Florida Administrative Code › 25 - PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION › 25 - Departmental › Chapter 25-6 - ELECTRIC SERVICE BY ELECTRIC PUBLIC UTILITIES › Part VI - CUSTOMER RELATIONS › Section 25-6.103 - Adjustment of Bills for Meter Error

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1)
				  For mechanical or lagged demand meters, the error at the customer's average
				  billing demand over the refund period shall be used to determine the amount to
				  refund or backbill the customer. This error shall be determined by testing the
				  meter at both 40 percent and 80 percent of meter full scale value, as read on
				  the standard or reference meter, or as near to these two points as is
				  practicable. The following formula shall be used to estimate the kilowatt error
				  of the meter at the customer's average billing demand:
Eavg = [E80 -
					 E40]/[M80 -
					 M40]*[Mavg -
					 M40] + E40
where:
Mavg denotes the customer's average
					 billing demand over the refund period;
M40 and M80
					 denote the kilowatt readings on the meter being tested when the reference meter
					 is at 40 percent and 80 percent of the full-scale value of the meter being
					 tested, respectively;
E40 and E80
					 denote the kilowatt errors on the meter being tested corresponding to
					 M40 and M80, respectively;
					 and
Eavg denotes the estimated kilowatt
					 error at the customer's average billing demand.
The kilowatt error is determined,
					 Eavg, shall be expressed as a percentage, P, of the
					 reference meter reading corresponding to the average billing demand. This
					 percentage shall be used to determine the corrected billing demand for each
					 month of the refund period. A correction factor, C.F., will be applied to the
					 original billing demand for each month in the refund/backbill period to
					 determine the corrected billing demand for each month as follows:
C.F. * Original Billing Demand = Corrected Billing
					 Demand
where:
C.F. = [1/(1+P)]
and P is the percentage error of
					 Eavg relative to the reference meter reading
					 corresponding to the average billing demand over the refund/backbill
					 period.
(2) For watthour and
				  electronic demand meters, the percentage error to be used for refunds and
				  backbills shall be the same percentage calculated when tested for watthour
				  registration as set forth in subsection
				   25-6.058(1)  and
				  paragraph  25-6.058(2)(b),
				  F.A.C., respectively. A correction factor, C.F., will be applied to the
				  original billing demand/energy for each month in the refund/backbill period to
				  determine the corrected billing demand/energy for each month as follows:
C.F. * Original Billing Demand/Energy = Corrected Billing
					 Demand/Energy
where:
C.F. = [1/1(1+P)]
and P is the percentage error calculated according to
					 subsection  25-6.058(1),
					 F.A.C., for watthour meters and paragraph
					  25-6.058(2)(b),
					 F.A.C., for electronic demand meters.
(3) Over-registering meters. Whenever a meter
				  tested is found to have an error in excess of the plus tolerance allowed in
				  Rule  25-6.052, F.A.C., the utility
				  shall refund to the customer the amount billed in error as determined by
				  subsection (1) or subsection (2) of this rule for one half the period since the
				  last test, said one half period shall not exceed twelve (12) months; except
				  that if it can be shown that the error was due to some cause, the date of which
				  can be fixed, the overcharges shall be computed back to but not beyond such
				  date based upon available records. The refund shall not include any part of any
				  minimum charge.
(4)
				  Under-registering meters.
(a) A utility may
				  backbill in the event that a meter is found to be under-registering. A utility
				  may not backbill for any period greater than twelve (12) months. If it can be
				  ascertained that the meter was under-registering for less than twelve (12)
				  months, then the utility may backbill only for the lesser period of time. In
				  any event, the customer may extend the payments of the backbill over the same
				  amount of time for which the utility issued the backbill.
(b) Nothing in paragraph (4)(a) of this rule
				  shall be construed to limit the application of Rule
				   25-6.104, F.A.C., or prohibit a
				  utility from backbilling for four years pursuant to subsection (7) of this
				  rule.
(c) Whenever a meter is
				  tested and not subject to Rule
				   25-6.104 or subsection
				   25-6.105(5),
				  F.A.C., and is found to have an error in excess of the minus tolerance allowed
				  by Rule  25-6.052, F.A.C., the utility
				  may bill the customer an amount equal to the unbilled error as determined by
				  subsection (1) or subsection (2) of this rule. If the utility has required a
				  deposit for a meter test as permitted under subsection (2) of Rule
				   25-6.059, F.A.C., the customer
				  may be billed only for that portion of the unbilled error which is in excess of
				  the deposit retained by the utility.