Section 113.0924. Adjustment of bills for metering inaccuracies.

  In this section, "meter" or "meters" may refer to metering system(s).

(1)  Whenever a meter creeps or whenever a varhour meter or watthour meter installation, with or without pulsing devices and recording equipment, is found upon test to have an average error of more than 2% from 100%, or a demand metering installation more than 1.5% plus the errors allowed in s. PSC 113.0812 from 100%, a recalculation of bills for service shall be made for the period of inaccuracy. The recalculation shall be made on the basis that the service meter should be 100% accurate with respect to the working test standard.

(2)  

(a) If the period of inaccuracy cannot be determined, it shall be assumed that the metering equipment has become inaccurate at a uniform rate since it was installed or last tested except as otherwise provided in pars. (b) and (c) .

(b) Recalculation of bills shall be on the basis of actual bills except that if the monthly consumption has been reasonably uniform, averaged less than 500 kW hrs. per month and involves no billings other than for kW hrs., the recalculation of bills may be based on the average monthly consumption and the inaccuracy may be assumed to have existed for a period equal to one-half the time elapsed since the meter was installed or since the last previous test, whichever is later, up to a limit of 10 years.

(c) The error in registration due to "creep" shall be calculated by timing the rate of "creeping" and assuming that this creeping affected the registration of the meter for 25% of the time since the last test or since the meter was installed.

(d) When the average error cannot be determined by test because of failure of part or all of the metering equipment, it shall be permissible to use the registration of check-metering installations, if any, or to estimate the quantity of energy consumed based on available data.

(3)  If the recalculated bills indicate that more than $1 is due an existing customer or $2 is due a person no longer a customer of the utility, the full amount of the calculated difference between the amount paid and the recalculated amount shall be refunded to the customer. The refund to an existing customer may be in cash or as credit on a bill. If a refund is due a person no longer a customer of the utility, a notice shall be mailed to the last known address and the utility shall upon demand made within 3 months thereafter refund the amount due.

(4)  If the recalculated bills indicate that more than $10 is due the utility, the utility may bill the customer for the amount due. For all customers, the period of backbilling may not exceed 24 months unless there is evidence of fraud or deception.

(5)  A classified record shall be kept of the number and amount of refunds and charges made because of inaccurate meters, stopped or broken meters, faulty or incorrect metering installations, failure to apply appropriate multipliers or application of incorrect multipliers, misapplication of rates, fraud or theft of service and other erroneous billing. A report from this record for the calendar year shall be submitted to the commission by April 1 of the following year. The report shall show the number and amount of refunds or charges under each of the categories listed above. A record shall also be kept of the complaint or customer requested tests made and the total number for the year included in this report.

Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535 , eff. 8-1-00.

Note

See s. PSC 113.0818 Determination of average meter error. Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Section 196.635 , Stats., reads as follows: Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 196.635 Unbilled utility service. All service supplied by a public utility must be billed within 2 years of such service. No customer shall be liable for unbilled service 2 years after the date of the service unless: Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 (1) The utility made a reasonable effort to measure the service, but the customer did not allow the utility access to any device, including but not limited to a meter, necessary to measure service. Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 (2) The customer obtained the service by fraud or deception, including but not limited to theft or tampering with any device, including but not limited to a meter, necessary to measure service. Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1