Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4901:1 - Utilities › Chapter 4901:1-18 - Termination of Residential Service › Section 4901:1-18-01 - Definitions

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1,
			 2024
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall
				apply:
(A) "Applicant" means any
			 person who requests or makes application with a utility company for any of the
			 following residential services: electric, gas, or natural gas.
(B) "Arrearages" means for each percentage of
			 income payment plan plus (PIPP plus) customer such customer's accrued charges
			 at the time the customer enrolls in the PIPP plus program, plus accumulated
			 charges while enrolled in PIPP plus, but does not
			 include current or past due monthly PIPP plus payments.
(C) "Bona fide dispute" means a complaint
			 registered with the commission's call center or a formal complaint filed with
			 the commission's docketing division.
(D) "Collection charge" means a tariffed
			 charge assessed to a residential customer by a utility company when payment or
			 proof of payment is given to a utility company authorized agent or employee
			 sent to disconnect the service and who is authorized to accept payment in lieu
			 of disconnection.
(E) "Commission"
			 means the public utilities commission of Ohio.
(F) "Consumer" means any person who is an
			 ultimate user of electric, gas, or natural gas utility service.
(G) "Customer" means any person who enters
			 into an agreement, whether by contract or under a tariff, to purchase electric, gas, or natural gas utility
			 service.
(H) "Customer premise"
			 means the service address where the customer receives the residential electric,
			 gas, or natural gas utility service.
(I) "Default" means the failure to make the
			 required payment on an extended payment plan by the due date.
(J) "Extended payment plan" means an
			 agreement between the customer and the company that requires the customer to
			 make payments over a set period of time to the company on unpaid amounts owed
			 to the company.
(K) "Former
			 percentage of income payment plan plus customer" (former PIPP plus customer)
			 means a customer that (1) remains within the
			  gas or natural gas utility
			 company's service territory; (2)
								
								either
			 elects to terminate participation in the PIPP plus program
			 or is no longer eligible to participate in the PIPP plus as a result of an increase in the household
			 income or change in the household size; and
			 (3) is not in a graduate
			 PIPP plus.
(L) "Fraudulent act" means an intentional
			 misrepresentation or concealment by the customer or consumer of a material fact
			 that the electric, gas, or natural gas utility company relies on to its
			 detriment. "Fraudulent act" does not include tampering.
(M) "Graduate percentage of income payment
			 plan plus customer" (graduate PIPP plus customer) means a customer who was
			 previously enrolled in a PIPP plus and who meets the
			 requirements, as set forth in rule
			 4901:1-18-16
			 of the Administrative Code, to participate in the transitional phase of the
			 income-based payment plan for low-income, residential customers served by
			 regulated electric, gas, and natural gas utility companies.
(N) "Household income" has the meaning
			 attributed to it by the Ohio department of development, office of community
			 services, in the administration of the home energy assistance
			 program.
(O) "On-time payment"
			 means for the purpose of applying incentive credits, a PIPP plus installment
			 received by the gas or natural gas company prior to the date that the next bill
			 is issued.
(P) "Percentage of
			 income payment plan plus" (PIPP plus) means the income-based payment plan for
			 low-income, residential customers served by regulated electric, gas, and
			 natural gas utility companies.
(Q)
			 "PIPP plus anniversary date" means the calendar date by which the PIPP plus
			 customer must be current on his or her income-based PIPP plus payments to
			 continue participation in PIPP plus. The anniversary date shall be at or about
			 every twelve months from when the customer enrolled in PIPP plus. This date is
			 used to calculate when any missed income-based PIPP plus payments are
			 due for continued PIPP plus program participation. This date is used to review
			 and recalculate the arrearage credit, if necessary.
(R)
			 "PIPP plus customer" means the customer currently enrolled in PIPP
			 plus.
(S) "PIPP plus reverification
			 date" means the calendar date by which the PIPP plus customer must document his
			 or her household income and household size to continue participation in the
			 PIPP plus program or participate in the graduate PIPP plus program. The
			 reverification date shall be every twelve months from when the customer last
			 reverified.
(T) "Tampering" means
			 to interfere with, damage, or by-pass a utility meter, conduit, or attachment
			 with the intent to impede the correct registration of a meter or the proper
			 functions of a conduit or attachment so as to reduce the amount of utility
			 service that is registered on the meter. Tampering includes the unauthorized
			 reconnection of an electric, gas, or natural gas meter, or a conduit or
			 attachment that has been disconnected by the utility company.
(U) "Utility company" means all persons,
			 firms, or corporations engaged in the business of providing electric, gas, or
			 natural gas service to consumers as defined in division (A)(06) of section
			 4928.01,
			 division (A)(4) of section
			 4905.03,
			 and division (G) of section
			 4929.01
			 of the Revised Code, respectively.
(V) "Winter heating season" means the time
			 period from November first through April fifteenth.