PRINTER'S NO. 2005
No. 1653 Session of 1979
INTRODUCED BY SWEET, DeMEDIO AND FEE, JULY 11, 1979
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, JULY 11, 1979
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, further providing for billing
3 procedures.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 1509 of Title 66, act of November 25,
7 1970 (P.L.707, No.230), known as the Pennsylvania Consolidated
8 Statutes, is amended to read:
9 § 1509. Billing procedures.
10 (a) Billing periods.--All bills rendered by a public utility
11 as defined in paragraph (1) (i), (ii), (vi) or (vii) of the
12 definition of "public utility" in section 102 (relating to
13 definitions) to its service customers, except bills for
14 installation charges, shall allow at least 15 days for
15 nonresidential customers and 20 days for residential customers
16 from the date of transmittal of the bill for payment without
17 incurring any late payment penalty charges therefor. All
18 customers shall be permitted to receive bills monthly and shall
19 be notified of their right thereto.
1 (b) Calculation of bills.--All bills shall be itemized to
2 separately show amounts for basic service, Federal excise taxes,
3 applicable State sales and gross receipts taxes, to the extent
4 practicable, fuel adjustment charge, if any, State tax
5 adjustment charge or such other similar components of the total
6 bill as the commission may order. Any electric or gas public
7 utility billing customers on a bimonthly or quarterly basis and
8 rendering interim statements or bills each month shall include
9 in such interim statement or bill an amount for the fuel
10 adjustment charge based upon one-half of the total expected
11 bimonthly kilowatt hour or cubic foot billing or one-third of
12 the total expected quarterly billing and using the fuel
13 adjustment charge rate applicable in the month of the interim
14 statement or bill. At the time of preparing the bimonthly or
15 quarterly bill, an appropriate adjustment shall be made in the
16 total fuel adjustment charge billing for the period. Any public
17 utility rendering bills on a bimonthly basis or quarterly basis
18 shall calculate the fuel adjustment charge per kilowatt hour or
19 cubic foot for the entire period as the weighted average of the
20 two monthly rates or the three monthly rates whichever is
21 applicable.
22 (c) Estimated bills.--No public utility as defined in
23 paragraph (1)(i) of the definition of "public utility" in
24 section 102 shall impose a late payment penalty or service
25 charge of any kind on a customer for delay in paying nor take
26 action for nonpayment, unless the bill is calculated upon an
27 actual meter reading for that period. A public utility may
28 enforce payment of an estimated bill if the utility personnel
29 are unable to gain access to read the meter and the utility has
30 provided the ratepayer with pre-addressed postcards upon which
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1 the ratepayer may note the meter reading, accompanied by
2 instructions on reading the meter. No utility estimating bills
3 or using ratepayer meter readings, under this subsection shall
4 bill a ratepayer with an estimated bill unless utility personnel
5 have read the meter in the past six months to verify the
6 accuracy of its billing.
7 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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