Catherine D from Lexington, KY. Horse farm client with a large training facility. The electric meter is inside the barn area behind two gates. Kentucky Utilities says they attempted reads 4 times in 6 months and could not get access. They have been estimating ever since. My client says nobody ever called or left a card. KU says it is the customer responsibility to provide access. Who is right here? And does it matter for the refund calculation if estimates are too high?
Meter reader could not access — whose fault is it
Both sides have a point but the utility has the stronger obligation. Most tariffs require the utility to make reasonable efforts to obtain reads and to notify the customer when access is denied. If KU did not leave door hangers or send letters, they did not meet that standard. Pull the tariff language on meter access and compare it to what KU actually did.
I work in Idaho Power territory and had a similar case with a rancher. IP left door hangers but the rancher never saw them because the meter is half a mile from the house. We argued that a door hanger on a rural meter cabinet does not constitute reasonable notice. IP agreed and adjusted the estimates.
Warren that is a good precedent. This farm is similar — the meter is 200 yards from the main barn office. Nobody would see a door hanger there. I pulled the KU tariff and it says the utility shall make reasonable effort to notify the customer when access cannot be obtained. A door hanger on a fence post in a horse pasture is not reasonable effort in my book.
One practical solution for the future: suggest the client install a meter socket with remote read capability on the outside of the fence. Some utilities will relocate the meter at no charge if access has been an ongoing issue. Solves the problem permanently.
Good idea Rick. I will suggest that for going forward. But for the current dispute, the estimates have been running about $600/month higher than what I believe actual usage should be based on the training schedule and equipment load. Over 6 months that is $3,600 in overpayment. KU is saying since the client did not provide access, the estimates stand.
File a formal complaint with the Kentucky PSC. KU saying the estimates stand when they failed to provide proper notification is not going to hold up with the commission. The PSC will likely order a rebilling based on actual usage or a reasonable calculation. I have seen them do it multiple times with Kentucky utilities.
Filing with the PSC this week. Client is on board. Will update the thread when we get a response. Thanks everyone for the guidance — the tariff language analysis and the PSC complaint path are exactly what I needed.