Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 515 - RULES OF GEORGIA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION › Chapter 515-7 - GAS UTILITIES › Subject 515-7-7 - SERVICE QUALITY STANDARDS FOR THE ELECTING DISTRIBUTION COMPANY › Rule 515-7-7-.02 - Definitions

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
Terms used in these rules have the following meaning:
(a) "Accurate Meter Read Ratio" means the
				total of all firm cycle meter readings issued during the cycle month minus the
				cancelled cycle readings divided by the total active meters.
(b) "Act" means the Natural Gas Competition
				and Deregulation Act, as amended, as provided for in O.C.G.A. §
									46-4-150
et
				seq.
(c) "Acquiring and
				Managing Interstate Capacity Assets" means the Commission-approved process of
				planning and contracting for interstate capacity assets to serve the projected
				firm demand on Atlanta Gas Light Company's (AGLC) system.
(d) "Ancillary Service" means a service that
				is ancillary to the receipt or delivery of natural gas, including without
				limitation storage, balancing, peaking, and customer services.
(e) "Benchmarks" means the range, including
				the allowed tolerance band, of performance that may trigger required remedial
				action or the imposition of fines.
(f) "Call Center Response Time to Customers"
				means the percent of calls responded to within a designated time
				frame.
(g) "Call Center Response
				Time to Marketers" means the percent of calls to marketers responded to within
				a designated time frame.
(h)
				"Commission" means the Georgia Public Service Commission.
(i) "Consumer" or "Customer" or "End-Use
				Customer" means a retail customer of commodity sales service or of firm
				distribution service who uses such service or services primarily for personal,
				family, or household purposes.
(j)
				"Customer Service" means a function related to serving a retail customer
				including without limitation billing, meter reading, turnon service, and
				turn-off service. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any
				person may perform one or more customer services without first becoming
				certificated in accordance with O.C.G.A. §
									46-4-153; provided, however, that
				such service may only be performed in compliance with all state and federal
				laws pertaining to the safety of natural gas pipelines and distribution systems
				and any other applicable safety standards.
(k) "Distribution Service" means the delivery
				of natural gas by and through the intrastate instrumentalities and facilities
				of a gas company or of a marketer certificated pursuant to O.C.G.A. §
									46-4-153, regardless of the party
				having title to the natural gas.
(l) "Electing Distribution Company" or "EDC"
				means a gas company that elects to become subject to the provisions of the Act
				and satisfies the requirements of O.C.G.A. §
									46-4-154.
(m) "Electronic Bulletin Board" means an
				interactive electronic communication system that allows parties to view
				gas-related information, make nominations, offer bids, and receive
				confirmations.
(n) "Estimated Meter
				Read" means an EDC was unable to get an actual meter read from a customer's
				premise due to various circumstances.
(o) "Firm" means a type of distribution
				service that ordinarily is not subject to interruption or
				curtailment.
(p) "Forecasting"
				means the process by which the EDC estimates the firm system demand on any
				given day.
(q) "Gas" means natural
				gas.
(r) "GOS" means the EDC's gas
				operating system.
(s) "Lost and
				Unaccounted-for Natural Gas" means the difference between the city gate volumes
				and the measured volumes.
(t) "Lost
				and Unaccounted-for Natural Gas Percentage" means the percentage of lost and
				unaccounted-for natural gas as compared to the total system throughput, as
				reported to the Georgia Department of Transportation on July of each
				year.
(u) "Marketer" means any
				person certificated by the Commission to provide commodity sales service or
				distribution service pursuant to O.C.G.A. §
									46-4-153 or ancillary services
				incident thereto.
(v) "Meter
				Disconnection/Turn-off Ratio" means the ratio of the number of timely meter
				disconnections compared to the total number of requested meter
				disconnections.
(w) ''Meter
				Disconnection/Turn-on Ratio'' means the ratio of the number of timely meter
				reconnections compared to the total number of requested meter
				reconnections.
(x) "Penalty" means
				a monetary amount paid to the State in the event that the EDC fails to meet the
				established service quality measures and benchmarks.
(y) "Pipeline" means all parts of those
				physical facilities through which gas moves in transportation, including pipe,
				valves, and other accessories attached to pipe, compressor units, metering
				stations, regulator stations, delivery stations, holders, and fabricated
				assemblies.
(z) "Respond" means a
				follow-up on the part of the EDC in response to a customer, marketer, or
				Commission request for said action.
(aa) "Service Quality Measure" means what
				services are measured and how said services are measured.
(bb) "Service Quality Standards" means the
				service quality measure, benchmark, and penalty.
(cc) "Timely Meter Read Ratio" means the
				number of timely meter reads as compared to the total number of reads by the
				EDC.
O.C.G.A. Secs.
				  46-4-150,
				  46-4-155.