Current through February, 2024
Section 4.801
Authority
Vermont Statutes Annotated, Title 30, section
249a
authorizes a recreational campground to provide submetered electric
service to campground users on a nonprofit basis. Such service must
be provided in accordance with rules adopted by the Public Utility
Commission. This rule establishes the standards for such submetered
service in campgrounds.
Section 4.802 Definitions
(1) "Campground" means a tract or
parcel of land occupied by more than three campers for a brief period
for vacational or recreational purposes, whether or not as part of a
commercial operation. A camper may camp in an automobile trailer, a
recreational vehicle, a tent or a temporary cabin, but not in a
mobile home that is used as a residence.
(2) "Customer" means the ultimate
customer of a campground who rents or uses space at a campground and
whose electricity is submetered.
(3) "Average cost per KWH" for a
campground means the bill for electric power delivered to the
campground's master meter (excluding charges for disconnection, late
payment, or other similar service charges) divided by the KWH so
delivered, and rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent per
KWH.
Section
4.803 Meters
(A) In any
campground that sells electricity through submetering, customer
submeters shall be provided, installed and maintained by the
campground.
(B) All
meters shall meet any applicable building codes or other local
ordinances. Each customer's meter shall be visible to the customer.
Customer submeters shall provide service for the customer's site
only, and not for any common facility such as lighting for roadways
or common buildings.
(C)
Meters shall be calibrated when initially placed in service and at
least every 24 months thereafter. Calibration may be performed by a
licensed electrician, an electric utility, or any other entity
authorized by the Public Utility Commission to perform this function.
The cost of calibration will be paid by the campground. The
calibration shall be noted on the meter itself or recorded in a
calibration log. Calibration records shall be available on request at
each campground to customers and to the Department of Public Service
and the Public Utility Commission.
(D) When submeters are calibrated,
they shall be set as closely as possible to a condition of zero
error. Whenever an inspection, calibration or other test discloses
that a submeter has an error of more than two percent, it shall be
adjusted, repaired, or replaced. Any submeter that is removed from
service and replaced by another submeter shall be tested and adjusted
before it is again placed in service.
Section 4.804 Rates
(A) Whenever a campground charges
customers for electricity, the charge shall be based upon the
customer's measured kilowatt-hour (KWH) usage.
(B) Rates charged to customers
shall not exceed the campground's most current average cost per KWH
for the relevant seasonal rate period. Rates shall be recalculated
each month based upon the most recent bill received at the
campground. The campground may apply those rates for a calendar month
thereafter.
(1) For example, assume
that a utility's off-peak season extends from April 1 to October 31,
that the utility bills on a calendar month basis and sends bills out
on the fifth of the month, and that the campground also bills for
submetered electricity on a calendar month basis. The utility's
summer period begins on April 1, but on May 1, the last "summer rate
period" bill on hand at the campground would normally be from the
preceding October. Therefore, in setting the submetering rate for
May, the campground would measure its own costs from the preceding
October. By June, however, the campground would use data from the
bill sent out by the utility on May 5 (for April usage).
(C) Customers shall not
be required to prepay separately for expected electric usage.
However, this paragraph does not prohibit a campground from requiring
prepayment for use of a campsite, and then crediting the customer's
electric bill with some or all of the amount prepaid.
Section 4.805
Registration of Customers
Each campground customer who will pay
a separate electric charge shall be provided with a written statement
(which need not be separate) when the customer registers
stating:
(1) that
electricity used at the customer's site will be billed to the
customer;
(2) that
electricity used for common areas and common facilities will be the
responsibility of the campground;
(3) the current rate charged for
electricity, per KWH;
(4)
the initial meter reading for the assigned site; and
(5) a summary of complaint
procedures.
Section
4.806 Bills
(A)
Customers may be billed at checkout for actual electric usage, based
upon the customer's report of the meter reading or upon the
campground's reading of the meter.
(B) Notwithstanding subsection (A),
customers who anticipate staying at the same site for more than seven
days may be billed on a weekly or monthly basis for actual electric
usage. Customers who anticipate staying at the same site for 30 days
or more shall be billed at least monthly. Weekly or monthly customers
shall be billed promptly after meters are read.
(C) A customer's electric bill
shall contain the following:
(1)
the initial KWH reading and date for the current billing
period;
(2) the final KWH
reading and date for the current billing period;
(3) the applicable rate;
(4) the amount due; and
(5) a statement that payment is due
immediately or a date on which payment is due.
(D) On request of a customer who
has been or will be billed for electric usage, a campground shall
show the customer the campground's utility bill from which the
campground's current average cost per KWH has been
calculated.
(E) A
campground may provide customers with a budget billing plan under
which charges are averaged over time.
Section 4.807 Bill Adjustments
(A) Where a billing adjustment is
necessary due to meter error or other causes, the adjustment shall
not apply earlier than the beginning of the current camping season.
If the error has a known beginning date after the beginning of the
current camping season, that beginning date shall be used.
(B) A campground may make
adjustments for fast, slow, stopped, tampered or removed meters based
upon the customer's actual usage during a period when the meter was
accurate, either before or after the period when the meter was not
accurate. If no period can be found when the meter was accurate, an
adjustment can be made based upon all relevant information about the
customer and upon average usage of customers who are similarly
equipped. Any bill based on estimated usage shall be clearly marked
as such.
Section
4.808 Complaints
(A) A
customer may complain orally or in writing to the campground about
any bill and may request a conference on that bill. A complaint shall
state the customer's name, location, and the general nature of the
complaint.
(B) Upon
receiving a complaint, a campground shall:
(1) record the complaint in a
complaint log, which shall be made available to customers and the
Department of Public Service for inspection at reasonable
times;
(2) promptly,
thoroughly and completely investigate the complaint and confer with
the complainant as needed.
(3) notify the complainant in
writing of the results of the investigation and any proposed action.
(C)
Complaints not resolved by the campground may be brought to the
Consumer Affairs Division of the Department of Public Service. If not
resolved there, complaints may be brought to the Public Utility
Commission.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
30 V.S.A. §
249a