56-247.1 - Commission to require public utilities to follow certain procedures.
§ 56-247.1. Commission to require public utilities to follow certainprocedures.
The Commission shall require that public utilities adhere to the followingprocedures:
A. Every public utility shall provide its residential customers one fullbilling period to pay for one month's local or basic services, beforeinitiating any proceeding against a residential customer for nonpayment oflocal service.
B. Pay the residential customer a fair rate of interest as determined by theCommission on money deposited and return the deposit with the interest afternot more than one year of satisfactory credit has been established.
C. Every public utility shall establish customer complaint procedures whichwill insure prompt and effective handling of all customer inquiries, servicerequests and complaints. Such procedure shall be approved by the Commissionbefore its implementation and it shall be distributed to its residentialcustomers.
D. No electric or gas utility shall terminate a customer's service without 10days' notice by mail to the customer.
E. No public utility shall terminate the residential service of a customerfor such customer's nonpayment of basic nonresidential services as defined byits terms and conditions on file with the Virginia State CorporationCommission.
F. Any electric utility formed under or subject to Chapter 9.1 (§ 56-231.15et seq.) may install and operate, upon a customer's request and pursuant toan appropriate tariff for any type or classification of service, a prepaidmetering equipment and system that is configured to terminate electricservice immediately and automatically when the customer has incurred chargesfor electric service equal to the customer's prepayments for such service.Subsections A, B, D, and E shall not apply to services provided pursuant toelectric service provided on a prepaid basis by a prepaid metering equipmentand system pursuant to this subsection. Such tariffs shall be filed with theCommission for its review and determination that the tariff is not contraryto the public interest.
(1976, c. 738; 1977, c. 59; 1980, c. 415; 2010, c. 320.)