§ 37-2-222 — Undercharges for electricity and gas; collection permitted; restrictions

Wyoming § 37-2-222

• Jurisdiction: Wyoming
• Title 37: Public Utilities
• Ch. 2: PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
• Art. 2: REPORTS, INVESTIGATIONS AND HEARINGS

Text

(a) Whenever a public utility supplying gas, natural gas
or electricity has undercharged any customer as the result of a
meter or metering inaccuracy or other continuing problem under
its control, the utility may only bill the customer for the
amount of the unmetered gas or electricity rendered in the one
hundred eighty-three (183) days immediately prior to the date
the utility remedies the meter inaccuracy. The maximum portion
of the undercharge for unmetered gas or electricity rendered
that may be recovered from the customer in any billing month
shall be determined by dividing the amount of the undercharge by
twelve (12) and the quotient is the maximum portion of the
undercharge that the utility may, subject to subsection (c) of
this section, recover from the customer in any billing month, in
addition to either regular monthly charges of any type or
regular level payment amounts billed in accordance with an
agreement between the customer and the utility. Subject to
subsection (c) of this section, the time period over which the
undercharge may be collected shall be twelve (12) consecutive
months.
(b) No utility shall recover any interest charge, service
charge or fee, whether or not a percentage is utilized for its
computation, for billings made pursuant to this section.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent
the customer from paying an undercharge or any portion thereof
in a time shorter than that stated in this section. Nothing in
this section shall be construed to prevent a gas, natural gas or
electric utility from collecting an undercharge or any portion
thereof in a time longer than that stated in this section.
(d) A gas, natural gas or electric utility may not collect
any amount otherwise permitted to be collected under this
section unless the utility, in the first bill the purpose of
which is to collect the amount for unmetered gas or electric
service, states the entire amount that it seeks to collect.
(e) No gas, natural gas or electric utility required to
follow this section in order to collect an undercharge from a
customer may shut off the service of the customer except for
safety reasons, except in the event of a request by the customer
and except to enforce a shut-off provision in its filed tariffs
with the commission that is triggered by nonpayment by a
customer of a lawfully owing past due amount.
(f) This section does not apply to any act that is an
offense under W.S. 37-12-111 through 37-12-118, or where a
physical act of a customer or its agent causes inaccurate or no
recording of the meter reading or inaccurate or no measurement
of the gas or electricity rendered.