Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, March 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
278.485
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
278.040(3) authorizes the
Public Service Commission to adopt reasonable administrative regulations to
implement the provisions of KRS Chapter 278 and to investigate methods and
practices of utilities subject to commission jurisdiction.
KRS
278.280(2) requires the
commission to prescribe rules for the performance of any service or the
furnishing of any commodity by any utility. This administrative regulation
establishes general rules which apply to gas utilities.
Section 1. Definitions.
(1) "British thermal unit (BTU)" means
quantity of heat that is required to be added to one (1) pound of pure water to
raise its temperature from fifty-eight and one-half (58.5) degrees Fahrenheit
to fifty-nine and one-half (59.5) degrees Fahrenheit at the absolute pressure
of a column of pure mercury thirty (30) inches high at thirty-two (32) degrees
Fahrenheit under standard gravity (32.174 ft. per sec-sec).
(2) "Commission" means the Public Service
Commission.
(3) "Cubic foot of gas"
means the following:
(a) If gas is supplied
and metered to customers at standard distribution pressure, a cubic foot of gas
means that volume of gas which, at the temperature and pressure existing in the
meter, occupies one (1) cubic foot.
(b) If gas is supplied to customers through
turbine, orifice, or positive displacement meters at other than standard
distribution pressure, a cubic foot of gas means that volume of gas which, at
sixty (60) degrees Fahrenheit and at absolute pressure of 14.73 pounds per
square inch, (thirty (30) inches of mercury), occupies one (1) cubic foot;
except if different bases that are considered by the commission to be fair and
reasonable are provided for in gas sales contracts or in rules or practices of
a utility, these different bases shall be effective.
(c) The standard cubic foot of gas for
testing the gas itself for heating value means the volume of gas that occupies
one (1) cubic foot if:
1. Saturated with water
vapor and at temperature of sixty (60) degrees Fahrenheit; and
2. Under pressure equivalent to that of
thirty (30) inches of mercury (mercury at thirty-two (32) degrees Fahrenheit
and under standard gravity) occupies one (1) cubic foot.
(4) "Meter" means any device used
to measure the quantity of gas delivered by utility to a customer.
(5) "Service line" means a distribution line
that:
(a) Transports gas from a common source
of supply to:
1. An individual
customer;
2. Two (2) adjacent or
adjoining residential or small commercial customers; or
3. Multiple residential or small commercial
customers served through a meter header or manifold; and
(b) Ends at the:
1. Outlet of the customer meter or connection
to a customer's piping, whichever is farther downstream; or
2. Connection to a customer's piping if there
is no customer meter.
(6) "State" means Commonwealth of
Kentucky.
(7) "Transmission line"
means a pipeline, other than a gathering line that:
(a) Transports gas from a gathering line or
storage facility to a distribution center, storage facility or large volume
customer that is not down-stream from a distribution center;
(b) Operates at a hoop stress of twenty (20)
percent or more of SMYS; or
(c)
Transports gas within a storage field.
Section 2. Minimum Service Standards for
Natural Gas Utilities Operating under the Jurisdiction of the Commission.
(1) Utilities serving customers under
KRS
278.485 or other retail customers, under the
jurisdiction of the commission, directly from transmission or gathering lines
shall be exempt from the following sections of this administrative regulation
insofar as they apply to these customers:
(a)
Section 4;
(b) Section 5;
and
(c) Section 6.
(2) Outage.
(a) Each utility shall make all reasonable
efforts to prevent interruptions of service and if interruptions occur, shall
endeavor to reestablish service with the shortest possible delay consistent
with the safety of its consumers and the general public. Planned interruptions
shall always be preceded by adequate notice to all affected
customers.
(b) At the earliest
practicable moment following discovery, each utility shall give notice to the
commission of an outage that results in the loss of service to forty (40) or
more customers for four (4) or more hours. Each notice shall be made by
electronic mail to Pipeline.Safety@ky.gov and shall include:
1. Name of utility, person making the report,
and contact telephone number;
2.
Location of outage;
3. Time of
outage; and
4. All other
significant facts known by the utility that are relevant to the cause of the
outage or extent of damage.
(c) Each notice made in accordance with this
subsection shall be supplemented by a written report within thirty (30) days
giving full details such as cause of the outage; number of customers affected
by the outage; time when all service was restored; and steps, if any, taken to
prevent reoccurrence.
Section 3. Minimum requirements for
measurement of gas, accuracy of measuring meters, meter testing facilities and
periodic testing of meters.
(1) Method of
measuring service.
(a) All gas sold by a
utility and all gas consumed by a utility in the State of Kentucky shall be
metered through meters that comply with this section except in cases of
emergency or when otherwise authorized by the commission in accordance with
Section 8 of this administrative regulation. Each meter shall bear an
identifying number. If gas is sold at high pressures or large volumes, the
contract or rate schedule shall specify standards used to calculate gas volume.
Prepayment meters shall not be used unless there is no other satisfactory
method of collecting payment for services rendered.
(b) All gas delivered as compensation for
leases, rights-of-way, or for other reasons, not charged at the utility's
regular schedule of charges, shall be metered and a record shall be kept of
each transaction. All meters and regulators installed to measure gas and to
regulate pressure of gas shall be under the control of the utility and subject
to the rules of the utility and 807 KAR Chapter 5.
(c) The utility shall make no charge for
furnishing and installing any meter or appurtenance necessary to measure gas
furnished, except as approved by the commission in accordance with Section 8 of
this administrative regulation or if duplicate or check meters are requested by
the customer.
(d) Each gas utility
shall adopt a standard method of meter and service line installation, if
practicable. These methods shall be set out with a written description and with
drawings as necessary for clear understanding of the requirements, all of which
shall be filed with the commission. Copies of these standard methods shall be
made available to prospective customers, contractors, or others engaged in
installing pipe for gas utilization. All meters shall be set in place by the
utility.
(e) Each customer shall be
metered separately except in cases of multioccupants under the same roof
sharing a common entrance or an enclosure where it is unreasonable or
uneconomical to measure each unit separately.
(f) The utility may render temporary service
to a customer and may require the customer to bear all costs of installing and
removing service in excess of any salvage realized. In this respect, temporary
service shall be considered to be service that is not required or used for more
than one (1) year.
(2)
Accuracy requirements for meters. All tests to determine accuracy of
registration of any gas meters shall be made by a meter tester certified in
accordance with
807 KAR 5:006,
Section 17, and with facilities that meet the requirements of subsection (3) of
this section.
(a) Diaphragm displacement
meters:
1. Before being installed for use by
any customer, every diaphragm displacement gas meter, whether new, repaired, or
removed from service for any cause shall be in good working condition and shall
be adjusted to be correct to within one-half (1/2) of one (1) percent, plus or
minus when passing gas at approximately twenty (20) percent and 100 percent of
the rated capacity of the meter as specified by the manufacturer based on
five-tenths (0.5) inch water column differential. A pilot test or quartering
test to determine that the meter will register at one-half (1/2) of one (1)
percent of the rated capacity shall be made before placing meters in
service.
2. Meters removed from
service for periodic testing shall be tested for accuracy as soon as practical
after removal. An "as found" test shall be made at a flow-rate of approximately
twenty (20) percent and 100 percent of the rated capacity of the meter based on
five-tenths (0.5) inch water column differential and results of these tests
algebraically averaged to determine accuracy. If error is less than two (2)
percent, this shall be reported as the "as found" test. If error is more than
two (2) percent, two (2) additional tests shall be made at twenty (20) percent
and 100 percent, and the average of these three (3) tests shall be reported as
the "as found" test. The three (3) test procedures shall apply to any customer
request test, complaint test, or bill adjustment made on the basis of the
meter.
3. Meters of good working
condition that are removed from service for reasons other than periodic,
customer, or commission request tests shall be tested as soon as practicable
after removal if elapsed time since the last test exceeds fifty (50) percent of
the periodic test period for those meters.
(b) Other than diaphragm displacement meters.
1. All meters other than diaphragm
displacement meters shall be tested at the intervals required by subsection (4)
of this section by the utility meter tester using flow provers or methods
approved in accordance with the requirements of this section either in the shop
or at the location of use at the utility's option and with facilities that meet
the requirements of subsection (3) of this section. Accuracy of these meters
shall be maintained as near 100 percent as possible. Test ranges and procedures
shall be as prescribed in subsection (3) of this section.
2. All meter installations shall be inspected
for proper design and construction and all instruments, regulators, and valves
used in conjunction with installation shall be tested for desired operation and
accuracy before being placed in service. This inspection shall be made by a
qualified person. Test data as to conditions found, corrected if in error, and
conditions as left shall be made available for inspection by commission staff.
Subsequent test results shall be a portion of regular meter test reports
submitted to the commission by the utility.
(3) Meter testing facilities and equipment.
(a) Meter shop.
1. Each utility shall maintain a meter shop
to inspect, test, and repair meters. The shop shall be open for inspection by
commission staff at all reasonable times.
2. The meter shop shall consist of a repair
room or shop proper and a proving room. The proving room shall be designed so
that meters and meter testing apparatus are protected from excessive changes in
temperature and other disturbing factors, such as humidity and dust. The
proving room or the entire meter shop shall be air conditioned, if necessary,
to achieve temperature control required by subparagraph (3) of this
paragraph.
3. The proving room
shall be well lighted and preferably not on an outside wall of the building.
Temperatures within the proving room shall not vary more than two (2) degrees
Fahrenheit per hour nor more than five (5) degrees Fahrenheit over a
twenty-four (24) hour period.
(b) Working standards.
1. Each utility shall own and make proper
provision to operate at least one (1) approved belltype meter prover,
preferably of ten (10) cubic feet capacity, but not less than five (5) cubic
feet capacity. The prover shall be equipped with suitable thermometers and
other necessary accessories. This equipment shall be maintained in proper
condition and adjustment so that it shall be capable of determining the
accuracy of any service meter, practical to test by it, to within one-half
(1/2) of one (1) percent plus or minus.
2. The prover shall be accurate to within
three-tenths (0.3) of one (1) percent at each point used in testing
meters.
3. The prover shall not be
located near any radiator, heater, steam pipe, or hot or cold air duct. Direct
sunlight shall not be allowed to fall on the prover or the meters under
test.
4. During conditions of
satisfactory operation air temperature in the prover shall be within one (1)
degree Fahrenheit of the ambient temperature, and oil temperature in the prover
shall not differ from the temperature of ambient air by more than one (1)
degree Fahrenheit.
5. Meters to be
tested shall be stored in a manner that temperature of the meters is
substantially the same as temperature of the prover. To achieve this, meters
shall be placed in the environment of the prover for a minimum of five (5)
hours.
(c) All testing
instruments and other equipment certified by the commission shall be
accompanied at all times by a certificate showing the date when it was last
tested and adjusted. The certificate shall be signed by a proper authority of
the party providing the certification. A tag referring to the certificate may
be attached to the instruments if practicable. These certificates, when
superseded, shall be kept on file by the utility.
(d) Sixty (60) days after the effective date
of a commission order granting convenience and necessity for a new utility,
that utility shall advise the commission in writing as to kind and amount of
testing equipment available.
(4) Periodic tests.
(a) Periodic tests of all meters shall be
made according to the following schedule based on rated capacities. Rated meter
capacity shall be defined as the capacity of the meter at five-tenths (0.5) of
one (1) inch water column differential for diaphragm meters and as specified by
the manufacturer for all other meters.
1.
Positive-displacement meters, with rated capacity up to and including 500 cubic
feet per hour, shall be tested at least once every ten (10) years.
2. Positive-displacement meters, with rated
capacity above 500 cubic feet per hour, up to and including 1,500 cubic feet
per hour, shall be tested at least once every five (5) years.
3. Positive-displacement meters above 1,500
cubic feet per hour shall be tested at least once every year.
4. Orifice meters shall have their recording
gauges tested at least once every six (6) months. Orifice size and condition
shall be checked at the required meter test interval.
5. Auxiliary measurement devices such as
pressure, temperature, volume, load demand, and remote reading devices shall be
tested at the required meter test interval as specified by the
manufacturer.
(b) If the
number of meters of any type which register in error beyond the limits
specified in these rules is deemed excessive, this type shall be tested with an
additional frequency as the commission may direct.
(c) A utility desiring to adopt a scientific
sample meter test plan for positive displacement meters shall makes its request
in accordance with Section (8) of this administrative regulation. Upon
approval, the sample testing plan may be followed instead of tests prescribed
in subsections (2) and (4) of this section and
807 KAR 5:006,
Section 17(1).
(5)
Measuring production and shipment into and out of the state.
(a) The utility shall measure and record the
quantity of all gas produced and purchased by it in Kentucky.
(b) The utility shall measure and record the
quantity of all gas piped out of or brought into the state of
Kentucky.
Section
4. Customer Service Line Extensions and Connections.
(1) Extension of services.
(a) Normal extension. An extension of 100
feet or less shall be made by a utility to an existing distribution main
without charge for a prospective customer who shall apply for and contract to
use service for one (1) year or more and provides guarantee for the
service.
(b) Other extensions.
1. If an extension of the utility's main to
serve an applicant or group of applicants amounts to more than 100 feet per
customer, the utility shall, if not inconsistent with its filed tariff, require
the total cost of the excessive footage over 100 feet per customer to be
deposited with the utility by the applicant, based on average estimated cost
per foot of the total extension.
2.
Each customer receiving service under this extension shall be reimbursed under
the following plan: each year for a refund period of not less than ten (10)
years, the utility shall refund to the customer who paid for the excessive
footage, the cost of 100 feet of extension in place for each additional
customer connected during the year whose service line is directly connected to
the extension installed, and not to extensions or laterals therefrom. Total
amount refunded shall not exceed the amount paid to the utility. After the end
of the refund period, no refund shall be required.
(c) An applicant desiring an extension to a
proposed real estate subdivision may be required to pay all costs of the
extension. Each year for a refund period of not less than ten (10) years, the
utility shall refund to the applicant who paid for the extension a sum
equivalent to the cost of 100 feet of extension installed for each additional
customer connected during the year. Total amount refunded shall not exceed the
amount paid to the utility. After the end of the refund period from the
completion of the extension, a refund shall not be required.
(d) Nothing contained in this administrative
regulation shall be construed to prohibit the utility from making extensions
under different arrangements if these arrangements have been included in the
utility's tariff and approved by the commission.
(e) Nothing contained in this administrative
regulation shall be construed to prohibit a utility from making, at its
expense, greater extensions than prescribed, if the same free extensions are
made to other customers under similar conditions.
(f) Upon complaint to and investigation by
the commission, a utility may be required to construct extensions greater than
100 feet upon a finding by the commission that this extension is
reasonable.
(2) Service
connections.
(a) Ownership of service lines.
1. Utility's responsibility. When a utility
establishes new service to a customer or an existing service line is repaired
or replaced, the utility shall furnish and install at its own expense, for the
purpose of connecting its distribution system to customer premises, the service
line from its main to the meter, including the curb stop and curb box if used.
If meters are located outdoors, the curb box and curb stop may be omitted if
meter installation is provided with a stopcock and connection to the
distribution main is made with a service tee that incorporates a positive
shutoff device that can be operated with ordinary, readily available tools and
the service tee is not located under pavement.
2. Customer's responsibility. The customer
shall furnish and install necessary pipe to make the connection from the meter
to place of consumption and shall keep the line in good repair and in
accordance with reasonable requirements of the utility's rules and 807 KAR
Chapter 5.
(b) All
services shall be equipped with a stopcock near the meter. If the service is
not equipped with an outside shutoff, the inside shutoff shall be of a type
which can be sealed in the off position.
Section 5. Purity of Gas.
(1) All gas supplied to customers shall not
contain more than: a trace of hydrogen sulfide, thirty (30) grains of total
sulphur per 100 cubic feet; or five (5) grains of ammonia per 100 cubic feet.
Gas shall not contain impurities that may cause excessive corrosion of mains or
piping or form corrosive or harmful fumes if burned in a properly designed and
adjusted burner.
(2) If necessary,
tests for the presence of hydrogen sulfide shall be made at least once each
day, except Sundays and holidays, with equipment capable of measuring hydrogen
sulfide levels as low as one (1) grain per 100 cubic feet. Results of these
tests shall be retained and provided to the commission upon request.
(3) Manufactured and mixed gas shall be
tested at least once each month for the presence of total sulphur and ammonia,
except that any gas containing no coal gas shall not require testing for
ammonia. Testing shall be in accordance with excepted American Society for
Testing and Materials methodologies. Records of all tests shall be retained and
provided to the Commission upon request.
Section 6. Heating Value of Gas.
(1) Definitions of heating value. The heating
value of gas shall be the number of British Thermal Units (BTUs) produced by
the combustion at constant ressure, of that amount of gas that would occupy a
volume of one (1) cubic foot at a temperature of sixty (60) degrees Fahrenheit:
(a) If saturated with water vapor;
(b) Under pressure equivalent to thirty (30)
inches of mercury at a temperature of thirty-two (32) degrees
Fahrenheit;
(c) Under
gravity;
(d) With air of the same
temperature and pressure as the gas;
(e) When the products of combustion are
cooled to the initial temperature of the gas and air; and
(f) When the water formed by combustion is
condensed to liquid stage.
(2) Each utility shall establish and maintain
a standard heating value for its gas. The heating value standard adopted shall
comply with the following:
(a) It shall be
consistent with good service as specified in the utility's tariff approved by
the Commission.
(b) It shall be
that value that the utility determines is most practical and economical to
supply to its customers.
(3) Each utility shall file with the
commission its standard heating value as part of its schedule of Rates, Rules
and Regulations.
(4) The utility
shall maintain the heating value of the gas with as little variation as
practicable, but this variation shall not be more than five (5) percent above
or below the established standard heating value.
(5) The heating value standard shall be the
monthly average heating value of gas delivered to customers at any point within
one (1) mile of the center of distribution, and shall be obtained in the
following manner: results of all tests for heating value made on any day during
the calendar month shall be averaged, and the average of all such daily
averages shall be used in computing the monthly average.
(6) Each utility, selling more than
300,000,000 cubic feet of gas annually, shall maintain a calorimeter, gas
chromatograph, or other equipment for testing the heating value of gas or shall
retain the services of a testing laboratory. All testing equipment shall be
accompanied at all times by a certificate showing the date it was last tested
and adjusted. Utilities served directly from a transmission line shall be
exempt from this rule if there is approved equipment for measuring the heating
value of gas maintained by the transmission company and if this equipment is
available for testing and certification by the commission.
(7) Each utility shall conduct tests and
maintain necessary records to document that the requirements of this section
are being met. Those utilities that bill on the basis of heating value shall,
as part of its schedule of Rates, Rules and Regulations, file with the
commission the schedule of tests and test procedures it will conduct to
determine the heating value of its gas.
(8) Any change in heating value greater than
that allowed in subsection (4) of this section shall not be made without a
change to the utility's tariff approved by the commission and without adequate
notice to affected customers. In this event, the utility shall make any
adjustments to the customer's appliances without charge and shall conduct the
adjustment program with a minimum of inconvenience to the customer.
Section 7. Waste. All practices in
the production, distribution, consumption, or use of natural gas that are
wasteful shall be expressly prohibited.
Section
8. Deviations from Rules. In special cases for good cause shown
the commission may permit deviations from these rules.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
278.040(3),
278.280(2)