North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 04 - COMMERCE › Chapter 11 - UTILITIES COMMISSION › Chapter 12 › Section 11 R12-11 - DISCONNECTION OF RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER'S ELECTRIC SERVICE

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) The date after which the bill is due, or
				the past due after date, shall be disclosed on the bill and shall not be less
				than twenty-five (25) days after the billing date. Payment within this
				twenty-five day period will either maintain or count toward improvement of the
				customer's credit code classification. Payment of a bill after the specified
				due date could result in the lowering of a customer's credit code relating to
				one which permits the utility to disconnect on an earlier date.
(b) For purposes of this rule, payment shall
				be defined as delivery of the amount due to a company business office or
				designated payment agency during regular business hours by 5:00 p.m. on the
				twenty-fifth (25th) day, unless such day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal
				holiday in which event the last day for payment runs until the end of the next
				day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
(c) Those electric customers from whom
				deposits are required under the provisions of Commission Rules R12-2 or R12-3
				and who receive their largest bills seasonally (such as customers who use
				electricity for heating) may be considered seasonal customers in determining
				the amount of deposit under Rule R12-4. The deposits collectible from such
				customers shall not exceed one-half (1/2) of the estimated charge for service
				for the season involved. For purposes of this provision the heating season
				shall be the calendar months October through March.
(d) Each electric utility shall file tariffs
				with the Commission to impose charges, not to exceed the charges allowed by
				G.S.
				25-3-506, for checks tendered on a customer's
				account and returned for insufficient funds. This charge shall apply regardless
				of when the check is tendered.
(e)
				Each electric utility, through its meter reader, office, or designated payment
				agency is authorized to collect payment by cash or check for bills past due and
				in arrears, and for current bills once the meter reader has left the office
				with a list of customers whose service is to be disconnected, unless the day on
				which the meter reader has left the office with such list is prior to the third
				day preceding the past due date of the current bill of any customer whose
				service is to be disconnected, in which case the utility is authorized only to
				collect payment for bills past due and in arrears.
"Current bill" is defined as a bill rendered but not past
				  due. "Bill in arrears" is defined as a bill rendered and past due.
(f) Each electric utility
				operating under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Utilities Commission
				shall immediately revise, where necessary, its billing procedures to conform to
				the following approximate schedules:
A.
				Customers beyond their first twelve months of service with "good credit
				established."
Approximate Billing Cycle Day
Standard Procedure
1
Meter read.
5
Bill mailed.
31
Meter read.
35
Second bill mailed, showing 1-month prior account
							 balance and current bill.
61
Meter read.
65
Third bill mailed with a reminder notice.
79
Disconnect notices prepared in conformity with
							 subsection (l) of this rule are reviewed by the utility before mailing to
							 customers. Seven days allowed to make credit arrangements.
89
Review of accounts to determine if customer has taken
							 necessary action to avoid disconnection. Supervisory approval given to final
							 disconnect orders.
91
Meter read and the field representative makes the
							 effort to notify the customer, receive payment or defer disconnection in
							 accordance with Rule R12-11(m)(2), make satisfactory credit arrangements, agree
							 to defer action because of death or illness, or disconnects. Field
							 representative may require payment of all past due portions of bill, consistent
							 with the rules set forth above. Customer has immediate recourse to the utility
							 for reconnection action.
B.
				All customers within their first twelve months of service and customers beyond
				their first twelve months of service with "good credit not established" will
				have delinquency started on the 35th rather than the 65th day. The billing
				schedule will then be approximately as follows:
Approximate Billing Cycle Day
Standard Procedure
1
Meter read.
5
Bill mailed.
31
Meter read.
35
Second bill mailed, showing 1-month prior account
							 balance and current bill, and with a reminder notice.
49
Disconnect notices prepared in conformity with
							 subsection (l) of this rule are reviewed by the utility before mailing to
							 customers. Seven days allowed to make credit arrangements.
59
Review of accounts to determine if customer has taken
							 necessary action to avoid disconnection. Supervisory approval given to final
							 disconnect orders.
61
Meter read and the field representative makes the
							 effort to notify the customer, receive payment or defer disconnection in
							 accordance with Rule R12-11(m)(2), make satisfactory credit arrangements, agree
							 to defer action because of death or illness, or disconnects. Field
							 representative may require payment of all past due portions of bill, consistent
							 with the rules set forth above. Customer has immediate recourse to the utility
							 for reconnection action.