[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. I, § 1]
The rules and regulations contained in Parts 1 through 5 of
this chapter and derived from Ordinance No. 425, as amended, shall
hereafter form a part of every contract for electric service supplied
by the Borough and shall govern all classes of service.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. II, § 1; as amended by
Ord. 987, 5/6/1992, § 1]
1.
A written application for service under one of the established rate
schedules of the Electric Department shall be required by the owner
of the property and/or premises. This "application for utility service"
shall establish the property owner's responsibility for compliance
with all relevant laws, rules and regulations of the Borough. By signing
the application the owner shall also signify his understanding that
if he elects to rent, lease or sublease the property to a third party
who is to be billed for the electric service, the property owner shall
still be liable for payment of any delinquent bills of the third party.
After being notified in writing by the Borough, if the property owner
shall refuse to pay a delinquent bill, the Borough may disconnect
the electric service until payment (including any disconnection and
reconnection fees) is made in full. The Borough shall also retain
the right to file a lien against the premises in accordance with existing
law for the collection and recovery of any delinquent account.
2.
A copy of the rate schedule and general terms, rules and regulations
under which service is to be rendered will be furnished upon application
at the office of the electric department.
3.
Standard contracts shall be for the terms as specified in the statement
of the rate, but where large or special investment is necessary for
the supply of service, contracts of longer term than specified in
the rate, or with special guarantee of revenue, or both, may be required
to safeguard that investment.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. III, § 1; as amended
by Ord. 1004, 7/6/1994]
Temporary service will be supplied, where and when the electric
department has available facilities, at the rate applicable to the
service, with an additional charge for service connection and disconnection
upon discontinuance of service. The charge for any connection and
disconnection shall be based upon the cost of providing and removing
that service.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. III, § 3]
A consumer of residence service may upon written application
have his service disconnected at any time. Upon a consumer's
failure to pay for electrical service within 30 days after being billed
for it, electric service shall be discontinued. The Borough shall
give notice of his default personally, or by mail, addressed to the
premises. 10 days after the notice, the consumer's electric service
shall be discontinued.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. III, § 4; as amended
by Res. 9/4/1968, and by Ord. 1004, 7/6/1994]
1.
Where the electric department has discontinued service for nonpayment
of bills, reconnection will only be made after all outstanding bills
are paid in full and in addition, a charge, as determined from time
to time by resolution of Borough Council, has been paid for reconnection
of service.
2.
In cases where service is temporarily discontinued at the request
of the customer, a disconnection charge and a reconnection charge,
as established by resolution of Borough Council, shall be made.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. IV, § 1; as amended by
Ord. 1004, 7/6/1994]
1.
The electric department may discontinue its service upon reasonable
notice if entry to its meter is refused, if access to it is obstructed
or hazardous, or for other violation of any provision of this Part.
2.
The electric department may discontinue its service without notice
if the customer's installation has become dangerously or defective;
or, if the customer's equipment or use of it might injuriously
affect the equipment of the electric department, or the service to
other customers; or if, upon re-examination of the customer's
installation by a fire underwriter's association having jurisdiction,
a certificate of approval is refused.
3.
The electric department may discontinue its service without notice
for abuse, fraud or tampering with the connections, meters, or other
equipment of the electric department.
4.
The Electric Department may discontinue service if a bad check has
been given to the Borough toward a bill or if a tenant refuses to
pay a required security deposit.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. V, § 1]
1.
The electric department shall have the right of access to customer's
premises at all times for the purpose of reading meters, inspecting
or repairing apparatus used in connection with its service, or removing
its property.
2.
The electric department shall have the right, at its option and its
own expense, to place demand meters, reactive-component meters or
other instruments, on the premises of any customer, for the purpose
of measuring the demand and/or the power factor, or for other tests
of all, or any part, of the customer's load.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VI, § 1]
The location of the service connections shall be as designated
by the Borough, and the consumer shall provide, free of expense to
the Borough, a suitable place satisfactory to it for transformers,
meters, or other equipment of the Borough which may be necessary for
the supply of electric service contracted for.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VI, § 2]
Consumer's wiring shall be brought to the outside of the
building at an approved location in such a manner that it will be
easily accessible for attachment to Borough's lines, and all
construction and connections from that point of attachment, building-ward
shall be at the expense of the consumer, and shall include approved
type service entrance equipment which may be sealed by the Borough
and which shall be accessible only to its authorized representative.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VI, § 3]
Consumer shall provide substantial supports for attaching Borough's
service brackets to buildings.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VI, § 4]
The supports referred to in § 110 shall be at a height
such that there will be a minimum clearance of 15 feet between the
Borough's wires and the ground, except that at the discretion
of the electric department, a lesser clearance may be allowed.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VI, § 5]
With the exception of the metering equipment, the Borough service
equipment will, in ordinary installations, terminate at the service
bracket attached to the building.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VI, § 6]
The Borough will not install more than one power service, nor
more than one lighting service, at any one building, except where
two or more separate and distinct customers occupy the same premises.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VII, § 1]
The customer shall notify the electric department office in
writing, giving full details, should any service be unsatisfactory.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. VIII, § 1]
If the property of the Borough on the premises of the consumer
becomes damaged in a manner other than by normal usage, or act of
God, the cost of inspection, repairs, etc., or replacement, of the
damaged property shall be paid by the consumer.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950 Art. VIII, § 2; as amended
by Ord. 956, 2/7/1990]
No person, company, consumer or electrician shall remove, tamper,
change, break the seal on, reset or in any other way alter an electric
meter in the Borough of Quakertown. The only persons authorized to
work on electric meters are members of the Borough Electric Department
or others duly authorized in writing by the Borough Manager.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. IX, § 2; as amended by
Ord. 1004, 7/6/1994]
Tests will be made more often than once in five years upon application
by the consumer when accompanied by a fee as established from time
to time by resolution of Borough Council.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950 Art. IX, § 3; as amended by
Ord. 1004, 7/6/1994]
If the accuracy of the meter is found to be 2% or less, slow
or fast, there will be no charge to the consumer and the fee will
be refunded. In those cases where the meter is found to be more than
2% slow or fast, there will be no refund of the application fee.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. XI, § 1]
The consumer shall notify the Borough electric department, in
writing, of any contemplated material change or addition in service
requirement, in order that the Borough may provide adequate equipment
for the change or addition.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950 Art. XI, § 2]
Motors larger than 100 horsepower shall, where practicable,
be of the synchronous or equivalent type.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950 Art. XI, § 3]
Motors used on one-hundred-ten-volt circuits shall not be larger
than 1/2 horsepower.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. XII, § 1]
When a consumer's phase unbalance exceeds 10%, that consumer
shall be required to correct the condition.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. XIII, § 1]
When the equipment of the consumer causes objectionable fluctuations
of voltage on the supply lines, that customer shall, upon notice from
the Borough, make those changes in his equipment as may be necessary
to correct the fluctuations.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950 Art. XIV, § 1]
When demands are reassessed, or power factor recomputed, customers
found to be on an improper rate, as the result of an investigation
made at the customer's request or by routine inspection, the
change of billing to the new demand or power factor, or to the proper
rate, may be applied within its net-payment period to the bill for
the regular meter reading preceding the investigation, and will in
any event apply to the bill for the month during which the check is
made.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. XV, § 1]
The electric department reserves the right to make any additional
rules, regulations and restrictions concerning electric lighting and
power service as it may find advisable for the protection of the municipal
plant.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. XVI, § 1]
The electric department will use reasonable diligence to provide
a continuous, regular and uninterrupted supply of service; but, should
the supply be interrupted by the electric department for the purpose
of making repairs, changes or improvements, in any part of its system
for the general good of the service or safety of the public, or should
the supply of service be interrupted, or fail, by reason of accident,
strike, legal process, state interference or any case whatsoever,
the electric department shall not be liable for damages, direct or
consequential, resulting from that interruption or failure.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950, Art. XVII, § 1]
1.
All fluorescent lighting fixtures, lamps and equipment installed
on customers' premises must be of the high-power-factor type
with certified rating for each complete operating unit of not less
than 85% power factor.
2.
All neon lighting fixtures and equipment with total rating in excess
of 750 volt-amperes per meter installation must be equipped with auxiliaries
for maintaining a power factor of not less than 85%. These auxiliaries
may be incorporated in the transformers, or capacitor-transformers
may be installed to correct the power factor of the entire neon installation.
3.
The electric department reserves the right to test fluorescent, neon
or similar equipment before or after its installation.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1950; as amended by Ord. 636, 4/5/1961, § 3]
A list, typewritten or printed, of all electric rates now or
in the future in effect within or without the Borough limits (where
electric current is served outside the Borough) shall be prepared
by or under the supervision of the Manager and shall be available
at any time during regular business hours for inspection by any interested
person at the Borough Hall.
