Code of Vermont Rules › Agency 30 - PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION › Sub-Agency 000 - GENERAL › Chapter 044 - CAMPGROUND SUBMETERING › Section 30 000 044 - CAMPGROUND SUBMETERING

Current through June, 2024
SUBCHAPTER
			 4.800 CAMPGROUND SUBMETERING
4.801 Authority
Vermont
				Statutes Annotated, Title 30, section
				249a
				authorizes a recreational campground to provide submetered electric
				service to campground users on a nonprofit basis. Such service must
				be provided in accordance with rules adopted by the Public Service
				Board. This rule establishes the standards for such submetered
				service in campgrounds.
4.802 Definitions
(1) "Campground" means a tract or
			 parcel of land occupied by more than three campers for a brief period
			 for vacational or recreational purposes, whether or not as part of a
			 commercial operation. A camper may camp in an automobile trailer, a
			 recreational vehicle, a tent or a temporary cabin, but not in a
			 mobile home that is used as a residence.
(2) "Customer" means the ultimate
			 customer of a campground who rents or uses space at a campground and
			 whose electricity is submetered.
(3) "Average cost per KWH" for a
			 campground means the bill for electric power delivered to the
			 campground's master meter (excluding charges for disconnection, late
			 payment, or other similar service charges) divided by the KWH so
			 delivered, and rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent per
			 KWH.
4.803
			 Meters
(A) In any campground that
			 sells electricity through submetering, customer submeters shall be
			 provided, installed and maintained by the campground.
(B) All meters shall meet any
			 applicable building codes or other local ordinances. Each customer's
			 meter shall be visible to the customer. Customer submeters shall
			 provide service for the customer's site only, and not for any common
			 facility such as lighting for roadways or common buildings.
(C) Meters shall be calibrated when
			 initially placed in service and at least every 24 months thereafter.
			 Calibration may be performed by a licensed electrician, an electric
			 utility, or any other entity authorized by the Public Service Board
			 to perform this function. The cost of calibration will be paid by the
			 campground. The calibration shall be noted on the meter itself or
			 recorded in a calibration log. Calibration records shall be available
			 upon request at each campground to customers and to the Department of
			 Public Service and the Public Service Board.
(D) When submeters are calibrated,
			 they shall be set as closely as possible to a condition of zero
			 error. Whenever an inspection, calibration or other test discloses
			 that a submeter has an error of more than two percent, it shall be
			 adjusted, repaired, or replaced. Any submeter that is removed from
			 service and replaced by another submeter shall be tested and adjusted
			 before it is again placed in service.
4.804 Rates
(A) Whenever a campground charges
			 for electricity, the charge shall be based upon the customer's
			 measured kilowatt-hour (KWH) usage.
(B) Rates charged to customers
			 shall not exceed the campground's most current average cost per KWH
			 for the relevant seasonal rate period. Rates shall be recalculated
			 each month based upon the most recent bill received at the
			 campground. The campground may apply those rates for a calendar month
			 thereafter.
(1) For example, assume
			 that a utility's off-peak season extends from April 1 to October 31,
			 that the utility bills on a calendar month basis and sends bills out
			 on the fifth month, and that the campground also bills for submetered
			 electricity on a calendar month basis. The utility's summer period
			 begins on April 1, but on May 1, the last "summer rate period" bill
			 on hand at the campground would normally be from the preceding
			 October. Therefore, in setting the submetering rate for May, the
			 campground would measure its own costs from the preceding October. By
			 June, however, the campground would use data from the bill sent out
			 by the utility on May 5 (for April usage).
(C) Customers shall not be required
			 to prepay separately for expected electrical usage. However, this
			 paragraph does not prohibit a campground from requiring prepayment
			 for use of a campsite, and then crediting the customer's electric
			 bill with some or all the amount prepaid.
4.805 Registration of
			 Customers
Each campground customer who will pay a separate
				electric charge shall be provided with a written statement (which
				need not be separate) when the customer registers stating:
(1) that electricity used at the
			 customer's site will be billed to the customer;
(2) that electricity used for
			 common areas and common facilities will be the responsibility of the
			 campground;
(3) the
			 current rate charged for electricity, per KWH;
(4) the initial meter reading for
			 the assigned site; and
(5) a summary of complaint
			 procedures.
4.806 Bills
(A) Customers may be billed at
			 checkout for actual electric usage, based upon the customer's report
			 of the meter reading or upon the campground's reading of the
			 meter.
(B)
			 Notwithstanding subsection (A), customers who anticipate staying at
			 the same site for more than seven days may be billed on a weekly or
			 monthly basis for actual electric usage. Customers who anticipate
			 staying at the same site for 30 days or more shall be billed at least
			 monthly. Weekly or monthly customers shall be billed promptly after
			 meters are read.
(C) A
			 customer's electric bill shall contain the following:
(1) the initial KWH reading and
			 date for the current billing period;
(2) the final KWH reading and date
			 for the current billing period;
(3) the applicable rate;
(4) the amount due; and
(5) a statement that payment is due
			 immediately or a date on which payment is due.
(D) On request of a customer who
			 has been or will be billed for electric usage, a campground shall
			 show the customer the campground's utility bill from which the
			 campground's current average cost per KWH has been
			 calculated.
(E) A
			 campground may provide customers with a budget billing plan under
			 which charges are averaged over time.
4.807 Bill Adjustments
(A) Where a billing adjustment is
			 necessary due to meter error or other causes, the adjustment shall
			 not apply earlier than the beginning of the current camping season.
			 If the error has a known beginning date after the beginning of the
			 current camping season, that beginning date shall be used.
(B) A campground may make
			 adjustments for fast, slow, stopped, tampered or removed meters based
			 upon the customer's actual usage during a period when the meter was
			 accurate, either before or after the period when the meter was not
			 accurate. If no period can be found when the meter was accurate, an
			 adjustment can be made based upon all relevant information about the
			 customer and upon average usage of customers who are similarly
			 equipped. Any bill based on estimated usage shall be clearly marked
			 as such.
4.808
			 Complaints
(A) A customer may
			 complain orally or in writing to the campground about any bill and
			 may request a conference on that bill. A complaint shall state the
			 customer's name, location, and the general nature of the
			 complaint.
(B) Upon
			 receiving a complaint, a campground shall:
(1) record the complaint in a
			 complaint log, which shall be made available to customers and the
			 Department of Public Service for inspection at reasonable
			 times;
(2) promptly,
			 thoroughly and completely investigate the complaint and confer with
			 the complainant as needed.
(3) notify the complainant in
			 writing of the results of the investigation and any proposed
			 action.
(C)
			 Complaints not resolved by the campground may be brought to the
			 Consumer Affairs Division of the Department of Public Service. If not
			 resolved there, complaints may be brought to the Public Service
			 Board.