Text: HSB00643 Text: HSB00645 Text: HSB00600 - HSB00699 Text: HSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 476.8, Code 2003, is amended to read as
1 2 follows:
1 3 476.8 UTILITY CHARGES AND SERVICE.
1 4 1. Every public utility is required to furnish reasonably
1 5 adequate service and facilities. "Reasonably adequate service
1 6 and facilities" for public utilities furnishing gas or
1 7 electricity includes programs for customers to encourage the
1 8 use of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. The
1 9 charge made by any public utility for any heat, light, gas,
1 10 energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, water or
1 11 power produced, transmitted, delivered or furnished, or
1 12 communications services, or for any service rendered or to be
1 13 rendered in connection therewith shall be reasonable and just,
1 14 and every unjust or unreasonable charge for such service is
1 15 prohibited and declared unlawful.
1 16 2. Where a public utility estimates consumption in lieu of
1 17 meter measurement per rule and the actual usage is determined
1 18 to be less than the estimated usage, the public utility shall
1 19 charge for the actual usage as follows:
1 20 a. The customer shall first be charged at the lowest
1 21 declining block rate for up to the total maximum lowest
1 22 declining block rate usage offered and established for those
1 23 billing periods estimated and overcharged.
1 24 b. For any remaining actual usage for those billing
1 25 periods estimated and overcharged, the customer shall be
1 26 charged according to the public utility's applicable declining
1 27 block rate scale.
1 28 c. After recalculating the actual usage and appropriate
1 29 rate pursuant to this subsection, the public utility shall
1 30 refund any overcharge to the customer or credit the customer's
1 31 billing account.
1 32 3. In determining reasonable and just rates, the board
1 33 shall consider all factors relating to value and shall not be
1 34 bound by rate base decisions or rulings made prior to the
1 35 adoption of this chapter.
2 1 4. The board, in determining the value of materials or
2 2 services to be included in valuations or costs of operations
2 3 for rate-making purposes, may disallow any unreasonable profit
2 4 made in the sale of materials to or services supplied for any
2 5 public utility by any firm or corporation owned or controlled
2 6 directly or indirectly by such utility or any affiliate,
2 7 subsidiary, parent company, associate or any corporation whose
2 8 controlling stockholders are also controlling stockholders of
2 9 such utility. The burden of proof shall be on the public
2 10 utility to prove that no unreasonable profit is made.
2 11 EXPLANATION
2 12 This bill relates to the method a public utility uses to
2 13 assign declining block rates to overcharges caused by
2 14 estimating usage. The bill requires that when an overcharge
2 15 exists due to billing by estimated consumption rather than
2 16 actual meter measurement, the public utility must first charge
2 17 the actual usage at the lowest established declining block
2 18 rate for the entire period of overcharge up to the maximum
2 19 usage offered at the lowest block rate. Any usage which
2 20 exceeds the maximum usage offered at the lowest rate may be
2 21 charged according to the remaining applicable rates on the
2 22 declining block rate scale. After recalculation, the public
2 23 utility must refund any overcharged amount to the customer or
2 24 credit the customer's billing account.
2 25 LSB 6277HC 80
2 26 kk/gg/14.1
Text: HSB00643 Text: HSB00645 Text: HSB00600 - HSB00699 Text: HSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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