City of Mount Vernon, MO Article I Regulating Electric Service

Section 705.010 Electric Service.

[R.O. 2004 § 705.010; Ord. No. 2.31 § 1, 7-13-1982; Ord. No. 2.89 §§ 1 — 2, 8-26-2003]

A. On and after the effective date of this Section (August 26, 2003), electric service installations within the City of Mount Vernon, Missouri, shall conform to the following specifications and regulations:

1. General Conditions.

a. The cost of all entrance and service equipment and its installation to the point of contact with the City's service drop shall be borne by the customer.

b. In installations where a number of meters are required, each enclosed switch shall be plainly marked indicating the location it serves.

c. All installations in regards to materials and methods shall be in accordance with the National Electric Code as adopted by the City of Mount Vernon, Missouri, subject to the following provisions of this Section.

d. Location Of Meters.

(1) All meters shall be installed outdoors unless for good cause the Director of Public Works or competent person delegated by him/her shall approve an indoor installation. Where the outdoor meter is attached to the customer's premises, it shall be not more than six and one-half (6 1/2) feet nor less than five (5) feet above the grade level or floor and shall be readily accessible. The meter cabinet and/or terminal enclosure shall be rigidly attached to a surface such that the meter will remain in a perpendicular position.

(2) If, due to special approval by the Director of Public Works or competent person delegated by him/her, a meter is placed indoors, the following conditions shall apply:

(a) Meters and metering equipment enclosed in a metal cabinet shall be installed not more than six (6) feet above the floor. The cabinet shall be rigidly attached to the surface so the meter will maintain a perpendicular position.

(b) Self-contained poly-phase meters and entrance switches shall be installed not more than seven (7) feet nor less than four (4) feet above the floor. Provisions shall be made by the customer for attaching the meter rigidly to the surface so that it will maintain a perpendicular position.

(c) Meters shall not be installed in bathrooms, toilet rooms, attics, parts of buildings usually kept locked or other locations not readily accessible.

(d) Meters shall not be installed in places subject to excessive fumes, heat, dampness or other conditions detrimental to the operation of the meter.

2. Residential, Commercial And Industrial Installations.

a. Location Of Entrance. The point of entry must be located on the part of the building or premises nearest the City's service lines. When entrance wiring is contemplated before the City's distribution system is extended to the customer's premises, the City must be notified so that it may specify the point of entrance.

b. Service Size And Rating.

[Ord. No. 13.93 § 1, 5-28-2013[1]]

(1) Ungrounded service conductors shall have an ampacity of not less than the load served. For one-family dwellings, the ampacity of the ungrounded conductors shall not be less than one hundred (100) amperes, three (3) wire. For all other installations, the ampacity shall not be less than sixty (60) amperes.

(2) If an existing service less than one hundred (100) amperes in an unsafe or dangerous condition becomes disconnected due to damage, the City of Mount Vernon will not reconnect to said service until the owner or customer has complied with the provisions of the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, Chapter 35, Section E3502, 2006, or the version of that code most recently adopted by the Board of Aldermen. The owner or customer will have ninety (90) days from the date of notice by the City to bring the property into compliance with the above-cited code.

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former Subsection (A)(2)(b) through (d) as Subsection (A)(2)(c) through (e), respectively, and former Subsection (A)(2)(e) as Subsection (A)(2)(g).

c. Pole-Mounted Underground Services. All meters and loops for pole-mounted underground services shall be placed on City utility poles unless special approval is given to the Director of Public Works or competent person delegated by him/her to place elsewhere. All service entrance conductors from the point of service connection at the weather head to the main circuit breaker/disconnect in the meter cabinet shall be sized as per the National Electrical Code. They shall be contained in an intermediate or rigid steel conduit of not less than two (2) inches trade size diameter. All service entrance conductors from the meter to the distribution panel located on or in the structure shall be installed in conduit. Sizing of the underground conduits, conduit material and conductors shall be in accordance with the National Electrical Code, but in no case shall conduits be less than two (2) inches in trade size diameter.

[Ord. No. 13.93 § 1, 5-28-2013; Ord. No. 2.183 § 1, 10-11-2016]

d. Pad-Mounted Meter Cabinets And Transformers. All service entrance conductors from the main circuit breaker/disconnect at the meter to the distribution panel, located on or in the structure, shall be installed in conduit. Sizing of the underground conduits, conduit material and conductors shall be in accordance with the National Electric Code, but in no case shall conduits be less than two (2) inches in trade size diameter.

e. Overhead Services. All meters and meter loops for overhead service connection shall be rigidly installed on the exterior of the structure. The conductors shall be contained within a rigid steel conduit and shall be fitted with approved joints and weather head unless otherwise designated by the City. All service entrance conductors shall be sized as per the National Electrical Code. Sizing of the conduit shall be in accordance with the National Electrical Code, but in no case be less than two (2) inches minimum in trade size diameter. This conduit shall extend through the roof with conductor clearances in accordance with the National Electrical Code. Alternate methods, when required, shall be approved by the Director of Public Works. Distribution panels inside the building, located more than three (3) feet in conduit length from the meter cabinets outside the building, are considered offset services and require the main breaker disconnect be located on the exterior of the building.

[Ord. No. 2.183 § 2, 10-11-2016]

f. Maintenance. Maintenance of all meter loops, underground conduits and cables contained within them, from the point of service connection to the distribution panel on or in the structure, will be the responsibility of the owner.

[Ord. No. 13.93 § 1, 5-28-2013]

g. Building Branch Circuit Wiring. All branch circuits shall be in copper and installed in accordance with the National Electric Code.

3. Grounding. All domestic, commercial and industrial electrical services shall be grounded at the point of entry to the structure with materials that are in accordance with the National Electric Code.

Section 705.015 Net Metering Service And Electrical System Integration.

[Ord. No. 13.106 § 1, 5-10-2016]

A. Applicable Service Territory. Net metering and electrical system interconnection is available on a first-come-first-served basis in the distribution territory of the City of Mount Vernon at any point on the City's existing facilities that has adequate capacity and suitable voltage for delivery of service until:

1. The total rated generating capacity of all net metering systems on the utility equals five percent (5%) of the utility's single-hour peak load during the previous year; or

2. The total rated generating capacity of approved new interconnection agreements during the current calendar year equals or exceeds one percent (1%) of the utility's single-hour peak load for the previous calendar year.

B. Availability Of Service. Net metering service is available to any existing business or residence customer who is in good standing under the City's electric service schedule. The customer can own and operate a renewable energy electricity generator powered by solar (thermal or photovoltaic), hydro, or wind or fuel cells using hydrogen produced by solar, hydro or wind with a capacity of not more than one hundred (100) kilowatts that is located on the customer's premises, is interconnected and operates in parallel phase and synchronization with the City's existing transmission and distribution facilities, and is intended primarily to offset part or all of the customer's own electrical power requirements, in accordance with Section 386.890, RSMo. Additional sources of renewable energy certified by the Department of Natural Resources subsequent to the enactment of this Section will also be accepted by the City. All agreements created under this Section are between the customer-generator and the City of Mount Vernon and shall not include third parties.

C. Definitions.

1. As used in this Section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

AVOIDED FUEL COST

Shall be the sum of the fuel charge and usage charge billed by Empire District Electric to the City of Mount Vernon, divided by the kilowatt hours.

NET METERING

Measuring the difference between the electrical energy supplied by the City and the electrical energy generated by an eligible customer-generator and fed back to the electrical grid over the applicable billing period.

2. All other definitions shall be those contained in Section 386.890, RSMo., unless otherwise defined herein.

D. Monthly Billing. The electrical service charge shall be computed in accordance with the monthly billing under the customer's effective standard rate schedule and shall only affect the energy units indicated in kilowatt-hour (kWh) units of a customer-generator's bill.

1. If the electricity supplied by the City exceeds the electricity generated and fed back to the electrical grid by the customer-generator during the applicable billing period, the customer-generator shall be billed for the net billable kWh's supplied by the City in accordance with the rates and charges applicable to that customer during that monthly billing cycle.

2. If the electricity generated by the customer-generator and fed back onto the grid exceeds the electricity supplied by the City, the customer-generator shall be credited for the value of the electricity delivered to the grid during the applicable billing period at the rate of the City's avoided fuel cost, with the credit appearing on the customer-generator's bill no later than the following billing period.

E. Transfer Of Ownership. Upon change in ownership or operational control of the qualified electrical generating unit or of the premises on which it is located, the new customer-generator shall file a new application with the City for net metering.

F. Additional Terms And Conditions.

1. The customer-generator must have an approved application for net metering and an approved interconnection application/agreement with the City. An application permit fee will be assessed in the amount set forth on the City schedule of fees maintained by the City Clerk and available at City Hall during normal business hours.

2. The customer-generator is responsible for all costs associated with its generating facility and is also responsible for all costs related to any modifications to the premises that may be required by the City for purposes of safety and reliability. In addition, an established customer-generator agrees to notify the City at least thirty (30) days prior to modifications to the system components or design that may alter the system's overall design or performance.

3. A net metering facility shall meet all applicable safety and performance standards established by the National Electric Safety Code, the National Electrical Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Underwriters' Laboratory. In addition, it shall:

a. Be equipped at the customer-generator's expense with a meter or meters supplied by the City and capable of measuring the net amount of electrical energy produced or consumed by the customer-generator. The meter's cost shall be in the amount set forth on the City schedule of fees maintained by the City Clerk and available at City Hall during normal business hours. Any additional costs necessary for the City to permit the meters or generator to be integrated into the City's distribution grid shall be borne by the customer-generator. At the request of customer-generator, those costs can be initially paid by the City which may bill the customer-generator those costs over the subsequent twelve (12) billing cycles.

b. Have a mechanism that automatically disables and disconnects the unit from the supplier's electrical lines in the event that service to the customer-generator is interrupted.

c. Have an easily accessible device or feature in immediate proximity to the metering equipment to allow a utility worker to manually and instantly disconnect the unit from the City's distribution system at any time. This device shall be capable of being locked in an off position by the City.

4. For systems of ten (10) kilowatts or less, a customer-generator shall not be required to purchase any liability insurance. Insurance for systems producing in excess of ten (10) kilowatts shall be negotiated as a part of the interconnection application/agreement with the City.

5. When the account of a customer-generator is in default and power is disconnected for non-payment, the City may terminate the interconnection application/agreement for that customer-generator. The interconnection application/agreement may also be terminated at any time by written agreement of the parties.

6. Equipment installed by the customer-generator as part of the renewable energy electrical generator shall conform to latest applicable building codes adopted in Chapter 500, Article I, of the Municipal Code of the City of Mount Vernon and the version of the International Fire Code most recently adopted in Section 203.010.