Marblehead Municipal Electric Department's Terms & Conditions of Electric Service may be viewed below. It's also downloadable here as a PDF file.
SECTION 1 GENERAL INFORMATION
“Information and requirements for electric service” is issued as a means toward better communication between customers, architects, contractors and engineers. The requirements contained herein are supplementary to MMLD’s schedule of rates and their terms and conditions filed from time to time with the state departments of public utilities.
SECTION 2 VOLTAGE
The information contained herein applies primarily to electric service requirements for installations at voltages not exceeding 600 volts. Service requirements above 600 volts are subject to special negotiations between the Customer and MMLD.
SECTION 3 ENFORCEMENT OF RULES
All wiring and equipment intended for connection to the mains of MMLD shall be in accordance with the requirements of the local municipal inspection authority, the National Electrical Code and MMLD. No service connection will be made until approval is received from the local municipal authority (Wire Inspector). All connections to MMLD’s system shall be designed, installed and operated in a manner that will not cause undue disturbance to other customers. The Customer shall not continue to operate any equipment or apparatus that adversely affects the service to other Customers.
SECTION 4 APPLICATION FOR NEW OR ADDITIONAL SERVICE
Application for new service or additional service or changes in the present service be made as early as possible so that engineering details and work schedules can be planned so that construction for the new or changed facilities may be completed on the date required.
SECTION 5 ADDITIONAL LOADS
MMLD facilities are normally designed to meet Customer initial requirements at the time service is installed. When additional load is contemplated MMLD should be notified as early as possible so that proper provision can be made to furnish the additional service.
SECTION 6 RELOCATION OR ALTERATION OF SERVICE
Whenever changes are made in existing service installations involving relocation, replacement, or additions, the entire service installation shall to the extent practical, be rebuilt to present requirements. The service changes must be approved by the Municipal Inspector before MMLD will connect to the Customer’s equipment. Contractors must check with MMLD and the Wire Inspector before bidding on service installations.
SECTION 7 INSPECTION CERTIFICATES
MMLD is not allowed to energize wiring until certificates of approval have been issued or specific verbal approval is granted by the Municipal Inspector.
SECTION 8 TEMPORARY SERVICE
“Temporary Service” is any service such as a construction project, temporary display, etc. which is not expected to continue in use for a period long enough to justify a permanent service installation. For Temporary Service, the Customer will pay in advance the fee for installation and removal of the connection equipment. Temporary Service equipment supplied by the Customer must be inspected and approved by the Municipal Inspector before MMLD will energize the service.
SECTION 9 FINAL CONNECTIONS
MMLD will connect Customers wiring to MMLD facilities for permanent or temporary services and will not permit or tolerate unauthorized persons to connect to MMLD conductors or equipment.
SECTION 10 CUSTOMERS STANDBY GENERATOR
Where the Customer installs a standby generator for supplying all or part of the load in the event of an interruption in supply of MMLD service, wiring shall be arranged so that no electrical connection can occur between MMLD service and the Customers other source of electrical supply. This will require installation of a double throw switch or an equivalent arrangement approved by MMLD.
SECTION 11 DEFINITIONS
Service Drop: Overhead service conductors between nearest pole and location of attachment to building.
Dead End: Attachment on building supporting the service drop.
Drip Loop: Conductors owned by the Customer providing connection space to attach or connect to the service drop.
Weatherhead: Fixture at top end of service entrance cable leading down the building to the meter socket.
Meter Socket or base: Customer provided facilities for installation of MMLD metering device.
Main Panel: Customers facilities usually within the building providing main breaker or disconnecting means.
SECTION 12 INSTALLATION OF SERVICE
Overhead service not of a temporary nature will be installed without charge, with certain exceptions as provided in SECTION 15A and provided pole locations and or right of way can be obtained.
SECTION 13 MAXIMUM SPAN OF WIRES
The maximum single span distance MMLD will run its overhead service drop conductors to the point of dead end on a customer building is 120 feet. Building heights, large conductors, street and driveway crossing, may reduce the maximum permissible spans.
SECTION 14 POINT OF ATTACHMENT (DEAD END)
The service drop will be attached to the building or other structure at a suitable point determined by MMLD which is not less than ten feet, nor more than 25 feet above finished grade level. The following clearances are a requirement for service drop cable at its closest point to level finished grade.
10 feet from finished grade, sidewalks or any platform or projection from which conductors might be reached.
12 feet over residential driveways.
15 feet over commercial areas, parking lots or other areas subject to truck traffic.
18 feet over public streets, alleys, roads and driveways on other than residential property.
27 feet over railroad tracks.
In general, service drops will not pass over a roof. When unavoidable clearance should be 8 feet but not less than 3 feet. In passing over an overhang or addition a minimum of 18 inches is required.
SECTION 15 OVERHEAD CONSTRUCTION
A. Overhead Construction on Private Property and Private Ways and Lanes.
1. Whenever it is necessary in order to supply electric service to a single Customer to locate any pole or poles on private property or private ways and lanes, MMLD will furnish one (1) pole and necessary equipment and wires attached to such pole, and such pole, equipment and wires shall be and remain the property of MMLD. If more than one (1) pole is required, the excess pole or poles, equipment and wires up to the point of delivery shall be paid for by the Customer, shall become the property of MMLD and thereafter shall be maintained by MMLD.
B. MMLD shall not be required to install service or meters for a garage, barn or other out building, so located that it may be supplied with electricity through a service and meter in the main building.
C. The Customer shall furnish, at no cost to MMLD the necessary space, housing, fencing and foundations for such equipment as will be installed upon the Customer’s premises in order to supply it with electricity, whether such equipment be furnished by the Customer or MMLD. Such space, housing, fencing and foundations shall be in conformity with MMLD’s specifications and subject to its approval.
D. The Customer shall furnish and install upon its premises such service and meter box as shall conform with specifications issued from time to time by MMLD, and MMLD may seal such meter box, and such seals shall not be broken, or in any way interfered with.
E. A Customer taking service at primary voltage shall, at its expense, and in a manner satisfactory to MMLD, furnish, install and maintain such switches, transformers, regulators and other equipment the Department may deem necessary.
F. The Customer’s electric wiring, underground cables and the apparatus, appliances and appurtenances, connected thereto, shall be installed and at all times conform to the requirements and standards of all legally constituted authorities and to those of the MMLD. MMLD may refuse to begin or to continue service if such electric wiring, underground cables and apparatus, appliances and appurtenances connected thereto do not conform or are not maintained in accordance with such requirements and standards. MMLD shall not be liable for damage caused by defects in the Customer’s electric wiring, underground cables and the apparatus, appliances and appurtenances connected thereto whether the same has been inspected or not, or whether MMLD has knowledge of such defects. MMLD shall require written approval of the Town Wiring Inspector before connecting new electric service.
G. A Customer’s premises may be connected by MMLD’s aerial distribution wires through an underground connection where the Customer installs and maintains all the underground service, including the necessary riser. That part of such connection located on customer’s premises shall be and remain the property of the Customer. That part of such connection in the public way shall become the property of MMLD but shall be maintained at the Customer’s expense.
H. All underground service connected to MMLD’s underground cables beyond two (2) feet inside the property line shall be installed by the Customer and shall be and remain the property of the Customer and shall be maintained by the Customer at its expense.
I. The Customer’s wiring, piping, apparatus and equipment shall, at all times, conform to the requirements of any legally constituted authorities and to those of MMLD, and the Customer shall keep such wiring, piping, apparatus and equipment in proper repair.
J. If for any reason it becomes necessary for MMLD to relocate any of its poles, wires or cables by which a Customer is served, the Customer, at its own expense, shall change the location of its point of delivery to a point readily accessible from the new location.
K. Where the Customer is a developer proposing to construct a qualifying residential development consisting of dwelling facilities and facilities accessory thereto, the installation of underground distribution facilities and associated service connections shall be governed by the provisions of the Department’s published policy as from time to time issued and furnished to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.
L. The Customer’s installation, before connection to the lines of MMLD, shall comply with the latest requirements of the National Electric Code, Municipal and other authorities having jurisdiction and, in addition, to the applicable rules of MMLD’s Standard Requirements. MMLD reserves the right to refuse to connect, or to discontinue service already connected, where the Customer’s installation is defective, based on the requirements of the National Electric Code, or does not comply with MMLD’s Standard Requirements. MMLD shall in no way be responsible for the maintenance or installation of the Customer’s property, not shall there be any duty or obligation at any time to inspect the same.
M. MMLD reserves the right to install protective apparatus so arranged as to disconnect the service on the premises, if the Department’s capacity at that point is exceeded.
SECTION 16 METERING
A. To determine the amount of electricity delivered, meters of either the indoor or outdoor type shall be installed by MMLD at locations to be designated by MMLD. MMLD may, at any time, change any meter installed by it. MMLD may also change the location of any meter or change from an indoor type to an outdoor type providing that all expenses of so doing is borne by MMLD. Upon the reading of MMLD’s meter, all bills shall be computed. If more than one meter is installed for a specific service classification, except at MMLD’s option, the monthly charge for service delivered through each meter shall be computed separately and billed under the applicable rate.
B. All meters, devices or appurtenances furnished at the expense of MMLD shall remain the property of MMLD and may be removed by it at any times upon termination or discontinuance of the service.
C. MMLD shall have the right, as its option and its own expense, to place demand-meters or other instruments on the premises, of any Customer, for the purpose of measuring the demand or for other tests of all or any part of the Customer’s load.
D. MMLD, at its own expense, will make periodic tests and inspections of its meters in order to maintain them at a high standard of accuracy; also such other tests as it deems necessary for the proper administration of its rates, or as are required by law.
E. MMLD will make additional tests or inspections of its meters at the request of a Customer, provided said meter has not been tested within the previous twelve (12) months, but reserves the right to charge the Customer when such test shows the meter to be correct within two percent (2%). The Customer(s) will be allowed to be present during such testing.
F. When MMLD determines that it has over-billed a Customer because the test of his or her meter facilities reveals its average accuracy to be more than two percent (2%) high, or because the Department discovers that the meter records have been switched or because of other reasons, the Department will refund, to the Customer, excess charge for the previous six (6) months, unless it can be shown from the records, of either party, that the error has existed for a greater or lessor period, in which case the refund shall cover the actual period.
G. When MMLD determines that it has under-billed a residential Customer because the test of his or her meter reveals the meter’s average accuracy to be more than two percent (2%) low, or because the Department discovers that the meter records have been switched or because of other reasons except for unauthorized use or fraud by the Customer, the Department may issue a make-up bill for the unbilled charges for the previous six (6) months, or the actual period of error, not to exceed twelve (12) months, if the actual period can be determined.
H. When MMLD determines that it has under-billed a nonresidential Customer because the test of that Customer’s meter facilities reveals such metering facilities average accuracy to be more than two percent (2%) low, or because the Department discovers that the meter records have been switched or because of other reasons except for unauthorized use or fraud by the Customer, the Department may issue a make-up bill for the unbilled charges for the previous twelve (12) months, or the actual period of error if the actual period can be determined.
SECTION 17 MMLD ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT
A. Any properly authorized and identified employee of MMLD shall have access to the premises of the Customer, at all reasonable times, for the purpose of reading meters, inspecting and checking the Customer’s load, premises and equipment and for the maintenance, repair and exchange of any or all equipment owned by the Department and for the purpose of removing its property upon termination of its contract or discontinuance of service.
B. The Customer shall not permit access for any purpose whatsoever, except by authorized employees of MMLD, to the meter or other appliances and equipment of the MMLD. The Customer shall be responsible for the safekeeping of the MMLD’s property on its premises and shall take all reasonable precautions against unlawful interference with such property. The Customer shall not interfere with, tamper or alter the meters, seals, or other MMLD property used in connection with the rendering of electric service. The Customer shall be liable for damage to MMLD’s property caused directly or indirectly by the Customer, and such damage may be considered a sufficient reason for terminating the service until payment for the damage has been made and assurance is given that its equipment will be free from future interference.
SECTION 18 CUSTOMER’S PREMISES
A. MMLD shall not be liable for damage to the person or property of the Customer, or to any other persons, arising from the use of electricity, or the presence of the MMLD’s appliances and equipment on the customer’s premises. All property owned by MMLD and located on the Customer’s premises shall be deemed to be personal property and title thereto shall remain in the MMLD’s name and, MMLD shall have the right at the expiration of service to remove all of its property whether affixed to the realty or not.
B. MMLD shall keep in repair and maintain its own property installed on the premises of the Customer.
C. The Customer shall be responsible for the safekeeping of the property of MMLD on his premises, and, in the event of damage to it, shall pay to MMLD any cost of inspection and repairs. The Customer shall protect the equipment of MMLD on its premises, and shall not permit any person, except an authorized representative of the MMLD, to break any seals upon, or do any work on, any meter or other apparatus of MMLD located on the Customer’s premises.
SECTION 19 CUSTOMER USE OF SERVICE
A. All purchased electric service on the premises of the Customer shall be supplied exclusively by MMLD, and the Customer shall not directly or indirectly, sell, sublet, assign, or otherwise dispose of, the electric service, or any part thereof without the consent of MMLD. This rule does not apply to an electrical company purchasing service at wholesale expressly for the purpose of distributing it to others.
B. Electric service must not be used in such manner as to cause unusual fluctuation or disturbances in MMLD’s supply system, and in the case of violation of this rule, MMLD may discontinue service, or require the Customer to modify his installation and/or equip it with approved controlling devices.
C. Motor and other installations connected to MMLD’s lines must be of a type to use minimum starting-current and must conform to the requirements of MMLD as to wiring, character of equipment, control devices, and protective devices.
D. The Customer shall at all times take and use energy in such manner that the load will be balanced between phases to within nominally 10%. In the event of unbalanced polyphase loads, MMLD reserves the right to require the Customer to make necessary changes at this expense to correct the unsatisfactory condition, or to compute the demand used for billing purposes on the assumption that the load on each phase is equal to that on the greatest phase.
E. The use of equipment by the Customer for power factor correction must conform to requirements of MMLD as to electrical characteristics of equipment and its operation and control. The Customer may be required to limit the size of his static capacitor installation or to maintain effective control of the capacitors or other corrective equipment in order to prevent the use of such equipment from causing excessive voltage at the service. Corrective equipment installed by the Customer must be located on the load side of his service disconnecting service.
F. Service supplied by MMLD shall not be used to supplement or as a standby to any other service unless the Customer shall make such guarantee in respect to the payment for such service as shall be just and reasonable in each case. Where such service is supplied, the Customer shall not operate its plant in parallel with MMLD’s system without the consent of MMLD and then only under such conditions as MMLD may specify from time to time.
G. MMLD shall not be liable for, or in any respect of, any interruption, abnormal voltage, discontinuance or phase reversal of its service due to causes beyond its immediate control, whether accident, labor difficulties, condition of fuel supply, the attitude of any public authority, failure to receive any energy for which in any manner it has contracted, the operation in accordance with good utility practice of an emergency load reduction program by MMLD or one with whom it has contracted for a supply of energy, or inability for any other reason to maintain uninterrupted and continuous service.
SECTION 20 CUSTOMER’S INSTALLATION
A. Anyone desiring to equip his premises for the use of electricity shall communicate with MMLD directly, or through his electrical contractor giving the exact location of the premises and details of all electrical devices which are to be installed.
B. MMLD will designate a point at which the Customer shall terminate his wiring and facilities for connection to the service-supply lines of MMLD, but such information does not constitute an agreement or obligation on the part of MMLD to furnish service.
C. For overhead service from MMLD’s overhead lines, the service entrance conductors must be brought to a location designated by MMLD and suitable for attachment of its service facilities.
D. Customers desiring underground service directly from overhead lines or underground service and underground distribution in areas where the construction would normally be overhead must meet the conditions set forth by MMLD.
