Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

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The Pennsylvania Code website reflects the Pennsylvania Code changes effective through 54 Pa.B. 5598 (August 31, 2024).

52 Pa. Code § 56.461. [Reserved].

§ 56.461. [Reserved].


Authority

   The provisions of this §  56.461 reserved under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § §  501, 1301, 1401—1419, 1501 and 1509.

Source

   The provisions of this §  56.461 reserved May 31, 2019, effective June 1, 2019, 49 Pa.B. 2815. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (359071) to (359072). Appx. A

APPENDIX A. MEDICAL EMERGENCY NOTICE


 Let us know if someone living in your home is seriously ill or has a medical condition that will be aggravated by the cessation of service. We will not shut off your service during such illness provided you:

 (a)  Have a licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant certify in writing that such illness exists and that it may be aggravated if your service is stopped; and

 (b)  Make some equitable arrangement to pay the company your current bills for service.

 (c)  Contact us by calling the following number: (Public Utility) Phone Number: (Public Utility) Address:

 (d)  Have your licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant send a letter to the public utility within 3 days verifying the medical condition.

 If you are a victim of abuse and have an order issued by the courts, special medical emergency procedures and protections may be available. Call your public utility company to inform them so these special procedures and protections can be provided. Your public utility company may require you to provide them with a copy of your court order.

Authority

   The provisions of this Appendix A amended under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § §  501, 1301, 1401—1419, 1501 and 1509.

Source

   The provisions of this Appendix A adopted June 16, 1978, effective June 17, 1978, 8 Pa.B. 1655; amended October 7, 2011, effective October 8, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 5473; amended May 31, 2019, effective June 1, 2019, 49 Pa.B. 2815. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (359072).

Cross References

   This appendix cited in 52 Pa. Code §  56.91 (relating to general notice provisions and contents of termination notice); and 52 Pa. Code §  56.331 (relating to general notice provisions and contents of termination notice).

APPENDIX B. MEDICAL EMERGENCY NOTICE


 Let us know if someone living in your home is seriously ill or has a medical condition that will be aggravated by the cessation of service. We will restore your utility service within 24 hours during such illness provided you:

 (a)  Have a licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant certify in writing that such illness exists and that it may be aggravated if your service is not restored; and

 (b)  Make some equitable arrangement to pay the company your current bills for service.

 (c)  Contact us by calling the following number: (Public Utility) Phone Number: (Public Utility) Address:

 (d)  Have your licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant send a letter to the utility within 3 days verifying the medical condition.Appx. C

 If you are a victim of abuse and have an order issued by the courts, special medical emergency procedures and protections may be available. Call your public utility company to inform them so these special procedures and protections can be provided. Your public utility company may require you to provide them with a copy of your court order.

Authority

   The provisions of this Appendix B amended under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § §  501, 1301, 1401—1419, 1501 and 1509.

Source

   The provisions of this Appendix B adopted June 16, 1978, effective June 17, 1978, 8 Pa.B. 1655; amended October 7, 2011, effective October 8, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 5473; amended May 31, 2019, effective June 1, 2019, 49 Pa.B. 2815. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (359072) to (359073).

Cross References

   This appendix cited in 52 Pa. Code §  56.91 (relating to general notice provisions and contents of termination notice); 52 Pa. Code §  56.96 (relating to post-termination notice); 52 Pa. Code §  56.331 (relating to general notice provisions and contents of termination notice); and 52 Pa. Code §  56.336 (relating to post-termination notice).

APPENDIX C. DEFINITIONS (§  56.231)


 This data dictionary and the following definitions are to be used in relation to the reporting requirements in §  56.231 (relating to reporting requirements).

   Annual collections operating expenses—Use the definition in §  54.72 or §  62.2, ‘‘include administrative expenses associated with termination activity, field visits, negotiating payment arrangements, budget counseling, investigation and resolving informal and formal complaints associated with payment arrangements, securing and maintaining deposits, tracking delinquent accounts, collection agencies’ expenses, litigation expenses other than Commission-related, dunning expenses and winter survey expenses.’’ Report the cumulative total as of the end of the calendar year. Exclude customer assistance program expenses including customer assistance program administrative expenses, customer assistance program credits, also known as revenue shortfall, customer assistance program arrearage forgiveness and any other expenses directly related to customer assistance programs.

   Annual residential billings—Report the cumulative total dollar amount in residential billings as of the end of the calendar year. This includes ‘‘normal tariff billings,’’ universal service program billings including customer assistance programs, and ‘‘miscellaneous billings.’’ The latter category includes billings for late payment fees.

   Average monthly bill for the previous year for a heating customer—Report the aggregate average monthly bill by calculating the average of the 12 monthly average bills for heating customers. Report the average as of the end of the calendar year.

   Average monthly bill for the previous year for a nonheating customer— Report the aggregate average monthly bill by calculating the average of the 12 monthly average bills for nonheating customers. Report the average as of the end of the calendar year.

   Average monthly usage for a heating customer—Report the aggregate average monthly usage by calculating the average of the 12 monthly average usages for heating customers. Report the average as of the end of the calendar year.

   Average monthly usage for a nonheating customer—Report the aggregate average monthly usage by calculating the average of the twelve monthly average usages for nonheating customers. Report the average as of the end of the calendar year.

   Total dollar amount of active residential accounts in arrears and not on a payment arrangement—Report the total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar month. The due date should be considered to be day zero (0) in the determination of when account is overdue. Exclude customer assistance program recipients.

   Total dollar amount of active residential accounts in arrears and on a payment arrangement—Report the total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar month. The due date should be considered to be day zero (0) in the determination of when account is overdue. Exclude customer assistance program recipients.

   Total dollar amount of gross residential write-offs—Report the cumulative total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar year. Do not include customer assistance program credits, also known as revenue shortfall, or customer assistance program arrearage forgiveness in this category.

   Total dollar amount of inactive residential accounts in arrears—An account that has been terminated or discontinued, the final bill due date has passed, and the amount owed has not yet been written off. Report the total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar month. The due date should be considered to be day zero (0) in the determination of when an account is overdue. A terminated or final-billed account becomes inactive on the day after the final bill is due and payable.

   Total dollar amount of net residential write-offs—Net write-offs are calculated by subtracting recoveries from gross write-offs. Include all residential recoveries regardless of the year the recovered dollars were actually written off. Report the cumulative total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar year. Do not include customer assistance program credits, also known as revenue shortfall, or customer assistance program arrearage forgiveness in this category.

   Total dollar amount in security deposits on-hand—Report the dollar amount as of the end of the calendar year. Exclude accrued interest.

   Total dollar amount in security deposits that are requested or billed to applicants—Report the cumulative total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar month.

   Total dollar amount in security deposits that are requested or billed to customers—Report the cumulative total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar month.

   Total number of active residential accounts in arrears and not on a payment arrangement—Report the total as of the end of the calendar month. The due date should be considered to be day zero (0) in the determination of when account is overdue. Exclude customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of active residential accounts in arrears and on a payment arrangement—Report the total as of the end of the calendar month. The due date should be considered to be day zero (0) in the determination of when account is overdue. Exclude customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of applicants that are requested or billed a security deposit— Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month.

   Total number of customers that are requested or billed a security deposit— Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month.

   Total number of dwellings receiving termination notices sent to occupants other than the customer—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Use this category when the termination notice was delivered to someone other than the customer, for example, a termination notice to a tenant because of nonpayment of a landlord-ratepayer. This does not include copies of termination notices sent in accordance with the third-party notification procedures in §  56.131. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of 48-hour termination notices posted—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients. The termination notice was posted at the customer’s residence in accordance with §  56.95.

   Total number of inactive residential accounts in arrears—An account that has been terminated or discontinued, the final bill due date has passed, and the amount owed has not yet been written off. Report the total as of the end of the calendar month. The due date should be considered to be day zero (0) in the determination of when an account is overdue. A terminated or final-billed account becomes inactive on the day after the final bill is due and payable.

   Total number of reconnections for customer submission of medical certification—Includes only reconnections because the customer has supplied the company with a valid medical certificate as the condition of reconnection. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of reconnections for full customer payment, partial payment or payment arrangement—A reconnection is any residential account that was terminated for any reason covered under §  56.81 or §  56.98 and subsequently restored after the customer paid in full the outstanding balance of the account, made a partial payment or entered into a payment arrangement regardless of whether the customer’s current status is that of applicant or customer per the definitions in §  56.2. Four criteria must be met: the reconnection is for the same customer/applicant that was terminated; the location of the reconnection is the same location as the location of the termination; the dollars in debt that are the subject of the customer payment and/or customer payment arrangement are for the same customer/applicant while at the same location; and the time that has passed since the final bill due date does not exceed 4 years. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of reconnections for reasons other than customer payment or medical certification—Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. This category includes any reconnection not reported under reconnections for payment/partial payment/payment arrangement or reconnections for submission of a medical certificate. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of residential heating customers—Report the number as of the end of the calendar month. Report each individually billed account under a unique residential account number and residential tariff rate (Count the number of residential bills that you issue). Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of residential nonheating customers—Report the number as of the end of the calendar month. Report each individually billed account under a unique residential account number and residential tariff rate (Count the number of residential bills that you issue). Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of security deposits on-hand—Report the number as of the end of the calendar year.

   Total number of 10-day termination notices issued by the public utility—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of terminations for nonpayment—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of terminations for nonpayment and reasons other than nonpayment categorized by the first three digits of each account’s postal code—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit, failure to permit access, unauthorized use of service, fraud, meter tampering, and safety. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients. Categorize by the first three digits of the postal code of the customer’s service address.

   Total number of terminations for reasons other than nonpayment—The reasons for termination include failure to permit access, unauthorized use of service, fraud, meter tampering, and safety. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of 3-day termination notices completed by electronic messaging formats—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients. The customer was contacted using email, text message or other electronic messaging format in accordance with §  56.93.

   Total number of 3-day termination notices completed by personal contact in person—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients. The customer was contacted in person in accordance with §  56.93.

   Total number of 3-day termination notices completed by telephone—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients. The customer was contacted using the telephone in accordance with §  56.93.

Authority

   The provisions of this Appendix C issued under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § §  1401—1419; amended under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § §  501, 1301, 1401—1419, 1501 and 1509.

Source

   The provisions of this Appendix C adopted October 7, 2011, effective October 8, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 5473; amended May 31, 2019, effective June 1, 2019, 49 Pa.B. 2815. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (359073) to (359077).

Cross References

   This appendix cited in 52 Pa. Code §  56.231 (relating to reporting requirements).

APPENDIX D. DEFINITIONS (§  56.231(d))Appx. D


 This data dictionary and the following definitions are to be used in relation to the reporting requirements in §  56.231(d) (relating to reporting requirements).

   Annual residential billings—Report the cumulative total dollar amount in residential billings during the calendar year. This includes ‘‘normal tariff billings’’ and ‘‘miscellaneous billings.’’ The latter category includes billings for late payment fees.

   Total dollar amount of gross residential write-offs—Report the cumulative total dollar amount as of the end of the calendar year. Do not include customer assistance program credits, also known as revenue shortfall, or customer assistance program arrearage forgiveness in this category.

   Total number of reconnections for customer payment—A reconnection is any residential account that was terminated for any reason covered under §  56.321 or §  56.338 and subsequently restored after the customer paid in full the outstanding balance of the account, or made a partial payment or entered into a payment agreement regardless of whether the customer’s current status is that of applicant or customer per the definitions in §  56.252. Four criteria must be met: the reconnection is for the same customer/applicant that was terminated; the location of the reconnection is the same location as the location of the termination; the dollars in debt that are the subject of the customer payment or customer payment agreement, or both, are for the same customer/applicant while at the same location; and the time that has passed since the final bill due date does not exceed 4 years. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of reconnections for customer submission of medical certification—Includes only reconnections because the customer has supplied the company with a valid medical certificate as the condition of reconnection. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of reconnections for reasons other than customer payment or medical certification—Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of residential customers—Report the number as of the end of the calendar month. Report each individually billed account under a unique residential account number and residential tariff rate (Count the number of residential bills that you issue). Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of terminations for nonpayment—The grounds for termination are customer nonpayment of usage-based billings or nonpayment of a security deposit. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients.

   Total number of terminations for reasons other than nonpayment—The reasons for termination include failure to permit access, unauthorized use of service, fraud, meter tampering, and safety. Report the cumulative number as of the end of the calendar month. Include customer assistance program recipients. Appx. E

Authority

   The provisions of this Appendix D issued under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. 1401—1419; amended under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § §  501, 1301, 1401—1419, 1501 and 1509.

Source

   The provisions of this Appendix D adopted October 7, 2011, effective October 8, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 5473; amended May 31, 2019, effective June 1, 2019, 49 Pa.B. 2815. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (359077) to (359078).

Cross References

   This appendix cited in 52 Pa. Code §  56.231 (relating to reporting requirements).

APPENDIX E. THIRD-PARTY NOTIFICATION


 Once in a while, for one reason or another, a customer fails to pay his or her ‹UTILITY› bill. Under the Third-Party Notification program, ‹UTILITY› will notify you and another person you choose to receive copies of shut-off notices. The third-party can be a trusted relative, friend, clergy member, or social service agency. The Third-Party Notification program is voluntary and can help you if you are hospitalized, away from home for extended periods of time or homebound. The third-party is not responsible for paying your bills and this program will not stop ‹UTILITY› from shutting off your ‹UTILITY› service if you do not pay your bills. When a third-party contacts ‹UTILITY› about the shut off notice, we will tell them what you can do to stop the shut off. The third-party does not have the right to make a payment agreement for you.

 To sign up, both you and the third-party must complete and sign the form below. Do not return this with your bill, return it to:

 ‹UTILITY NAME›

 ‹UTILITY ADDRESS›

 ‹CITY, STATE, POSTAL CODE›

 IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

 * Notify us immediately if you want to change or drop your third-party.

 * Notify us if your third-party moves.

 * Notify us if you move and you want the third-party transferred to your new address.

 Please sign me up for the third-party Notification program. By completing this form and returning it to ‹UTILITY›, I request that a copy of any shut off notice be given to the person or agency named below.

 CUSTOMER NAME:

 ‹UTILITY› ACCOUNT/CUSTOMER NUMBER:

 CUSTOMER ADDRESS:

 CUSTOMER SIGNATURE:

 DATE:

 Receipt of a copy of a shut off notice by the third-party does not place any obligation on that party to pay the ‹UTILITY› bill for the customer named above nor will it necessarily stop shut off if payment is not made. The notice simply reminds the third-party of a chance to help the customer solve the problem.

 THIRD-PARTY NAME:

 THIRD-PARTY ADDRESS:

 THIRD-PARTY SIGNATURE:

 DATE:

Authority

   The provisions of this Appendix E issued under the Public Utility Code, 66 Pa.C.S. § §  1401—1419.

Source

   The provisions of this Appendix E adopted October 7, 2011, effective October 8, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 5473.

Cross References

   This appendix cited in 52 Pa. Code §  56.131 (relating to third-party notification); and 52 Pa. Code §  56.361 (relating to third-party notification).



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