Meter testing.

69-09-02-26. Meter testing. 1. The testing of any unit of metering equipment shall consist of a comparison of its accuracy with a standard of known accuracy. Meters shall be adjusted as closely as practicable to the condition of zero error, and may be checked for accuracy at the point where they are installed, or at a central testing laboratory, or in a mobile testing laboratory. 2. All meters shall be tested for accuracy before initially placed in service. Metering equipment associated with instrument transformers shall be tested for accuracy on the customer's premises within sixty days after installation and whenever the instrument transformers are changed. 3. Meters shall be tested for accuracy at unity power factor, provided that polyphase meters shall also be checked for accuracy at fifty percent power factor whenever tested. 4. Watt-hour meters, and associated equipment such as demand measuring devices, shall be periodically tested for accuracy in accordance with a plan approved by the commission or the following schedule: PERIODIC TEST SCHEDULE To Be Tested At Meter Description Least Once in Every Alternating current meters: Up to and including twelve kilovolt-amperes 120 months Over twelve kilovolt-amperes up to and including 36 months one hundred kilovolt-amperes Over one hundred kilovolt-amperes 12 months Direct current meters: Up to and including six kilowatts 42 months Over six kilowatts up to and including one hundred kilowatts 18 months Over one hundred kilowatts 12 months The kilovolt-ampere rating of an alternating current, single-element meter, or the kilowatt rating of a direct current meter, is the product of the rated voltage and the rated current. In the case of polyphase or multielement meters, the rating is the product of the rated voltage and the rated current multiplied by the number of meter elements. When meters are connected to and tested in conjunction with instrument transformers, the nominal rating of the transformer shall be used in the determination of the kilovolt-ampere rating of the metering equipment. 5. An electric service utility shall test the accuracy of any meter upon request of the customer, shall provide the customer with a report of the test results, and shall keep the complete original test record and a copy of the report on file in the utility's office. 6. A customer may request in writing to the commission that the utility's test be supervised by a commission representative. 15 7. The customer may not be charged for the test provided the customer requests no more than one test each twelve-month period, otherwise the utility may charge a tariffed rate. The charge must be waived if the meter error is more than plus or minus two percent. History: Amended effective July 1, 1997. General Authority: NDCC 49-02-11 Law Implemented: NDCC 49-02-11