(1)
Customer information. Each utility shall:
a. Maintain up-to-date maps, plans or records
of its entire transmission and distribution systems, with such other
information as may be necessary to enable the utility to advise prospective
customers, and others entitled to the information, as to the facilities
available for serving customers in its service area.
b. Assist the customer or prospective
customer in selecting the most economical rate schedule available for the
proposed type of service.
c. Notify
customers affected by a change in rates or schedule classification in the
manner provided in the rules of practice and procedure before the board.
(199-26.5(476))
d. Post a notice in
a conspicuous place in each office of the utility where applications for
service are received, informing the public that copies of the rate schedules
and rules relating to the service of the utility, as filed with the board, are
available for public inspection. If the utility provides access to its rate
schedules and rules for service on its Web site, the notice shall include the
Web site address.
e. Upon request,
inform its customers as to the method of reading meters.
f. State, on the bill form, that tariff and
rate schedule information is available upon request at the utility's local
business office. If the utility provides access to its tariff and rate
schedules on its Web site, the statement shall include the Web site
address.
g. Upon request, transmit
a statement of either the customer's actual consumption, or degree day adjusted
consumption, at the company's option, of natural gas for each billing period
during the prior 12 months.
h.
Furnish such additional information as the customer may reasonably
request.
(2)
Customer contact employee qualifications. Each utility shall
promptly and courteously resolve inquiries for information or complaints.
Employees who receive customer telephone calls and office visits shall be
qualified and trained in screening and resolving complaints, to avoid a
preliminary recitation of the entire complaint to employees without ability and
authority to act. The employee shall provide identification to the customer
that will enable the customer to reach that employee again if needed.
Each utility shall notify its customers, by bill insert or
notice on the bill form, of the address and telephone number where a utility
representative qualified to assist in resolving the complaint can be reached.
The bill insert or notice shall also include the following statement: "If
(utility name) does not resolve your complaint, you may request assistance from
the Iowa Utilities Board by calling (515)725-7321 or toll-free 1-877-565-4450,
or by writing to 1375 E. Court Avenue, Room 69, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0069, or
by e-mail to customer(@)iub.iowa.gov."
The bill insert or notice for municipal utilities shall
include the following statement: "If your complaint is related to service
disconnection, safety, or renewable energy, and (utility name) does not resolve
your complaint, you may request assistance from the Iowa Utilities Board by
calling (515)725-7321, or toll-free 1-877-565-4450, by writing to 1375 E. Court
Avenue, Room 69, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0069, or by e-mail
tocustomer@iub.iowa.gov."
The bill insert or notice on the bill form shall be provided
monthly by utilities serving more than 50,000 Iowa retail customers and no less
than annually by all other natural gas utilities. Any utility which does not
use the standard statement described in this subrule shall file its proposed
statement in its tariff for approval. A utility that bills by postcard may
place an advertisement in a local newspaper of general circulation or a
customer newsletter instead of a mailing. The advertisement must be of a type
size that is easily legible and conspicuous and must contain the information
set forth above.
(3)
Customer deposits.
a. Each
utility may require from any customer or prospective customer a deposit
intended to guarantee partial payment of bills for service. Each utility shall
allow a person other than the customer to pay the customer's deposit. In lieu
of a cash deposit, the utility may accept the written guarantee of a surety or
other responsible party as surety for an account. Upon termination of a
guarantee contract, or whenever the utility deems the contract insufficient as
to amount or surety, a cash deposit or a new or additional guarantee may be
required for good cause upon reasonable written notice.
b. A new or additional deposit may be
required from a customer when a deposit has been refunded or is found to be
inadequate. Written notice shall be mailed advising the customer of any new or
additional deposit requirement. The customer shall have no less than 12 days
from the date of mailing to comply. The new or additional deposit shall be
payable at any of the utility's business offices or local authorized agents. An
appropriate receipt shall be provided. No written notice is required to be
given of a deposit required as a prerequisite for commencing initial
service.
c. No deposit shall be
required as a condition for service other than determined by application of
either credit rating or deposit calculation criteria, or both, of the filed
tariff.
d. The total deposit for
any residential or commercial customer for a place which has previously
received service shall not be greater than the highest billing of service for
one month for the place in the previous 12-month period. The deposit for any
residential or commercial customer for a place which has not previously
received service or for an industrial customer, shall be the customer's
projected one-month usage for the place to be served as determined by the
utility, or as may be reasonably required by the utility in cases involving
service for short periods or special occasions.
(4)
Interest on customer
deposits. Interest shall be paid by the rate-regulated utility to each
customer required to make a deposit. On or after April 21, 1994, rate-regulated
utilities shall compute interest on customer deposits at 7.5 percent per annum,
compounded annually. Interest for prior periods shall be computed at the rate
specified by the rule in effect for the period in question. Interest shall be
paid for the period beginning with the date of deposit to the date of refund or
to the date that the deposit is applied to the customer's account, or to the
date the customer's bill becomes permanently delinquent. The date of refund is
that date on which the refund or the notice of deposit refund is forwarded to
the customer's last-known address. The date a customer's bill becomes
permanently delinquent, relative to an account treated as an uncollectible
account, is the most recent date the account became delinquent.
(5)
Customer deposit
records. Each utility shall keep records to show:
a. The name and address of each
depositor
b. The amount and date of
the deposit.
c. Each transaction
concerning the deposit.
(6)
Customer's receipt for a
deposit. Each utility shall issue a receipt of deposit to each
customer from whom a deposit is received, and shall provide means whereby a
depositor may establish claim if the receipt is lost.
(7)
Deposit refund. A
deposit shall be refunded after 12 consecutive months of prompt payment (which
may be 11 timely payments and one automatic forgiveness of late payment),
unless the utility is entitled to require a new or additional deposit. For
refund purposes, the account shall be reviewed after 12 months of service
following the making of the deposit and for each 12-month interval terminating
on the anniversary of the deposit. However, deposits received from customers
subject to the waiver provided by subrule19.3(7), including surety deposits,
may be retained by the utility until final billing. Upon termination of
service, the deposit plus accumulated interest, less any unpaid utility bill of
the customer, shall be reimbursed to the person who made the deposit.
(8)
Unclaimed
deposits. The utility shall make a reasonable effort to return each
unclaimed deposit and accrued interest after the termination of the services
for which the deposit was made. The utility shall maintain a record of deposit
information for at least two years or until such time as the deposit, together
with accrued interest, escheats to the state pursuant to Iowa Code section
556.4, at which time the record and deposit, together with accrued interest
less any lawful deductions, shall be sent to the state treasurer pursuant to
Iowa Code section
556.11.
(9)
Customer bill forms.
Each customer shall be informed as promptly as possible following the reading
of the customer's meter, on bill form or otherwise, of the following:
a. The reading of the meter at the beginning
and at the end of the period for which the bill is provided.
b. The dates on which the meter was read at
the beginning and end of the billing period.
c. The number and kind of units
metered.
d. The applicable rate
schedule with the identification of the applicable rate
classification.
e. The account
balance brought forward and the amount of each net charge for
rate-schedule-priced utility service, sales tax, other taxes, late payment
charge, and total amount currently due. In the case of prepayment meters, the
amount of money collected shall be shown.
f. The last date for timely payment shall be clearly shown and
shall be not less than 20 days after the bill is provided.
g. A distinct marking to identify an
estimated bill.
h. A distinct
marking to identify a minimum bill.
i. Any conversions from meter reading units
to billing units, or any calculations to determine billing units from recording
or other devices, or any other factors, such as sliding scale or automatic
adjustment and amount of sales tax adjustments used in determining the
bill.
(10)
Customer hilling information alternate. A utility serving
fewer than 5000 gas customers may provide the information in 19.4(9) on bill
form or otherwise. If the utility elects not to provide the information of
19.4(9) on the bill form, it shall advise the customer, on the bill form or by
bill insert, that such information can be obtained by contacting the utility's
local office.
(11)
Payment
agreements.
a.
Availability
of a first payment agreement. When a residential customer cannot pay
in full a delinquent bill for utility service or has an outstanding debt to the
utility for residential utility service and is not in default of a payment
agreement with the utility, a utility shall offer the customer an opportunity
to enter into a reasonable payment agreement.
b.
Reasonableness. Whether a
payment agreement is reasonable will be determined by considering the current
household income, ability to pay, payment history including prior defaults on
similar agreements, the size of the bill, the amount of time and the reasons
why the bill has been outstanding, and any special circumstances creating
extreme hardships within the household. The utility may require the person to
confirm financial difficulty with an acknowledgment from the department of
human services or another agency.
c.
Terms of payment
agreements.
(1) First payment
agreement. The utility shall offer the following conditions to customers who
have received a disconnection notice or who have been previously disconnected
and are not in default of a payment agreement:
1. For customers who received a disconnection
notice or who have been disconnected less than 120 days and are not in default
of a payment agreement, the utility shall offer an agreement with at least 12
even monthly payments. For customers who have been disconnected more than 120
days and are not in default of a payment agreement, the utility shall offer an
agreement with at least 6 even monthly payments. The utility shall inform
customers they may pay off the delinquency early without incurring any
prepayment penalties.
2. The
agreement shall also include provision for payment of the current
account.
3. The utility may also
require the customer to enter into a budget billing plan to pay the current
bill.
4. When the customer makes
the agreement in person, a signed copy of the agreement shall be provided to
the customer.
5. The utility may
offer the customer the option of making the agreement over the telephone or
through electronic transmission.
6.
When the customer makes the agreement over the telephone or through electronic
transmission, the utility shall provide to the customer a written document
reflecting the terms and conditions of the agreement within three days of the
date the parties entered into the oral agreement or electronic
agreement.
7. The document will be
considered provided to the customer when addressed to the customer's last-known
address and deposited in the U.S. mail with postage paid. If delivery is by
other than U.S. mail, the document shall be considered provided to the customer
when delivered to the last-known address of the person responsible for payment
for the service.
8. The document
shall state that unless the customer notifies the utility otherwise within ten
days from the date the document is provided, it will be deemed that the
customer accepts the terms as reflected in the written document. The document
stating the terms and agreements shall include the address and a toll-free or
collect telephone number where a qualified representative can be reached.
9. Once the first payment required
by the agreement is made by the customer or on behalf of the customer, the oral
or electronic agreement is deemed accepted by the customer
10. Each customer entering into a first
payment agreement shall be granted at least one late payment that is four days
or less beyond the due date for payment, and the first payment agreement shall
remain in effect.
11. The initial
payment is due on the due date for the next regular bill.
(2) Second payment agreement. The utility
shall offer a second payment agreement to a customer who is in default of a
first payment agreement if the customer has made at least two consecutive full
payments under the first payment agreement.
1.
The second payment agreement shall be for a term at least as long as the term
of the first payment agreement.
2.
The customer shall be required to pay for current service in addition to the
monthly payments under the second payment agreement and may be required to make
the first payment up-front as a condition of entering into the second payment
agreement.
3. The utility may also
require the customer to enter into a budget billing plan to pay the current
bill.
(3) Additional
payment agreements. The utility may offer additional payment agreements to the
customer.
d.
Refusal by utility. A customer may offer the utility a
proposed payment agreement. If the utility and the customer do not reach an
agreement, the utility may refuse the offer orally, but the utility must
provide a written refusal of the customer's final offer, stating the reason for
the refusal, within three days of the oral notification. The written refusal
shall be considered provided to the customer when addressed to the customer's
last-known address and deposited in the U.S. mail with postage prepaid. If
delivery is by other than U.S. mail, the written refusal shall be considered
provided to the customer when handed to the customer or when delivered to the
last-known address of the person responsible for the payment for the service.
A customer may ask the board for assistance in working out a
reasonable payment agreement. The request for assistance must be made to the
board within ten days after the written refusal is provided. During the review
of this request, the utility shall not disconnect the service.
(12)
Bill
payment terms. The bill shall be considered provided to the customer
when deposited in the U.S. mail with postage prepaid. If delivery is by other
than U.S. mail, the bill shall be considered provided when delivered to the
last-known address of the party responsible for payment. There shall be not
less than 20 days between the providing of a bill and the date by which the
account becomes delinquent. Bills for customers on more frequent billing
intervals under subrule19.3(7)may not be considered delinquent less than 5 days
from the date the bill is provided. However, a late payment charge may not be
assessed if payment is received within 20 days of the date the bill is
provided.
a. The date of delinquency for all
residential customers or other customers whose consumption is less than 250 ccf
per month shall be changeable for cause, such as, but not limited to, 15 days
from approximate date each month upon which income is received by the person
responsible for payment. In no case, however, shall the utility be required to
delay the date of delinquency more than 30 days beyond the date of preparation
of the previous bill.
b. In any
case where net and gross amounts are billed to customers, the difference
between net and gross is a late payment charge and is valid only when part of a
delinquent bill payment. A utility's late payment charge shall not exceed 1.5
percent per month of the past due amount. No collection fee may be levied in
addition to this late payment charge. This rule does not prohibit
cost-justified charges for disconnection and reconnection of service.
c. If the customer makes partial payment in a
timely manner, and does not designate the service or product for which payment
is made, the payment shall be credited pro rata between the bill for utility
services and related taxes.
d. Each
account shall be granted not less than one complete forgiveness of a late
payment charge each calendar year. The utility's rules shall be definitive that
on one monthly bill in each period of eligibility, the utility will accept the
net amount of such bill as full payment for such month after expiration of the
net payment period. The rules shall state how the customer is notified that the
eligibility has been used. Complete forgiveness prohibits any effect upon the
credit rating of the customer or collection of late payment charge.
e. Budget billing plan. Utilities shall offer
a budget billing plan to all residential customers or other customers whose
consumption is less than 250 ccf per month. A budget billing plan should be
designed to limit the volatility of a customer's bill and maintain reasonable
account balances. The budget billing plan shall include at least the following:
(1) Be offered to each eligible customer when
the customer initially requests service. The plan may be estimated if there is
insufficient usage history to create a budget billing plan based on actual
use.
(2) Allow for entry into the
budget billing plan anytime during the calendar year.
(3) Provide that a customer may request
termination of the plan at any time. If the customer's account is in arrears at
the time of termination, the balance shall be due and payable at the time of
termination. If there is a credit balance, the customer shall be allowed the
option of obtaining a refund or applying the credit to future charges. A
utility is not required to offer a new budget billing plan to a customer for
six months after the customer has terminated from a budget billing
plan.
(4) Use a computation method
that produces a reasonable monthly budget billing amount, which may take into
amount forward-looking factors such as fuel price and weather forecasts, and
that complies with requirements in this subrule. The computation method used by
the utility shall be described in the utility's tariff and shall be subject to
board approval. The utility shall give notice to customers when it changes the
type of computation method in the budget billing plan.
The amount to be paid at each billing interval by a customer
on a budget billing plan shall be computed at the time of entry into the plan
and shall be recomputed at least annually. The budget billing amount may be
recomputed monthly, quarterly, when requested by the customer, or whenever
price, consumption, or a combination of factors results in a new estimate
differing by 10 percent or more from that in use.
When the budget billing amount is recomputed, the budget
billing plan account balance shall be divided by 12, and the resulting amount
shall be added to the estimated monthly budget billing amount. Except when a
utility has a budget billing plan that recomputes the budget billing amount
monthly, the customer shall be given the option of applying any credit to
payments of subsequent months' budget billing amounts due or of obtaining a
refund of any credit in excess of $25.
Except when a utility has a budget billing plan that
recomputes the budget billing amount monthly, the customer shall be notified of
the recomputed payment amount not less than one full billing cycle prior to the
date of delinquency for the recomputed payment. The notice may accompany the
bill prior to the bill that is affected by the recomputed payment
amount.
(5) Irrespective of
the account balance, a delinquency in payment shall be subject to the same
collection and disconnection procedures as other accounts, with the late
payment charge applied to the budget billing amount. If the account balance is
a credit, the budget billing plan may be terminated by the utility after 30
days of delinquency.
(13)
Customer records. The
utility shall retain customer billing records for the length of time necessary
to permit the utility to comply with 19.4(14) but not less than five years.
Customer billing records shall show, where applicable:
a. Therm consumption.
b. Meter reading.
c. Total amount of bill.
(14)
Adjustment of hills.
Bills which are incorrect due to billing errors or faulty metering installation
are to be adjusted as follows:
a. Fast
metering. Whenever a metering installation is tested and found to have
overregistered more than 2 percent, the utility shall recalculate the bills for
service.
(1) The bills for service shall be
recalculated from the time at which the error first developed or occurred if
that time can be definitely determined.
(2) If the time at which the error first
developed or occurred cannot be definitely determined, it shall be assumed that
the overregistration has existed for the shortest time period calculated as
one-half the time since the meter was installed or one-half the time elapsed
since the last meter test unless otherwise ordered by the board.
(3) If the recalculated bills indicate that
$5 or more is due an existing customer or $10 or more is due a person no longer
a customer of the utility, the tariff shall provide for refunding of the full
amount of the calculated difference between the amount paid and the
recalculated amount. Refunds shall be made to the two most recent customers who
received service through the metering installation during the time the error
existed. In the case of a previous customer who is no longer a customer of the
utility, a notice of the amount subject to refund shall be mailed to such
previous customer at the last-known address, and the utility shall, upon demand
made within three months thereafter, refund the same.
Refunds shall be completed within six months following the
date of the metering installation test.
b. Slow metering. Whenever a meter is found
to be more than 2 percent slow, the tariff may provide for back billing the
customer for the amount the test indicates has been undercharged for the period
of inaccuracy.
When the average error cannot be determined by test because
of failure of part or all of the metering equipment, the tariff may provide for
use of the registration of check metering installation, if any, or for
estimating the quantity consumed based on available data. The customer must be
advised of the failure and of the basis for the estimate of quantity
billed.
(1) The utility may not back
bill due to underregistration unless a minimum back bill amount is specified in
its tariff The minimum amount specified for back billing shall not be less
than, but may be greater than, $5 for an existing customer or $10 for a former
customer All recalculations resulting in an amount due equal or greater than
the tariff specified minimum shall result in issuance of a back bill.
(2) The period for back billing shall not
exceed the last six months the meter was in service unless otherwise ordered by
the board.
(3) Back billings shall
be provided no later than six months following the date of the metering
installation test.
c.
Billing adjustments due to fast or slow meters shall be calculated on the basis
that the meter should be 100 percent accurate. For the purpose of billing
adjustment the meter error shall be one-half of the algebraic sum of the error
at full-rated flow plus the error at check flow.
d. When a customer has been overcharged as a
result of incorrect reading of the meter, incorrect application of the rate
schedule, incorrect connection of the meter, or other similar reasons, the
amount of the overcharge shall be adjusted, refunded, or credited to the
customer The time period for which the utility is required to adjust, refund,
or credit the customer's bill shall not exceed five years unless otherwise
ordered by the board.
e.
Undercharges. When a customer has been undercharged as a result of incorrect
reading of the meter, incorrect application of the rate schedule, incorrect
connection of the meter, or other similar reasons, the amount of the
undercharge may be billed to the customer. The period for which the utility may
adjust for the undercharge shall not exceed five years unless otherwise ordered
by the board. The maximum back bill shall not exceed the dollar amount
equivalent to the tariffed rate for like charges (e.g., usage-based, fixed or
service charges) in the 12 months preceding discovery of the error unless
otherwise ordered by the board.
f.
Credits and explanations. Credits due a customer because of meter inaccuracies,
errors in billing, or misapplication of rates shall be separately
identified.
(15)
Refusal or disconnection of service. A utility shall refuse
service or disconnect service to a customer, as defined in subrule19.1(3), in
accordance with tariffs that are consistent with these rules.
a. The utility shall give written notice of
pending disconnection except as specified in paragraph19.4(15)
"b.
"The notice shall set forth the reason for the notice and final date
by which the account is to be settled or specific action taken. The notice
shall be considered provided to the customer when addressed to the customer's
last-known address and deposited in the U.S. mail with postage prepaid.
If delivery is by other than U.S. mail, the notice shall be
considered provided when delivered to the last-known address of the person
responsible for payment for the service. The date for disconnection of service
shall be not less than 12 days after the notice is provided. The date for
disconnection of service for customers on shorter billing intervals under
subrule19.3(7) shall not be less than 24 hours after the notice is posted at
the service premises.
One written notice, including all reasons for the notice,
shall be given where more than one cause exists for disconnection of service.
In determining the final date by which the account is to be settled or other
specific action taken, the days of notice for the causes shall be
concurrent.
b. Service may
be disconnected without notice:
(1) In the
event of a condition determined by the utility to be hazardous.
(2) In the event of customer use of equipment
in a manner which adversely affects the utility's equipment or the utility's
service to others.
(3) In the event
of tampering with the equipment furnished and owned by the utility. For the
purposes of this subrule, a broken or absent meter seal alone shall not
constitute tampering.
(4) In the
event of unauthorized use.
c. Service may be disconnected or refused
after proper notice:
(1) For violation of or
noncompliance with the utility's rules on file with the board.
(2) For failure of the customer to furnish
the service equipment, permits, certificates, or rights-of-way which are
specified to be furnished, in the utility's rules filed with the board, as
conditions of obtaining service, or for the withdrawal of that same equipment,
or for the termination of those same permissions or rights, or for the failure
of the customer to fulfill the contractual obligations imposed as conditions of
obtaining service by any contract filed with and subject to the regulatory
authority of the board.
(3) For
failure of the customer to permit the utility reasonable access to the
utility's equipment.
d.
Service may be refused or disconnected after proper notice for nonpayment of a
bill or deposit, except as restricted by subrules19.4(16)and 19.4(17), provided
that the utility has complied with the following provisions when applicable:
(1) Given the customer a reasonable
opportunity to dispute the reason for the disconnection or refusal;
(2) Given the customer, and any other person
or agency designated by the customer, written notice that the customer has at
least 12 days in which to make settlement of the account to avoid disconnection
and a written summary of the rights and responsibilities available. Customers
billed more frequently than monthly pursuant to subrule19.3(7) shall be given
posted written notice that they have 24 hours to make settlement of the account
to avoid disconnection and a written summary of the rights and
responsibilities. All written notices shall include a toll-free or collect
telephone number where a utility representative qualified to provide additional
information about the disconnection can be reached. Each utility representative
must provide the representative's name and have immediate access to current,
detailed information concerning the customer's account and previous contacts
with the utility.
(3) The summary
of the rights and responsibilities must be approved by the board. Any utility
providing gas service and defined as a public utility in Iowa Code section
476.1 which does not use the standard form set forth below for customers billed
monthly shall submit to the board electronically its proposed form for
approval. A utility billing a combination customer for both gas and electric
service may modify the standard form to replace each use of the word "gas" with
the words "gas and electric" in all instances.
CUSTOMER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO AVOID SHUTOFF
OF GAS SERVICE FOR NONPAYMENT
1.
What can I do if I receive a notice from the
utility that says my gas service will be shut off because I have a past due
bill?
a. Pay the bill in full;
or
b. Enter into a reasonable
payment plan with the utility (see #2 below); or
c. Apply for and become eligible for
low-income energy assistance (see #3 below); or
d. Give the utility a written statement from
a doctor or public health official stating that shutting off your gas service
would pose an especial health danger for a person living at the residence (see
#4 below); or
e. Tell the utility
if you think part of the amount shown on the bill is wrong. However, you must
still pay the part of the bill you agree you owe the utility (see #5 below).
2.
How do I go
about making a reasonable payment plan? (Residential customers only)
a. Contact the utility as soon as you know
you cannot pay the amount you owe. If you cannot pay all the money you owe at
one time, the utility may offer you a payment plan that spreads payments evenly
over at least 12 months. The plan may be longer depending on your financial
situation.
b. If you have not made
the payments you promised in a previous payment plan with the utility and still
owe money, you may qualify for a second payment agreement under certain
conditions.
c. If you do not make
the payments you promise, the utility may shut off your utility service on one
day's notice unless all the money you owe the utility is paid or you enter into
another payment agreement.
3.
How do I apply for low-income energy
assistance? (Residential customers only)
a. Contact the local community action agency
in your area (see attached list) or visit
humanrights.iowa.gov/dcaa/where-apply.
b. To avoid disconnection, you must apply for
energy assistance or weatherization before your service is shut off. Notify
your utility that you may be eligible and have applied for energy assistance.
Once your service has been disconnected, it will not be reconnected based on
approval for energy assistance.
c.
Being certified eligible for energy assistance will prevent your service from
being disconnected from November I through April I.
d. If you have additional questions, contact
the Division of Community Action Agencies at the Iowa Department of Human
Rights, Lucas State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319; telephone
(515)281-3861.
4.
What if someone living at the residence has a serious health condition?
(Residential customers only)
Contact the utility if you believe this is the case. Contact
your doctor or a public health official and ask the doctor or health official
to contact the utility and state that shutting off your utility service would
pose an especial health danger for a person living at your residence. The
doctor or public health official must provide a written statement to the
utility office within 5 days of when your doctor or public health official
notifies the utility of the health condition; otherwise, your utility service
may be shut off. If the utility receives this written statement, your service
will not be shut off for 30 days. This 30-day delay is to allow you time to
arrange payment of your utility bill or find other living arrangements. After
30 days, your service may be shut off if payment arrangements have not been
made.
5.
What should
I do if I believe my bill is not correct?
You may dispute your utility bill. You must tell the utility
that you dispute the bill. You must pay the part of the bill you think is
correct. If you do this, the utility will not shut off your service for 45 days
from the date the bill was mailed while you and the utility work out the
dispute over the part of the bill you think is incorrect. You may ask the Iowa
Utilities Board for assistance in resolving the dispute. (See #9 below.)
6.
When can the utility shut
off my utility service because I have not paid my bill?
a. Your utility can shut off service between
the hours of 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
b. The utility will not shut off your service
on nights, weekends, or holidays for nonpayment of a bill.
c. The utility will not shut off your service
if you enter into a reasonable payment plan to pay the overdue amount (see #2
above).
d. The utility will not
shut off your service if the temperature is forecasted to be 20 degrees
Fahrenheit or colder during the following 24-hour period, including the day
your service is scheduled to be shut off
e. If you have qualified for low-income
energy assistance, the utility cannot shut off your service from November 1
through April 1. However, you will still owe the utility for the service used
during this time.
f. The utility
will not shut off your service if you have notified the utility that you
dispute a portion of your bill and you pay the part of the bill that you agree
is correct.
g. If one of the heads
of household is a service member deployed for military service, utility service
cannot be shut off during the deployment or within 90 days after the end of
deployment. In order for this exception to disconnection to apply, the utility
must be informed of the deployment prior to disconnection. However, you will
still owe the utility for service used during this time.
7.
How will I be told the utility is
going to shut off my
gas service?
a. You must be given a written notice at
least 12 days before the utility service can be shut off for nonpayment. This
notice will include the reason for shutting off your service.
b. If you have not made payments required by
an agreed-upon payment plan, your service may be disconnected with only one
day's notice.
c. The utility must
also try to reach you by telephone or in person before it shuts off your
service. From November 1 through April 1, if the utility cannot reach you by
telephone or in person, the utility will put a written notice on the door or
another conspicuous place of your residence to tell you that your utility
service will be shut off.
8.
If service is shut off, when will
it be turned back on?
a. The utility
will turn your service back on if you pay the whole amount you owe or agree to
a reasonable payment plan (see #2 above).
b. If you make your payment during regular
business hours, or by 7 p.m. for utilities permitting such payment or other
arrangements after regular business hours, the utility must make a reasonable
effort to turn your service back on that day. If service cannot reasonably be
turned on that same day, the utility must do it by II a.m. the next
day.
c. The utility may charge you
a fee to turn your service back on. Those fees may be higher in the evening or
on weekends, so you may ask that your service be turned on during normal
utility business hours.
9.
Is there any other help available
besides my utility?
If the utility has not been able to help you with your
problem, you may contact the Iowa Utilities Board toll-free at You may also
write the Iowa Utilities Board at 1375 E. Court Avenue, Room 69, Des Moines,
Iowa 50319-0069, or by E-mail
atcustomer(fl)iub.iowa.gov. Low-income customers may
also be eligible for free legal assistance from Iowa Legal Aid, and may contact
Legal Aid at 1-800-532-1275.
(4) When disconnecting service to a
residence, made a diligent attempt to contact, by telephone or in person, the
customer responsible for payment for service to the residence to inform the
customer of the pending disconnection and the customer's rights and
responsibilities. During the period from November I through April 1, if the
attempt at customer contact fails, the premises shall be posted at least one
day prior to disconnection with a notice informing the customer of the pending
disconnection and rights and responsibilities available to avoid disconnection.
If an attempt at personal or telephone contact of a customer
occupying a rental unit has been unsuccessful, the utility shall make a
diligent attempt to contact the landlord of the rental unit, if known, to
determine if the customer is still in occupancy and, if so, the customer's
present location. The landlord shall also be informed of the date when service
may be disconnected. The utility shall make a diligent attempt to inform the
landlord at least 48 hours prior to disconnection of service to a
tenant.
If the disconnection will affect occupants of residential
units leased from the customer, the premises of any building known by the
utility to contain residential units affected by disconnection must be posted,
at least two days prior to disconnection, with a notice informing any occupants
of the date when service will be disconnected and the reasons for the
disconnection.
(5) Disputed
bill. If the customer has received notice of disconnection and has a dispute
concerning a bill for natural gas service, the utility may require the customer
to pay a sum of money equal to the amount of the undisputed portion of the bill
pending settlement and thereby avoid disconnection of service. A utility shall
delay disconnection for nonpayment of the disputed bill for up to 45 days after
the providing of the bill if the customer pays the undisputed amount. The 45
days shall be extended by up to 60 days if requested of the utility by the
board in the event the customer files a written complaint with the board in
compliance with199-Chapter 6.
(6)
Reconnection. Disconnection of a residential customer may take place only
between the hours of 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on a weekday and not on weekends or
holidays. If a disconnected customer makes payment or other arrangements during
normal business hours, or by 7 p.m. for utilities permitting such payment or
other arrangements after normal business hours, all reasonable efforts shall be
made to reconnect the customer that day. If a disconnected customer makes
payment or other arrangements after 7 p.m., all reasonable efforts shall be
made to reconnect the customer not later than 11 a.m. the next day.
(7) Severe cold weather. A disconnection may
not take place where gas is used as the only source of space heating or to
control or operate the only space heating equipment at a residence when the
actual temperature or the 24-hour forecast of the National Weather Service for
the residence's area is predicted to be 20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder If the
utility has properly posted a disconnect notice but is precluded from
disconnecting service because of severe cold weather, the utility may
immediately proceed with appropriate disconnection procedures, without further
notice, when the temperature in the residence's area rises above 20 degrees
Fahrenheit and is forecasted to remain above 20 degrees Fahrenheit for at least
24 hours, unless the customer has paid in full the past due amount or is
otherwise entitled to postponement of disconnection.
(8) Health of a resident. Disconnection of a
residential customer shall be postponed if the disconnection of service would
present an especial danger to the health of any permanent resident of the
premises. An especial danger to health is indicated if a person appears to be
seriously impaired and may, because of mental or physical problems, be unable
to manage the person's own resources, to carry out activities of daily living
or to be protected from neglect or hazardous situations without assistance from
others. Indicators of an especial danger to health include but are not limited
to: age, infirmity, or mental incapacitation; serious illness; physical
disability, including blindness and limited mobility; and any other factual
circumstances which indicate a severe or hazardous health situation.
The utility may require written verification of the especial
danger to health by a physician or a public health official, including the name
of the person endangered; a statement that the person is a resident of the
premises in question; the name, business address, and telephone number of the
certifying party; the nature of the health danger; and approximately how long
the danger will continue. Initial verification by the verifying party may be by
telephone if written verification is forwarded to the utility within five
days.
Verification shall postpone disconnection for 30 days. In the
event service is terminated within 14 days prior to verification of illness by
or for a qualifying resident, service shall be restored to that residence if a
proper verification is thereafter made in accordance with the foregoing
provisions. If the customer does not enter into a reasonable payment agreement
for the retirement of the unpaid balance of the account within the first 30
days and does not keep the current account paid during the period that the
unpaid balance is to be retired, the customer is subject to disconnection
pursuant to paragraph19.4(15)"f."
(9) Winter energy assistance (November I
through April I). If the utility is informed that the customer's household may
qualify for winter energy assistance or weatherization funds, there shall be no
disconnection of service for 30 days from the date the utility is notified to
allow the customer time to obtain assistance. Disconnection shall not take
place from November I through April I for a resident who is a head of household
and who has been certified to the public utility by the community action agency
as eligible for either the low-income home energy assistance program or
weatherization assistance program. A utility may develop an incentive program
to delay disconnection on April I for customers who make payments throughout
the November I through April I period. All such incentive programs shall be set
forth in tariffs approved by the board.
(10) Deployment. If the utility is informed
that one of the heads of household as defined in Iowa Code section
476.20
is a service member deployed for military service, as defined in Iowa Code
section 29A.90, disconnection cannot take place at the residence during the
deployment or prior to 90 days after the end of the deployment.
e. Abnormal gas consumption. A
customer who is subject to disconnection for nonpayment of bill, and who has
gas consumption which appears to the customer to be abnormally high, may
request the utility to provide assistance in identifying the factors
contributing to this usage pattern and to suggest remedial measures. The
utility shall provide assistance by discussing patterns of gas usage which may
be readily identifiable, suggesting that an energy audit be conducted, and
identifying sources of energy conservation information and financial assistance
which may be available to the customer.
f. A utility may disconnect gas service without the written 12-day
notice for failure of the customer to comply with the terms of a payment
agreement, except as provided in numbered paragraph 19.4(11)
"c"(1)"4," provided the utility complies with the provisions
of paragraph19.4(15) "d. "
g. The utility shall, prior to November 1,
mail customers a notice describing the availability of winter energy assistance
funds and the application process. The notice must be of a type size that is
easily legible and conspicuous and must contain the information set out by the
state agency administering the assistance program. A utility serving fewer than
25,000 customers may publish the notice in a customer newsletter in lieu of
mailing. A utility serving fewer than 6,000 customers may publish the notice in
an advertisement in a local newspaper of general circulation or shopper's
guide.
(16)
Insufficient reasons for denying service. The following shall
not constitute sufficient cause for refusal of service to a customer:
a. Delinquency in payment for service by a
previous occupant of the premises to be served.
b. Failure to pay for merchandise purchased
from the utility.
c. Failure to pay
for a different type or class of public utility service.
d. Failure to pay the bill of another
customer as guarantor thereof.
e.
Failure to pay the back bill provided in accordance with paragraph
19.4(14)"b " (slow meters).
f. Failure to pay adjusted bills based on the
undercharges set forth in paragraph 19.4(14)"e. "
g. Failure of a residential customer to pay a
deposit during the period November 1 through April 1 for the location at which
the customer has been receiving service in the customer's name.
h. Delinquency in payment for service by an
occupant, if the customer applying for service is creditworthy and able to
satisfy any deposit requirements.
i. Delinquency in payment for service arising
more than ten years prior, as measured from the most recent of:
(1) The last date of service for the account
giving rise to the delinquency,
(2)
Physical disconnection of service for the account giving rise to the
delinquency, or
(3) The last
voluntary payment or voluntary written promise of payment made by the customer,
if made before the ten-year period described in this paragraph has otherwise
lapsed.
j. Delinquency
in payment for service that arose on or before September 4, 2010, pursuant to
an oral contract, except in cases of fraud or deception that prevented the
utility from timely addressing such delinquencies with the customer
(17)
When
disconnection prohibited.
a. No
disconnection may take place from November 1 through April 1 for a resident who
is a head of household and who has been certified to the public utility by the
local community action agency as being eligible for either the low-income home
energy assistance program or weatherization assistance program.
b. If the utility is informed that one of the
heads of household as defined in Iowa Code section
476.20
is a service member deployed for military service, as defined in Iowa Code
section
29A.90, disconnection
cannot take place at the residence during the deployment or prior to 90 days
after the end of the deployment.
(18)
Change in character of
service. The following shall apply to a material change in the
character of gas service:
a.
Changes
under the control of the utility. The utility shall make such changes
only with the approval of the board, and after adequate notice to the customers
(see19.7(6) "a").
b.
Changes not under control of the
utility or customer The utility shall adjust appliances to attain the
proper combustion of the gas supplied. Due consideration shall be given to the
gas heating value and specific gravity (see19.7(6)
"b").
c.
Appliance adjustment charge. The utility shall make any
necessary adjustments to the customer's appliances without charge and shall
conduct the adjustment program with a minimum of inconvenience to the
customers.
( 19)
Customer complaints. Each utility shall investigate promptly
and thoroughly and keep a record of written complaints and all other reasonable
complaints received by it from its customers in regard to safety, service, or
rates, and the operation of its system as will enable it to review and analyze
its procedures and actions. The record shall show the name and address of the
complainant, the date and nature of the complaint, and its disposition and the
date thereof. All complaints caused by a major outage or interruption shall be
summarized in a single report.
a. Each
utility shall provide in its filed tariff a concise, fully informative
procedure for the resolution of customer complaints.
b. The utility shall take reasonable steps to
ensure that customers unable to travel shall not be denied the right to be
heard.
c. The final step in a
complaint hearing and review procedure shall be a filing for board resolution
of the issues.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code sections
476.2,476.6,476.8,476.20and 476.54.