Missouri Code of State Regulations › Title 20 - DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND INSURANCE › Division 4240 - Public Service Commission › Chapter 10 - Utilities › Section 20 CSR 4240-10.040 - Service and Billing Practices for Commercial and Industrial Customers of Electric, Gas, Water, and Steam Heat Utilities

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 14, July 15, 2024
PURPOSE: This rule establishes service and billing
				  and payment standards to be observed by electric, gas, water, and steam heat
				  utilities, and their commercial and industrial customers in resolving questions
				  regarding these matters so that reasonable and uniform standards exist for
				  service and billing and payment practices for all electric, gas, water, and
				  steam heat utilities.
(1)
				Whenever a utility is unable to gain access to a customer's premises for the
				purpose of reading and testing meters or servicing or maintaining the utility's
				equipment or for other appropriate purposes, following calls made at the
				customer's premises during the usual course of business, the customer, on
				request from the utility, in which a particular time is specified, shall give
				access to his/her premises to representatives of the utility for those purposes
				at the time specified, which time shall be within the hours of 8:00 a.m. and
				5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, otherwise the utility may estimate for billing
				purposes the meter reading subject to correction when the utility may read the
				meter.
(2) Except for the
				provisions of this rule, all bills rendered to customers for metered service
				furnished will show the reading of the meter at the beginning and end of the
				period for which the bill is rendered and shall give the dates of readings, the
				number of units of service supplied and the basis of charge or reference.
				Where, by reason of the use of postal or other card form of billing or for
				other good reasons, this information cannot reasonably be placed on the bills,
				any utility may present for filing with the commission, in conjunction with its
				rules, a proposed form of billing. The commission may authorize, deny, or
				require modification of any such proposed form of billing.
(3) No utility shall discontinue the service
				of any customer for violation of any rule of that utility except on written
				notice of intention to discontinue service. This notice shall state the reason
				for which service will be discontinued, specify a date after which the
				discontinuance may be effected and shall be mailed to or served upon the
				customer not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to that date. This may be
				waived where a bypass is discovered on a customer's service meter, or in the
				event of discovery of dangerous leakage or short circuit on a customer's
				premises, or in the case of a customer utilizing the service in a manner as to
				make it dangerous for occupants of the premises, thus making the immediate
				discontinuance of service to the premises imperative, or in the case of an
				order from a governmental agency directing the discontinuance of service. In
				the event of discontinuance of service for any of these reasons, the customer
				shall be notified of the discontinuance immediately with a statement concerning
				the reason for discontinuance.
(4)
				Each utility may require from any customer at any time a cash deposit or, at
				its option, a personal guarantee of a responsible person provided that the
				amount of any such deposit or guarantee so required shall not exceed an
				estimated bill covering one (1) billing period plus thirty (30) days. A cash
				deposit shall bear interest at a rate specified in the utility's tariffs,
				approved by the commission, which shall be credited annually upon the account
				of the customer or paid upon the return of the deposit, whichever occurs first,
				and provided the cash deposit remains for a period of at least six (6) months.
				These provisions shall not apply to any deposits or guarantees made by the
				customer for the purpose of securing an extension of or additions to a
				utility's distributing system in accordance with the utility's rules covering
				these extensions as filed with this commission. Interest shall not accrue on
				any cash deposit after the date the utility has made a bona fide effort to
				return that deposit to the depositor. The utility, in its records, shall keep
				evidence of its effort to return the deposit. Each utility shall file with the
				commission, a tariff setting forth the interest rate payable on cash deposits,
				unless the utility already has a rate of interest set forth in its
				tariff.
(5) A statement of the
				practice of any utility covering deposits or guarantees of surety, together
				with interest rate payable upon cash deposits, must be filed with the
				commission as a portion of the utility's schedule of rates under the provisions
				of the commission's rules covering the filing and publication of rate
				schedules. A statement of the practice governing service main or line
				extensions by any utility must likewise be filed with the commission as a
				portion of the schedule of rates on file. Each utility shall adjust customer's
				bills for incorrect meter readings or improper meter registration in a
				reasonable and equitable manner consistent with the rules which it has on file
				with the commission. Any specific rule adopted by a utility covering these
				adjustments shall be filed with the commission in conformance with the
				commission's rules covering the filing and publication of rate
				schedules.
(6) Customer, as used in
				this rule, means a commercial or industrial customer of an electric, gas,
				water, or steam heat utility.
*Original authority: 386.250, RSMo 1939, amended 1963,
					 1967, 1977, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996; 393.140, RSMo 1939,
					 amended 1949, 1967; and 393.290, RSMo 1939, amended
					 1967.