13.12 Notice requirements

 

(a) Annual notice of rights.

(1) A utility plant shall, at the time of application for service, and at least annually after service is initiated, provide applicants and customers with a brochure containing a detailed summary of their rights and obligations under this Part, a notice describing the commonly used nonresidential service classification and their rates, an offer of written guidelines regarding eligibility requirements for the utility's service classifications, notice that the utility's tariff is available for review in every utility business office, and notice that some nonresidential customers may be eligible for protections under Part 11 of this Title.

(2) The notice required at the time of application for service shall be provided with the service application to an applicant from whom a written application is required, and by mail within 30 calendar days of the request for service to an applicant from whom a written application is not required.

(b) Periodic notices.

(1) An accounting for the deposit held on an account, showing the interest earned during the current year and either the date the deposit was obtained or the length of time that the deposit has been held, shall be provided annually to every customer having a deposit with the utility.

(2) A notice explaining how an increase in the customer's usage might require the utility to install a demand meter and, in some cases, the customer to make electric installation modifications, shall be provided annually to every nondemand electric customer.

(3) A notice, explaining how a change in the recorded demand may cause the service classification on which the charges are based to be changed, shall be provided annually to every electric customer with a demand meter.

(4) A notice, advising the customer of any change made in the customer's service classification and reason for the change, shall be provided to the customer at the time of the change.

(5) A notice advising the customer whether the utility records show that the customer, or some other party, has control over access to the meter, that the customer has an obligation to tell the utility who controls access, and that if the utility records that show the customer has access are not corrected, the customer may be subject to future notices and penalties due to the utility's failure to obtain access, shall be provided to every customer at the time a second consecutive estimated bill is rendered.

(6) A notice explaining the utility's right to revise estimated demand charges, that such revision may be to the customer's disadvantage and that revision of demand charges may be avoided by arranging access, shall be provided to every demand customer at least annually and whenever an estimated demand bill is rendered.

(c) Format.

Notices, brochures, forms and bills required by this Part, and any other written informational material for customers, shall be in plain language and printed in a format and type size that is clear and easy to read.

(d) Filing.

All notices, brochures, forms and bills required by this Part, along with the intended program for their use, shall be filed by a utility, prior to their circulation, with the Consumer Services Division.