be required to pay the amount of the approved tariff charge.

(b) The electric utility shall explain the facts concerning advanced meters and attempt to address any customer concerns prior to signing up a customer for advanced meter opt-out service. To the extent that the electric utility offers multiple options for the customer to obtain or retain either an advanced meter or a traditional meter, the utility shall explain each option and the associated costs and give the customer choice over the option selection.

(c) If the customer is currently enrolled in a product or service requiring an advanced meter as a condition of enrollment with the electric utility, the electric utility shall notify the customer that a different product or service must be chosen prior to installation of the traditional meter.

(4) The electric utility shall have the right to refuse to provide advanced meter opt-out service in either of the following circumstances:

(a) If such a service creates a safety hazard to consumers or their premises, the public, or the electric utility's personnel or facilities.

(b) If a customer does not allow the electric utility's employees or agents access to the meter at the customer's premises.

(5) Tariffs

(a) Each electric utility shall have on file with the commission an approved tariff offering residential customers the option to remove an installed advanced meter and replace it with a traditional meter, and the option to decline the installation of an advanced meter and retain a traditional meter. Such tariff shall comply with the following requirements:

(i) In the event special tariff provisions are required due to circumstances not addressed in this rule, the electric utility shall address those circumstances in its tariff application, but shall make its best efforts to maintain consistency with the rules herein.

(ii) The tariff shall not be available to any customer taking generation service under a time differentiated rate. An electric utility may establish certain fees for electing not to use an advanced meter. Such fees shall be calculated based upon the costs incurred to provide advanced meter opt-out service as allowed by this rule.

(b) An electric utility may establish a one-time fee to recover the costs of removing an existing advanced meter, and the subsequent installation of a traditional meter.

(c) An electric utility may establish a recurring fee to recover costs associated with providing meter reading and billing services associated with the use of a traditional meter.

(d) Costs incurred by an electric utility to provide advanced meter opt-out service shall be borne only by customers who elect to receive advanced meter opt-out service.

Notes

Ohio Admin. Code 4901:1-10-05

Effective: 4/8/2024
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 9/30/2026
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: R.C. 4905.22, 4905.04, 4928.06, 4928.11, 4905.28
Rule Amplifies: R.C. 4905.06, 4905.22, 4905.28, 4928.11
Prior Effective Dates: 07/01/1999, 09/18/2000, 01/01/2004, 06/29/2009, 05/29/2014, 11/01/2021