Section 500.240  Adjustment of Bills for Meter Error

a)         Whenever any test of a customer meter made by a utility, or by the Commission when removed from service, shall show such meter to have an average error of more than four percent, the following provisions for the adjustment of bills shall be observed:

1)         For the purpose of this Section, the error found shall be considered to have existed for the six months preceding the test or for the time the meter has been in service, if less than six months.  In cases where it can be shown that the inaccuracy has existed for a longer period than six months, adjustment shall be made for the longer period.  Furthermore, for the purpose of this Section, a bank or set of meters connected in parallel shall be considered as a meter.  Any adjustment of bills for either overregistration or underregistration shall not extend back beyond

A)        the date of the commencement of service to the customer occupying the premises at the time of the test by which the inaccuracy is discovered, or

B)        the date of the installation of the meter, whichever is later.

2)         If the meter be found to overregister, the utility shall refund to the customer any overcharge caused thereby during the period of inaccuracy of the meter as above defined.  The actual error of the meter, and not the difference between the allowable error and the error as found, shall be used as the basis for calculating the refund.

3)         If the meter be found to underregister, the utility may render a bill to the customer for the estimated consumption not covered by bills previously rendered during the period of inaccuracy as defined above.  Such action shall be taken, however, only in the event the bill for estimated inaccuracy amounts to 50 cents or more, and such bill shall be conditional upon the utility not being at fault for allowing the incorrect meter to remain in service.  The utility shall in no case render a bill for underregistration where a meter has been found slow, unless the particular meter has been inspected and tested in conformity with Sections 500.190, 500.200, 500.210, 500.215 and 500.220.

4)         In the case of a nonregistering meter which has been read during the period of nonregistration, the utility shall not render a bill for an estimated consumption extending over more than twice the regular interval between readings.

b)         Whenever a utility or the Commission shall find a gas meter in its place of service to be registering gas on account of a leak in the meter or in the outlet connection of the meter, an estimate based upon a period of inaccuracy as defined above shall be made of the registration which has been produced by the leakage and a corresponding refund shall be made to the customer.