GUIDE FOR INVESTIGATION OF CUSTOMERS’ HIGH-BILL ELECTRICITY INQUIRIES ON THE CUSTOMERS’ PREMISES

As a representative of the company, an employee who is assigned to investigate a customer’s inquiry concerning his billing has a dual responsibility. First, make absolutely certain that all service used by the customer is being accurately registered on the meter. Attempt to explain some of the metering factors to a customer who does not understand them to assure the customer of the accuracy of the meter.

The following is a plan suggested for conducting metering investigations. Steps 1 and 2 are frequently performed by a representative of the commercial department of the company. In many companies, only Steps 3 and 4 are performed by meter department personnel.

Step 1
A. Upon arriving at the customer’s home or place of business, the company representative should introduce himself, show his identification card or badge when requested, and explain the purpose of his visit. He should also advise the customer that, in the process of checking, the electric service might be momentarily interrupted.

B. The meter readings should be compared with those on the last bill. If an error is apparent, it should be explained to the customer and reported to the billing section.

C. If the customer’s question concerning his bill cannot be explained from the aforementioned, the company representative should ask the customer if any appliances have been added recently. Inquiry about appliances that affect seasonal loads is particularly important.

These may include air conditioners, dehumidifiers, space heaters, and heating cables. It should also be determined whether the customer has replaced any major appliances recently. The replacement of a refrigerator with a newer, frost-free model may result in an increase in operating cost, and this should be explained to the customer.

D. Ask the customer if there has been an increase in the number of persons living in the household.

E. Ask the customer if situations have occurred that were out of the ordinary routine of the household. These would include such things as more entertaining than usual, guests visiting in the home, an illness in the family, and other factors that would increase the customer’s bill.

F. If the customer’s inquiry can not be explained after carrying out the parts of Step 1, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2
A. Check for causes of abnormally high consumption.
1. Dirt- or lint-clogged filters on furnace or air conditioning units.
2. Leaky hot-water faucets where electric water heaters are used.
3. Defective water pump.
4. Use of electric range units for space heating.
5. Heating water on range.

B. If the preceding investigation is sufficient, discuss these factors with the customer briefly, pointing out any reasons you have found for the increase in the customer’s electric bill.

C. If further investigation is necessary, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3
A. If there is a load on the meter, ask the customer to shut off all appliances and lighting at the appliance or light switch. Recheck if the meter continues to indicate a load and determine absolutely whether rotation is due to a missed load or loss to ground. If there is a loss to ground, this should be checked with a stop watch and the rate of loss established.

B. If possible, it should then be determined which circuit is grounded and, if convenient to the customer, the circuit should be disconnected by removing the fuse or opening the circuit breaker. The condition should be explained to the customer and he should be advised to have the condition corrected by a wireman before using the circuit again. If the loss to ground is found to be a defective appliance, it should be disconnected and the customer advised to have repairs made before reconnecting the appliance.

Step 4
If no explanation for the bill has been reached, the meter should then be checked for accuracy, creep, proper constant, and correct register ratio. The results of each check should be noted on the investigation order.

GOOD PRACTICES FOR METERING PERSONNEL

Efficient metering personnel will make good installations. In doing so, they will observe certain practices that will be helpful to both their company and the customers. These good practices have many benefits. They insure good service by preventing unnecessary outages.

They insure good customer relations by preventing damage to the customer’s equipment. Also, the meter employee will not have to return to the customer’s premises for things forgotten or left undone and thereby undermine the customer’s confidence in electric metering.

All these benefits, in turn, help the company and the employee. Following are some of the good metering practices, not necessarily in order of importance. Competent metering employees will:

Recognize their responsibilities while on the customer’s premises.
• Take the nearest and safest route to accomplish the work.
• Take care not to damage any of the customer’s property.
• Leave the area clean upon completion of the job.
• Report any hazards to the meter department supervisor.

Work in the safest possible manner.
• Keep in mind that no job is so important that it cannot be done safely.
• Inspect all meter wiring connections for correctness
• Check connections to prevent outages, damage to meter installation, damage to customer’s property, and personal injury.

Inspect for loose connections.
• A loose connection can cause intermittent service or it can cause a complete outage. Loose connections generally arc, causing a fire hazard. Even if there is no fire damage, heating around the connection occurs.
Inspect for good grounding.
• Check for equipment ground at the installation. Realize that no ground at the installation is a potential hazard and report it to the supervisor.

Pay attention to details.
• Check meter voltage links. Inspect connections between two dissimilar metals.
• Connection between two dissimilar metals often causes corrosion.
• Corrosion can be prevented by using the proper connector and by protecting the connector and conductors against oxidation.
• Wires corroded at a joint have the same effect as a loose connection since corrosion has a high resistance and causes heating, which, in turn, assists the corrosive action.

Check for proper voltages.
• Voltage should be checked before installing the meter.
• A reversal of the power and lighting leg on a four-wire delta system causes excess voltage on customer’s equipment. Also, a reversal of the hot leg and ground has serious consequences.
• Grounded conductors and the power leg of four-wire delta services should be permanently identified.

Check phase rotation.
• Phase rotation on installations which have been disconnected temporarily for service work should be checked. If a reverse phase rotation is connected to the customer’s motors, they will reverse, possibly causing extensive damage. This could also mean personal injury.

Check for single phasing.
• It is possible to prevent damage to the customer’s property by disconnecting or warning the customer to disconnect the load on a three-phase service when one phase is out. A running three-phase motor may continue to run on single phase but will overheat. A stopped motor may attempt to start but cannot, which causes overheating.

Observe direction of disk rotation.
• Whenever possible, try to get a load applied to the meter in order to check for correct disk rotation.

Check for diversion.
• Always check for circuits tapped ahead of the meter or current transformers.

Check for correct installation information.
• Check for correct phase, amperes, volts, and frequency.
• Check for such details as multipliers, full scales, readings, and similar data.
• Check all written records against actual nameplate data.

Check to see if meter is level.
• An out-of-plumb meter may be inaccurate. Besides being inaccurate, it presents an unsightly appearance to the customer and may undermine his confidence in the electric metering.

Give the entire job a good once over before leaving it.
• Check the job in general for good workmanship and safety before leaving. Be sure the area surrounding the meter is left clean and neat.

Meter employees are the company in the eyes of many customers. They can make a good impression on the customer by being neat in dress, accurate in work, and courteous at all times.

Having equipment and tools in good, clean condition will build the customer’s confidence in the company and assure the customer of the employee’s skill. Sloppy dress, actions, and equipment leave a poor impression.

There are probably many other practices which are followed on local levels throughout the country, but if employees observe those listed, they will turn out a good job.

Failure to follow any one of these practices may result in extensive property damage, personal injury, outage of service, or a loss of revenue. And, last but by no means least, it may impair that valuable asset to a public utility—good customer relations.