Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, March 1, 2024
RELATES TO: KRS Chapter 278
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
278.280(2) provides that the
commission shall prescribe rules for the performance of any service or the
furnishing of any commodity by the utility. This administrative regulation
establishes general rules which apply to electric utilities.
Section 1. Definitions. For purposes of this
administrative regulation:
(1) "Applicant"
means for purposes of Section 21 of this administrative regulation the
developer, builder or other person, partnership, association, corporation or
governmental agency applying for the installation of an underground electric
supply system.
(2) "Building" means
a structure enclosed within exterior walls or fire walls, built, erected and
framed of component structural parts and designed for less than five (5) family
occupancy.
(3) "Customer" means for
purposes of Section 21 of this administrative regulation the developer, builder
or other person, partnership, association, corporation or governmental agency
applying for installation of an underground electric supply system.
(4) "Customer premises" means the building
for which service is intended or in use.
(5) "Distribution system" means electric
service facilities consisting of primary and secondary conductors,
transformers, and necessary accessories and appurtenances for furnishing
electric power at utilization voltage.
(6) "Multiple-occupancy building" means a
structure enclosed within exterior walls or fire walls, built, erected and
framed of component structural parts and designed to contain five (5) or more
individual dwelling units.
(7)
"Subdivision" means a tract of land which is divided into ten (10) or more lots
for the construction of new residential buildings, or for construction of two
(2) or more new multiple occupancy buildings.
Section 2. General Requirements. Every
utility shall furnish adequate service and facilities at rates filed with the
commission, and in accordance with administrative regulations of the commission
and applicable rules of the utility. Energy shall be generated, transmitted,
converted and distributed by the utility, and utilized, whether by the utility
or the customer, in such manner as to obviate undesirable effects upon the
operation of standard services or equipment on the utility, its customers and
other utilities.
Section 3.
Acceptable Standards. A utility shall construct and maintain its plant and
facilities in accordance with good accepted engineering practices. Unless
otherwise specified by the commission, the utility shall use applicable
provisions in the following publications as standards of accepted good
engineering practice for construction and maintenance of plant and facilities,
herein incorporated by reference:
(1) National
Electrical Safety Code; ANSI C-2. 1990 Edition, available by contacting the
IEEE Service Center, 445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331, Piscataway, New Jersey
08855-1331. This material is also available for inspection and copying, subject
to copyright law, at the offices of the Public Service Commission, 211 Sower
Boulevard, P.O. Box 615, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602, Monday through Friday
between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time.
(2) National Electrical Code; ANSI-NFPA 70.
1990 Edition, available by contacting the National Fire Protection Association,
Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169. This material is also available
for inspection and copying, subject to copyright law, at the offices of the
Public Service Commission, 211 Sower Boulevard, P.O. Box 615, Frankfort,
Kentucky 40602, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
local time.
(3) American National
Standard Code for Electricity Metering; ANSI C-12.1. 1982 Edition, available by
contacting the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 345 E.
47th Street, New York, New York 10017;
(4) USA Standard Requirements, for Instrument
Transformers; ANSI Standard C57.13, 1978 Edition, available by contacting the
IEEE Service Center, 445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331, Piscataway, New Jersey
08855-1331. This material is also available for inspection and copying, subject
to copyright law, at the offices of the Public Service Commission, 211 Sower
Boulevard, P.O. Box 615, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602, Monday through Friday
between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time.
(5) The adoption and applicability of the
National Electrical Code as a standard of utility construction is limited to
electric utility auxiliary buildings which are not an integral part of a
generating plant, substation, or control center. Integral part is defined as
essential to the operation or necessary to make complete.
(6) All materials incorporated by reference
above are available for public inspection and copying at the Public Service
Commission of Kentucky, 211 Sower Boulevard, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, between
the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Section 4. Generating Station Meter Records.
Every utility shall install such watt-hour meters as necessary to obtain a
record of output of its generating station or stations. Every utility
purchasing electrical energy shall install such meters as necessary to furnish
a proper record of its purchases, unless such instruments are installed by the
selling company.
Section 5.
Maintenance or Continuity of Service.
(1) Each
utility shall make all reasonable efforts to prevent interruptions of service,
and when such interruptions occur shall endeavor to reestablish service with
the shortest possible delay. Whenever service is necessarily interrupted or
curtailed for the purpose of working on equipment, it shall be done at a time
if practicable, that will cause least inconvenience to customers, and those
customers which may be seriously affected shall be notified in advance, except
in cases of emergency.
(2) Each
utility shall keep a record of: time of starting and shutting down the
principal units of its power station equipment and feeders for major divisions;
indications of sufficient switchboard instruments to show voltage and quantity
of the load; all interruptions to service affecting the entire distribution
system of any single community or important division of a community; and date
and time of interruption, date and time of restoring service, and when known,
cause of each interruption.
(3)
When complete distribution systems or portions of communities have service
furnished from unattended stations, the utility shall keep these records to the
extent practicable. The records of unattended stations shall show interruptions
which require attention to restore service, with estimated time of
interruption. Breaker or fuse operations affecting service shall also be
indicated even though duration of interruption may not be known.
Section 6. Voltage and Frequency.
(1) Each utility shall adopt a standard
nominal voltage or standard nominal voltages, as required by its distribution
system for its entire constant-voltage service, or for each of several
districts into which the systems may be divided, which standard voltages shall
be stated in every schedule of rates of each utility or in its terms and
conditions of service.
(2) Voltage
at the customer's service entrance or connection shall be maintained as
follows:
(a) For service rendered primarily
for lighting purposes, variation in voltage between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. shall
not be more than five (5) percent plus or minus the nominal voltage adopted,
and total variation of voltage from minimum to maximum shall not exceed six (6)
percent of the nominal voltage.
(b)
1. For service rendered primarily for power
purposes, voltage variation shall not at any time exceed ten (10) percent above
or ten (10) percent below standard nominal voltage.
2. Where a limited amount of lighting is
permitted under these contracts, the entire load shall be considered power as
far as voltage variation is concerned.
(c) Where utility distribution facilities
supplying customers are reasonably adequate and of sufficient capacity to carry
actual loads normally imposed, the utility may require that starting and
operating characteristics of equipment on customer premises shall not cause an
instantaneous voltage drop of more than four (4) percent of standard voltage
nor cause objectionable flicker in other customer's lights.
(d) Equipment supplying constant current
circuits shall be adjusted to furnish as nearly as practicable the rated
current of the circuit supplied, and in no case shall the current vary more
than four (4) percent above or below the circuit rating.
(3) Each utility supplying alternating
current shall adopt a standard frequency of sixty (60) hertz which shall be
stated in the schedule of rates of each utility.
(4) A frequency meter monitor shall be
maintained for each system frequency. Accuracy of the frequency meter shall be
checked each day and frequency shall be governed within limits as set forth in
this section so that the frequency meters on the system are correct once
daily.
(5) The following shall not
be considered a violation of this section: Voltage variations in excess of
those caused by operation of power apparatus on customer premises which require
large starting currents and affect only the user of such apparatus, by action
of the elements and infrequent and unavoidable fluctuations of short duration
due to system operation.
(6)
Greater variation of voltage than specified under this section may be allowed
if service is supplied directly from a transmission line, if emergency service,
or if in a limited or extended area in which customers are widely scattered or
business done does not justify close voltage administrative regulation. In such
cases the best voltage administrative regulation shall be provided that is
practicable under the circumstances.
Section 7. Voltage Surveys and Records.
(1) Every utility shall have two (2) or more
portable indicating voltmeters and two (2) or more recording or graphic
voltmeters of type and capacity suited to the voltage supplied. Every utility
shall make a sufficient number of voltage surveys to indicate the service
furnished from each center of distribution. To satisfy the commission of its
compliance with voltage requirements, each utility shall keep at least one (1)
of these instruments in continuous service at some representative point on its
system. All records of the most recent voltage surveys taken within the last
three (3) calendar years shall be available for inspection by the utility's
customers and commission staff.
(2)
Each graphic recording voltmeter shall be checked with a working standard
indicating voltmeter when it is placed in operation and when it is removed, or
periodically if the instrument is in a permanent location. Notations on each
chart shall indicate beginning time and date of registration and when the chart
was removed, as well as the point where voltage was taken, and results of the
check with indicating voltmeter.
Section 8. Servicing Utilization Control
Equipment.
(1) Utilities shall service and
maintain any equipment they use on customer's premises and shall adjust
thermostats, clocks, relays, or time switches, if such devices must be so
adjusted to provide service in accordance with their rate provisions.
(2) Time switches used by the utility for
controlling equipment such as water heaters and street lights shall be of such
quality that the timing mechanism may be adjusted to be accurate within ten
(10) minutes per month. Time switches used by the utility for controlling
street lighting or display lighting shall be inspected or monitored at least
once a month and, if in error, adjusted. Time switches shall also be adjusted
upon complaint if found in error or when service interruptions cause them to be
in error by one-half (1/2) hour or more.
(3) Time switches and control devices used by
the utility for controlling off-peak appliances shall be inspected or monitored
periodically and adjusted if in error, and also adjusted upon complaint if
found in error or whenever service interruptions result in error of two (2)
hours or more or in supplying service to off-peak appliances during peak
periods.
Section 9.
Measuring Customer Service.
(1) All energy
sold within the State of Kentucky shall be measured by commercially acceptable
measuring devices owned and maintained by the utility, except where it is
impracticable to meter loads, such as multiple street lighting, temporary or
special installations, in which case consumption may be calculated. The utility
shall meter its own electrical energy use except when such service is for
emergency or incidental lighting such as outdoor substations, or at remote
points on its transmission or distribution lines. All other electrical
quantities which the utility's tariff indicates are to be metered shall be
metered by commercially acceptable instruments owned and maintained by the
utility.
(2) The utility shall
regard each point of delivery as an independent customer and meter the power
delivered at each point. Combined meter readings shall not be taken at separate
points, nor shall energy used by more than one (1) residence or place of
business on one (1) meter be measured to obtain a lower rate.
(3) Metering facilities located at any point
where energy may flow in either direction and where the quantities measured are
used for billing purposes shall consist of meters equipped with ratchets or
other devices to prevent reverse registration and be so connected as to
separately meter energy flow in each direction.
(4) Whenever possible reactive meters
required to meet the conditions of a given rate schedule shall be either all
ratcheted or none shall be ratcheted. Reactive metering shall not be employed
for determining average power factor for billing purposes where energy may flow
in either direction or where a customer may generate an appreciable amount of
his own requirements.
(5) Meters
which are not direct reading and those operating from instrument transformers
shall have the multiplier plainly marked on the dial of the instrument or
otherwise suitably marked and all charts taken from recording meters shall be
marked with the record date, meter number, customer and chart
multiplier.
(6) The register ratio
shall be marked on all electro-mechanical meter registers. Meters already in
service may be so marked when they are tested.
(7) The watt-hour constant for the meter
itself shall be placed on all watt-hour meters. Meters already in service shall
be so marked when they come to the meter shop.
Section 10. Service Connections.
(1) The utility shall pay all costs of a
service drop or an initial connection to its line with the customer's service
outlet, except the attachment of the wire support to customer premises. When
the customer's outlet is inaccessible to the utility, or the customer desires
that the service outlet on any building be at a location other than that
closest to the utility's line, cost of such special construction as necessary
shall be borne by the customer. The utility shall furnish at its expense an
amount of wire, labor and material equivalent to that furnished for a like
service connection not requiring such special construction.
(2) Underground service requirements and
administrative regulations shall be established by each utility and be on file
with the commission.
(3) All
equipment and material furnished by the utility at its own expense shall remain
the property of the utility and may be removed by it at any reasonable time
after discontinuance of service.
Section 11. Distribution Line Extensions.
(1) Normal extensions. An extension of 1,000
feet or less of single phase line shall be made by a utility to its existing
distribution line without charge for a prospective customer who shall apply for
and contract to use the service for one (1) year or more and provides guarantee
for such service. The "service drop" to customer premises from the distribution
line at the last pole shall not be included in the foregoing measurements. This
distribution line extension shall be limited to service where installed
transformer capacity does not exceed 25 KVA. Any utility which extends service
to a customer who may require polyphase service or whose installed transformer
capacity will exceed 25 KVA may require the customer to pay in advance
additional cost of construction which exceeds that for a single phase line
where the installed transformer capacity does not exceed 25 KVA.
(2) Other extensions.
(a) When an extension of the utility's line
to serve an applicant or group of applicants amounts to more than 1,000 feet
per customer, the utility may, if not inconsistent with its filed tariff,
require total cost of the excessive footage over 1,000 feet per customer to be
deposited with the utility by the applicant or applicants, based on the average
estimated cost per foot of the total extension.
(b) Each customer receiving service under
such extension will 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(s) who paid for the excessive footage the cost of 1,000 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 the utility. No refund shall be made after the refund period
ends.
(c) For additional customers
connected to an extension or lateral from the distribution line, the utility
shall refund to any customer who paid for excessive footage the cost of 1,000
feet of line less the length of the lateral or extension.
(3) An applicant desiring an extension to a
proposed real estate subdivision may be required to pay the entire cost of the
extension. Each year, for a 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 1,000 feet of the extension installed for each additional customer
connected during the year. Total amount refunded shall not exceed the amount
paid to the utility. No refund shall be made after the refund period
ends.
(4) Nothing contained herein
shall be construed as to prohibit the utility from making extensions under
different arrangements if such arrangements have been approved by the
commission.
(5) Nothing contained
herein shall be construed to prohibit a utility from making at its expense
greater extensions than herein prescribed, if similar free extensions are made
to other customers under similar conditions.
(6) Upon complaint to and investigation by
the commission, a utility may be required to construct extensions greater than
1,000 feet upon a finding by the commission that such extension is
reasonable.
Section 12.
Distribution Line Extensions to Mobile Homes.
(1) All extensions of up to 150 feet from the
nearest distribution line shall be made without charge.
(2) Extensions greater than 150 feet from the
nearest distribution line and up to 300 feet shall be made if the customer pays
the utility a "customer advance for construction" of fifty (50) dollars in
addition to any other charges required by the utility for all customers. This
advance shall be refunded at the end of one (1) year if service to the mobile
home continues for that length of time.
(3) For extensions greater than 300 feet and
less than 1,000 feet from the nearest distribution line, the utility may charge
an advance equal to reasonable costs incurred by it for that portion of service
beyond 300 feet plus fifty (50) dollars. Beyond 1,000 feet the extension
policies set forth in Section 11 of this administrative regulation shall apply.
(a) This advance shall be refunded to the
customer over a four (4) year period in equal amounts for each year service is
continued. The customer advance for construction of fifty (50) dollars shall be
added to the first of four (4) refunds.
(b) If service is discontinued for a period
of sixty (60) days, or the mobile home is removed and another does not take its
place within sixty (60) days, or is not replaced by a permanent structure, the
remainder of the advance shall be forfeited.
(c) No refunds shall be made to any customer
who did not make the advance originally.
(4) If a utility implements specific
requirements pertaining to mobile homes, such requirements shall be subject to
approval by the commission and comply with the provisions of this
administrative regulation.
Section
13. Testing Equipment and Standards.
(1) Each utility shall maintain sufficient
laboratories, meter testing shops, standards, instruments and facilities to
determine accuracy of all types of meters and measuring devices used by the
utility except as provided in
807 KAR 5:006,
Section 17.
(2) The following
testing equipment shall be available as minimum requirements for each utility
or agency making tests or checks for a utility pursuant to
807 KAR 5:006,
Section 17(2):
(a) One (1) or more working
watt-hour standards and associated devices of capacity and voltage range
adequate to test all watt-hour meters used by the utility.
(b) One (1) or more watt-hour standards,
which shall be the utility's master watt-hour standards, used for testing the
working watt-hour standards of the utility. These standards shall be of an
approved type, shall be well compensated for both classes of temperature
errors, practically free from errors due to ordinary voltage variations, and
free from erratic registration. These master watt-hour standards shall be of
capacity and voltage range adequate to test all working watt-hour standards at
all loads and voltages at which they are used. These standards shall be kept
permanently at one place and not used for routine testing.
(c) Working indicating instruments, such as
ammeters, voltmeters and watt-meters, of such various types required to
determine the quality of service to customers.
(d) A voltmeter and ammeter, which shall be
master indicating instruments, and which shall be used for testing of working
indicating and recording instruments. These instruments shall be of an approved
type and of accuracy class and range sufficient to determine accuracy of
working instruments to within five-tenths (0.5) percent of all ranges and scale
deflections at which working instruments are used. They shall be kept
permanently at one place and not used for routine testing.
(3) The utility's master watt-hour standards
shall not be in error by more than plus or minus three-tenths (0.3) percent at
100 percent power factor, nor more than plus or minus five-tenths (0.5) percent
at fifty (50) percent power factor at loads and voltages at which they are
used, and shall not be used to check or calibrate working standards unless the
master standard has been certified as to accuracy by the commission within the
preceding twelve (12) months. Each master watt-hour standard shall have a
history card and calibration data available, and when used to calibrate working
standards, correction for any error of the master standard shall be
applied.
(4) All working watt-hour
standards when regularly used shall be compared with a master standard at least
once in every four (4) weeks. Working watt-hour standards infrequently used
shall be compared with a master standard before they are used.
(5) Working watt-hour standards shall be
adjusted, if necessary, so that their accuracy will be within plus or minus
three-tenths (0.3) percent at 100 percent power factor and within plus or minus
five-tenths (0.5) percent at fifty (50) percent lagging power factor at all
voltages and loads at which the standard may be used. A history and calibration
record shall be kept for each working watt-hour standard showing all pertinent
data and name of person performing tests.
(6) After having adjusted working watt-hour
standards to the accuracy specified above, service measuring equipment shall be
adjusted to within the accuracies required, assuming working watt-hour
standards to be 100 percent accurate.
(7) If calibration charts are attached to
working watt-hour standards and the error indicated is applied to all tests run
and the accuracy on any range has not varied more than two-tenths (0.2) percent
during the past twelve (12) regular test periods, accuracy limits may be
extended to plus or minus five-tenths (0.5) percent at 100 percent power factor
and plus or minus seven-tenths (0.7) percent at fifty (50) percent lagging
power factor at all voltages and loads at which the standard may be
used.
(8) The utility's master
indicating instruments shall not be in error by more than plus or minus
five-tenths (0.5) percent of indication at commonly used scale deflections and
shall not be used to check or calibrate working indicating instruments unless
the master instrument has been checked and adjusted, if necessary, and
certified as to accuracy by the commission within the preceding twenty-four
(24) months. A calibration record shall be maintained for each
instrument.
(9) All working
indicating instruments shall be checked against master indicating instruments
at least once in each six (6) months. If the working instrument is found
appreciably in error at zero or in error by more than one (1) percent of
indication at commonly used scale deflections, it shall be adjusted. A
calibration record shall be maintained for each instrument showing all
pertinent data and name of person performing tests.
Section 14. Check of Standards by Commission.
(1) Each utility, and/or agency making tests
or checks for a utility, shall submit to the commission Meter Standards
Laboratory, its master watt-hour standard once in each year, and its master
indicating voltmeter and ammeter once in each two (2) years.
(2) At the discretion of the commission any
or all of these required tests may be made at the utility's or agency's testing
facility by means of portable transfer standards. If the standards satisfy the
requirements of the commission a Certificate of Accuracy shall be issued by the
commission's Division of Engineering.
(3) Each utility which normally checks its
own master watt-hour standards and master indicating instruments against
primary standards such as precision watt-meters, volt boxes, resistances,
standard cells, potentiometers, and timing devices, shall calibrate the master
watt-hour standards and indicating instruments before they are submitted to the
commission for test, and attach to them a record of such calibration.
Section 15. Testing of Metering
Equipment.
(1) Testing of any unit of metering
equipment shall consist of a comparison of its accuracy with a standard of
known accuracy. All metering equipment shall be in good order, and shall be
adjusted to as close to zero error as possible.
(2) No meter or measuring device shall be
deliberately set in error by any amount. Because of unavoidable irregularities
of work done on a commercial scale, some accuracy tolerance shall be allowed.
Meters shall be set as near as practicable to 100 percent accuracy but in no
case shall the inaccuracy exceed one (1) percent. Further, meters with
defective parts shall be repaired regardless of their accuracy.
(3) Metering equipment, including instrument
transformers and demand meters, shall be tested for accuracy prior to being
placed in service, periodically in accordance with the schedule below, upon
complaint, when suspected of being in error, or when removed from service for
any cause.
Period Test Schedule
|
|
Self-Contained Meters
|
Single phase
|
8 years
|
3 wire network
|
8 years
|
Polyphase
|
6 years
|
Meters used with instrument transformers
|
|
Single phase
|
6 years
|
Polyphase
|
4 years
|
Demand Meters
|
|
Indicating block-interval and lagged-demand
meters
|
same as associated watt-hour meter
|
Graphic and pulse operated recording demand
meters
|
2 years
|
Instrument Transformers
|
|
Current: high burden test
|
same as associated watt-hour meter
|
Potential: secondary voltage test
|
same as associated watt-hour meter
|
Var-hour Meters
|
same as associated watt-hour meter
|
Direct Current Watt-hour Meters:
|
|
Up to and including 6 KW
|
4 years
|
Over 6 KW through 100 KW
|
2 years
|
Over 100 KW
|
1 year
|
(4)
Tests may be made at a meter shop, on the customer's premises, or in a mobile
shop.
Section 16. Sample
Testing of Single Phase Meters. A utility desiring to adopt a scientific sample
meter testing plan for single phase meters shall submit its application to the
commission for approval. Upon approval the sample testing plan may be followed
in lieu of the periodic test prescribed in Section 15(3) of this administrative
regulation. The plan shall include the following:
(1) Meters shall be divided into separate
groups to recognize differences in operating characteristics due to changes in
design, taking into consideration date of manufacture and serial
number.
(2) The sampling procedure
shall be based upon accepted statistical principles.
(3) The same sampling procedure shall be
applied to each group.
(4) Each
utility authorized to test meters by sample meter testing plan shall comply
with the following conditions:
(a) The number
of meters in addition to the sample shall be taken from those meters in each
group longest in service since last test unless a particular meter type is
known to be increasing the percentage of meters requiring test for the sample
group. In such a case where a particular meter type is increasing the
percentage of meters requiring test in any group, these meters may be selected
first regardless of test date with any additional tests as required for that
group coming from those in that group longest in service since last test. Each
year the utility shall use the following table to determine the percentage of
the total meters in each group to be tested.
Percentage of Meters Within Limits of 2% Fast or
Slow
(Indicated by Sample)
|
Percentage of Meters to be Tested the Next
Year
|
990
|
1000
|
2
|
980
|
989
|
4
|
970
|
979
|
6
|
960
|
969
|
8
|
950
|
959
|
10
|
930
|
949
|
12
|
910
|
929
|
14
|
Less than
|
910
|
16
|
(b)
Provided, however, that no meter shall remain in service without periodic test
for a period longer than twenty-five (25) years.
(5) Whenever a meter is found to be more than
two (2) percent fast or slow, refunds or back billing shall be made for the
period during which the meter error is known to have existed or if not known
for one-half (1/2) the elapsed time since the last test but in no case to
exceed three (3) years. This provision shall apply only when sample testing of
single phase meters has been approved by the commission and utilized by the
utility.
Section 17.
Test Procedures and Accuracy Requirements.
(1)
Meters and associated devices shall be tested at the loads indicated below and
adjusted as close as practicable to zero error when found to exceed the
tolerance prescribed below.
AC Watt-hour Meters
|
% of Test Current
|
Power Factor
|
Allowable Tolerance
|
100
|
1.0
|
+ or-1.0%
|
10
|
1.0
|
+ or-1.0%
|
100
|
0.5
|
+ or-1.0%
|
DC Watt-hour Meters
|
% of Test Current
|
|
Allowable Tolerance
|
100
|
1.0%
|
|
10
|
1.0%
|
|
(a) Only one (1)
test run shall normally be required at each test configuration. However if the
test indicates the meter is more than two (2) percent in error fast or slow,
additional tests shall be made to verify accuracy prior to refunding or back
billing the customer.
(b) When a
meter is tested on complaint or request, additional test runs shall be made and
care exercised to insure that any trouble with the meter will be
detected.
(c) For refund and back
billing purposes, accuracy of the meter shall be determined by adding the
average registration at light load (ten (10) percent of test current) and the
average registration at full load (100 percent of test current) and dividing by
two (2).
(2) Demand
meters. A demand meter, demand register, or demand attachment used to measure
customer's service shall:
(a) Be in good
mechanical and electrical condition.
(b) Have proper constants, indicating scale,
contact device, and resetting device.
(c) Not register at no load.
(d) Be accurate to the following degrees:
1. Graphic meters which record quantity-time
curves and integrated-demand meters shall be accurate to within plus or minus
two (2) percent of full scale throughout their working range. Timing elements
measuring specific demand intervals shall be accurate to within plus or minus
two (2) percent and the timing element which serves to provide a record of the
time of day when demand occurs shall be accurate to within plus or minus four
(4) minutes in twenty-four (24) hours.
2. Lagged-demand meters shall be accurate to
within plus or minus two (2) percent at final indication.
(3) Instrument transformers.
(a) Instrument transformers used in
conjunction with metering equipment to measure customer's service shall:
1. Be in proper mechanical condition and have
electrical insulation satisfactory for the service on which used.
2. Have characteristics such that the
combined inaccuracies of all transformers supplying one (1) or more meters in a
given installation shall not exceed the following:
|
100% Power Factor
|
50% Power Factor
|
10% Current
|
100% Current
|
10% Current
|
100% Current
|
Purchased after Jan. 1, 1942
|
1%
|
.75%
|
3%
|
2%
|
Purchased prior to Jan. 1,1942
|
2%
|
1.50 %
|
5%
|
3%
|
(b) Meters used in conjunction with
instrument transformers shall be adjusted so that overall accuracies will come
within the limits specified in this administrative regulation.
(c) Instrument transformers shall be tested
with the meter with which they are associated by making an overall test, or may
be checked separately. If transformers are tested separately, meters shall also
be checked to see that overall accuracy of installation is within the
prescribed accuracy requirements.
(d) Results of tests of instrument
transformers shall be kept on record and be available for use during the life
of the transformer.
(e) Phase
shifting transformers shall have secondary voltages under balanced line voltage
conditions within one (1) percent plus or minus of the voltage impressed on the
primary.
Section
18. Location of Meters.
(1)
Meters shall be installed in a clean, dry, safe, convenient place as free as
possible from vibration. Meters shall be easily accessible for reading,
testing, and making necessary adjustments and repairs, and where indoor type
meters are necessary they shall not be placed in coal or wood bins or on
partitions forming bins, nor on any unstable supports. Unless absolutely
unavoidable, meters shall not be installed in attics, sitting rooms, bathrooms,
bedrooms, restaurant kitchens, over doors, over windows, or in any location
where visits of the meter reader or tester will cause annoyance to the customer
or a severe inconvenience to the utility.
(2) Districts subject to flood are excepted
from this rule as far as it applies to the location of meters.
(3) Proper provision shall be made by the
customer for installation of the utility's meter. Unless the meter is to be
mounted upon a panel or installed within a cabinet, such provision shall
consist of a board not less than three-quarters (3/4) of an inch in thickness
which shall be mounted not less than five (5) or not more than seven (7) feet
from the floor, and in general as near as possible to point of entrance of
service. At least six (6) inches clear space shall be available, on all sides
of the meter board and not less than thirty (30) inches in front of it. The
above provisions as to method of mounting and height from floor do not apply to
the installation of weatherproof outdoor meters. Electric meters shall not be
installed close to either water or gas meters or anything liable to damage the
meter, thereby constituting a hazard to customer's safety and continuous
service.
(4) When more than one (1)
meter is installed without a meter cabinet in the same building, proper space
shall be allotted and provision made by the customer for locating the meters at
one (1) place. When a number of meters are placed in the same cabinet or upon
the same board, each meter shall be tagged or marked to indicate the circuit
metered by it.
Section
19. Overhead and Underground Wire Entrances.
(1) The overhead wire entrance shall be
located on the exterior of the building nearest the utility's lines at a point
not less than twelve (12) nor more than thirty (30) feet above the ground. When
proper ground clearance cannot be obtained due to height of building, a proper
supporting structure shall be provided by the customer unless arrangements can
be made with the utility whereby their overhead service wires can be carried to
the building in such a manner that these wires will not constitute an
obstruction to free passage of vehicles or fire fighting apparatus.
(2) Approval shall be obtained from the
utility as to the proper location for a service entrance.
(3) New service drops, both overhead and
underground, shall be installed in accordance with the National Electrical
Safety Code.
Section 20.
Operation of Illegal Gambling Devices.
(1)
When an electric utility, subject to the jurisdiction of this commission, is
notified in writing by a federal or state law enforcement agency, the Attorney
General of Kentucky, a Commonwealth's Attorney or a County Attorney acting in
his official capacity, that electric energy furnished by it is being used or
will be used for operating an illegal gambling device, it shall discontinue
rendering electric service to such customer, after reasonable notice to the
customer. No damages, penalty or forfeiture, civil or criminal, shall be found
against any electric utility for any act done in compliance with any such
notice received from the law enforcement agency or officer. Nothing in this
section shall be deemed to prejudice the right of any person affected thereby
to secure an appropriate judicial determination that such service should not be
discontinued, or should be restored.
(2) As provided by
KRS
278.230, any electric utility subject to
commission jurisdiction shall furnish to the commission upon request any
records or information in the possession of such electric utility that may
assist in the enforcement of this rule.
Section 21. Underground Electric Distribution
Systems for New Residential Customers.
(1)
Purpose of rules. To formulate requirements for underground electric
distribution systems for all new customers of those systems which will insure
safe and adequate service and which will be uniformly applicable within a
utility's service area.
(2)
Applicability. New residential customers and subdivisions as defined below
after the effective date of this rule.
(3) Rights of way and easements.
(a) The utility shall construct, own, operate
and maintain distribution lines only along easements, public streets, roads and
highways which are by legal right accessible to the utility's equipment and
which the utility has legal right to occupy, and on public lands and private
property across which rights of way and easements satisfactory to the utility
may be obtained without cost or condemnation by the utility.
(b) Rights of way and easements suitable to
the utility for underground distribution facilities shall be furnished by the
applicant in reasonable time to meet service requirements. The utility may
require that the applicant make the area in which underground distribution
facilities are to be located accessible to the company's equipment, remove all
obstructions from such area, stake to show property lines and final grade,
perform rough grading to reasonable approximation of final grade, and maintain
clearing and grading during construction by the utility. The utility may
require that suitable land rights be granted to it, obligating the applicant
and subsequent property owners to provide continuing access to the utility for
operation, maintenance or replacement of its facilities, and to prevent any
encroachment in the utility's easement or substantial changes in grade or
elevation.
(4)
Installation of underground distribution system within new subdivision.
(a) Where appropriate contractual
arrangements have been made, the utility shall install within the subdivision
an underground electric distribution system of sufficient capacity and suitable
materials which, in its judgment, will assure that the property owners will
receive safe and adequate electric service for the foreseeable
future.
(b) Facilities required to
be underground:
1. All single phase conductors
installed by the utility shall be underground. Appurtenances such as
transformers, pedestal-mounted terminals, switching equipment and meter
cabinets may be placed above ground.
2. Three (3) phase primary mains or feeders
required within a subdivision to supply local distribution or to serve
individual three (3) phase loads may be overhead unless underground is required
by governmental authority or chosen by the applicant, in either of which case
the differential cost of underground shall be borne by the applicant.
(c) If the applicant has complied
with the requirements herein and with the utility's specifications on file with
the commission, and has given the utility not less than 120 days written notice
prior to anticipated date of completion (i.e., ready for occupancy) of the
first building in the subdivision, the utility shall complete installation
thirty (30) days prior to estimated completion date. (Subject to weather and
ground conditions and availability of materials and barring extraordinary or
emergency circumstances beyond reasonable control of the utility.) However,
nothing in these administrative regulations shall be interpreted to require the
utility to extend service to portions of subdivisions not under active
development.
(5)
Schedule of charges.
(a) Within sixty (60)
days after the effective date of these rules, each utility shall file with the
commission a statement setting forth the utility's policy with respect to
electric underground extensions. Such policy shall provide for payment by the
applicant for the difference between the cost of providing underground
facilities and that of providing overhead facilities. The payment made by
applicant shall be expressed in terms of an amount per foot of conductor or
other appropriate measure.
(b) The
utility's policy as filed with the commission shall set forth an "estimated
average cost differential," if any, between the average or representative cost
of underground distribution systems and of equivalent overhead distribution
systems within the utility's service areas. The payment made by applicant as
provided for in paragraph (a) of this subsection shall not be more than the
estimated average cost differential and shall be nonrefundable.
(c) Detailed supporting data used to
determine estimated average cost differential shall be concurrently filed by
the utility with the commission and shall be updated annually.
(d) Applicant may be required to deposit the
entire estimated cost of the extension. If this is done, the amount deposited
in excess of the normal charge for underground extensions, as provided in
paragraph (a) of this subsection, shall be refunded to the applicant over a ten
(10) year period as provided in Section 11 of this administrative
regulation.
(e) Upon agreement by
both parties, if the applicant chooses to perform all necessary trenching and
backfilling in accordance with utility specifications, the utility shall credit
applicant's cost in an amount equal to the utility's cost for trenching and
backfilling.
(f) Utility extension
from the property or boundary of the subdivision to its existing supply
facilities shall normally be made overhead, and any deposit required for that
extension is subject to refund under Section 11 of this administrative
regulation. Upon request, such extension may be made underground, if the
applicant agrees to pay the excess cost for the underground extension, which
excess cost shall be nonrefundable.
(g)
1. Point
of service shall be that point where utility facilities join customer
facilities, irrespective of the location of the meter. Such point of service
shall normally be either at the property line or at the corner of the building
nearest the point at which underground systems enter the property to be served,
depending upon whether the utility or the customer owns the underground service
lateral.
2. If established utility
practice dictates service termination at the customer's property line, the
utility shall credit the applicant fifty (50) dollars or the equivalent cost of
an overhead service line to the applicant's meter base, whichever is
greater.
3. Where established
utility practice does not dictate service termination at the customer property
line, the utility shall include in its underground plan the furnishing,
installation, ownership, and maintenance of the service lateral to the meter
base providing the applicant installs in the building adequate electric service
entrance capacity to the satisfaction of the utility to assure that the
underground service conductors will be adequate to handle present and future
load requirements of the building. In this instance the utility will determine
the size and type of service lateral conductors and appurtenances to be used in
any installation.
4. If, by mutual
agreement of the parties, service terminates at some other point on the
building or property, the applicant shall pay the full cost of any additional
extension required in excess of that provided for in paragraph (g)1, 2 and 3 of
this subsection.
(h)
When an existing utility-owned supply circuit or service lateral requires
replacement or reinforcement due to added loads, etc., the utility at its
expense will replace or reinforce it.
(i) Nothing in this administrative regulation
shall be construed to prevent any utility from assuming any part of the cost
differential of providing underground distribution systems within subdivisions,
provided the utility demonstrates to the commission that such practice will not
result in increased rates to the general body of rate payers.
(j) The utility shall not be obligated to
install any facility within a subdivision until satisfactory arrangements for
payment of charges have been completed by the applicant.
(6) Cooperation by applicant. Charges
specified in these rules are based on the premise that each applicant will
cooperate with the utility in an effort to keep the cost of construction and
installation of the underground electric distribution system as low as possible
and make satisfactory arrangements for payment of the above charges prior to
installation of the facilities.
(7)
Construction. All electrical facilities shall be installed and constructed to
comply with applicable codes, rules and administrative regulations of the
commission.
Section 22.
Deviations from Rules. In special cases for good cause shown the commission may
permit deviations from these rules.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
278.280(2)