Chapter PSC 113

PSC 113.0807 Note Note: See s. PSC 113.0917 which covers test requirements for transformer loss compensators.

PSC 113.0807 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0808 PSC 113.0808 Sealing meters and service entrance equipment.

PSC 113.0808(1) (1) Meters and metering equipment enclosures, which if open, would permit access to live parts from which energy could be used without proper measurement and utility-owned devices and equipment located on a customer’s property for the control of his or her, load shall be sealed.

PSC 113.0808(2) (2) Where the entrance switch is combined with meter-test facilities, or is installed on the supply side of the meter, the entrance switch boxes may be sealed by the utility. The customer may remove the seal from any fuse compartment to replace fuses if the utility is promptly notified that such seal has been broken.

PSC 113.0808(3) (3) Where a utility supplies different classes of service at different rates to the same premises, such as lighting service and electric water heating service, the utility may seal the service switches.

PSC 113.0808(4) (4) Sealing and resealing shall be without charge to the customer.

PSC 113.0808(5) (5) This rule shall not require modernization of old installations or the sealing of installations which cannot practicably be sealed. Sealing shall not be such as to interfere with the operation of any switch or protective equipment.

PSC 113.0808 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0809 PSC 113.0809 Installation of metering equipment.

PSC 113.0809(1) (1) The customer or the customer’s agent should confer with the utility as one of the first steps in planning an electrical installation. The watthour meter should be located where it will be readily accessible for reading, testing and repairs and where it will not be subjected to adverse operating conditions or cause inconveniences to the customer. Normally, the utility shall determine the location and type of metering equipment to be installed.

PSC 113.0809(2) (2) The utility should have available for distribution to customers, architects, contractors and electricians copies of rules, specifications and requirements that may be in force relative to meter installations. Installations should conform to such specifications and to applicable codes and safety requirements.

PSC 113.0809(3) (3) Whether installed indoors or outdoors, meters should not be located where they will be subject to vibration or mechanical damage and should be mounted without tilt.

PSC 113.0809(4) (4) Meters and associated equipment used on outdoor installations shall be designed specifically for such use or shall be suitably housed for outdoor service. Meters installed outdoors should not be located where they may be damaged, such as on buildings where unguarded meters will extend into alleys, walkways or driveways.

PSC 113.0809(5) (5) Meters installed outdoors should not be more than 6 feet or less than 4 feet above final ground level (measured from the center of the meter cover) except in the case of meters on pedestals or padmounted transformers where they shall be placed as high as practicable and meters on underground services which may, when practicable, be placed as low as 2.5 feet above final ground level (measured from the center of the meter cover). On individual installations indoors, the meter should be not more than 6 feet or less than 4 feet above floor level (measured from the center of the meter cover). On group installations of meters indoors, no meter should be more than 6 feet or less than 2 feet above floor level (measured from the center of the meter cover). When a number of meters are placed on the same meter panel the distance between centers should be not less than 8.5 inches vertically or 7.5 inches horizontally. For meters installed both indoors and outdoors there should be a minimum of 3 feet of unobstructed space in front of the meter from the surface on which it is mounted.

PSC 113.0809(6) (6) When there is more than one meter at a location, each shall be so tagged or marked as to indicate the circuit metered. Where similar types of meters record different quantities (for example, kilowatt-hours and reactive power) the meters shall be tagged to indicate what they are recording.

PSC 113.0809(7) (7) Test facilities shall be placed in enclosures of sufficient size and of such construction as to make it possible for meter testers to perform the tests required by these rules with safety.

PSC 113.0809 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0810 PSC 113.0810 Rental charge for metering equipment. The utility may charge a rental for equipment installed to furnish additional metering information to a customer for his or her use or because of governmental requirements.

PSC 113.0810 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0811 PSC 113.0811 Accuracy of watthour meters. In this section, “meter” or “meters” may refer to metering system(s).

PSC 113.0811(1) (1) Watthour meters used for measuring electrical quantities supplied to customers shall:

PSC 113.0811(1)(a) (a) Be of proper design for the circuit on which they are used, be properly connected and installed, be in good mechanical condition, have adequate insulation, correct internal connections and correct register.

PSC 113.0811(1)(b) (b) Not creep at “no load” a full revolution of the disk in 10 minutes or less when the load wires are disconnected and potential is impressed or in a test in the shop where the load wires are disconnected and the permissible voltage variation impressed. If the rate of creep can be determined in a shorter interval, it is not necessary to wait the full 10-minute period.

PSC 113.0811(1)(c) (c) If the meters are designed for use on alternating current circuits, they shall be accurate to within plus or minus 1% at 2 load tests: one equal to between 8% and 12% of full reference test current at unity power factor and the other between 90% and 110% of full reference test current at unity power factor; and for polyphase meters, shall be accurate to within plus or minus 2% at between 75% and 100% full reference test current and approximately 50% lagging power factor. For self-contained meters the reference test current shall be the ampere or test ampere rating of the meter, whichever is shown on the nameplate. For meters used with current transformers the reference test current shall be the test-ampere rating of the meter or the secondary rating of the current transformers.

PSC 113.0811 Note Note: See s. PSC 113.0926 (2) for accuracy requirements for meters operating in the reverse-registration mode.

PSC 113.0811(2) (2) Polyphase meters shall have their stators in balance within 2% at 100% load at unity and at approximately 50% lagging power factor.

PSC 113.0811(3) (3) Meters used with instrument transformers shall be adjusted, if necessary, so that the overall accuracy of the metering installation will meet the requirements of this rule.

PSC 113.0811 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00; CR 02-027: r. (4), Register December 2002 No. 564, eff. 1-1-03.

PSC 113.0812 PSC 113.0812 Accuracy of demand meters. In this section, “meter” or “meters” may refer to metering system(s).

PSC 113.0812(1) (1) A demand meter, demand register, or demand attachment used to measure customer’s service shall:

PSC 113.0812(1)(a) (a) Be in good mechanical and electrical condition.

PSC 113.0812(1)(b) (b) Have proper constants, indicating scale, contact device and resetting device.

PSC 113.0812(1)(c) (c) Not register at no load.

PSC 113.0812(1)(d) (d) Be accurate to the following degrees:

PSC 113.0812(1)(d)1. 1. Curve drawing meters which record quantity time curves and integrated-demand meters shall be accurate to within plus or minus 2.0% of full scale throughout their working range. Timing elements measuring specific demand intervals shall be accurate to within plus or minus 2.0% and the timing elements which serve to provide a record of the time of day when the demand occurs shall be accurate to within plus or minus 4 minutes in 24 hours.

PSC 113.0812(1)(d)2. 2. Lagged-demand meters shall be accurate to within plus or minus 4% of full scale at final indication.

PSC 113.0812(2) (2) The overall accuracy of demand metering installations utilizing pulse-initiator and pulse-recorder equipment shall be acceptable when the monthly kilowatt-hours calculated from the pulse count do not differ from the corresponding kilowatt-hour meter registrations by more than the kilowatt-hour constant of the meter, or 2%, whichever is greater. The timing element error shall not be more than plus or minus 4 minutes per day.

PSC 113.0812(3) (3) When a timing element also serves to keep a record of the time of day at which the demand occurs, it shall be corrected if it is found to be in error by more than plus or minus 4 minutes per day.

PSC 113.0812 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0813 PSC 113.0813 Requirements for instrument transformers.

PSC 113.0813(1) (1) Instrument transformers used in conjunction with metering equipment to measure customers’ service shall:

PSC 113.0813(1)(a) (a) Be in proper mechanical condition and have electrical insulation satisfactory for the service used.

PSC 113.0813(1)(b) (b) Be 0.3% accuracy-class units and otherwise have characteristics such that the combined inaccuracies of all transformers supplying one or more meters in a given installation will not exceed the total accuracies for the following conditions:

PSC 113.0813(1)(b)1. 1. Power factor equals 1.0 and 10% load, accuracy equals 0.6%.

PSC 113.0813(1)(b)2. 2. Power factor equals 1.0 and 100% load, accuracy equals 0.3%.

PSC 113.0813(1)(b)3. 3. Power factor equals 0.5 and 100% load, accuracy equals 1.0%.

PSC 113.0813(2) (2) 

PSC 113.0813(2)(a) (a) Meters used in conjunction with instrument transformers shall be adjusted so that the overall accuracies will come within the limits specified ss. PSC 113.0811 and 113.0812.

PSC 113.0813(2)(b) (b) Instrument transformers shall be tested with the meter with which they are associated by making an overall test, or may be checked separately. If the transformers are tested separately, the meters shall also be checked to see that the overall accuracy of the installation is within the prescribed accuracy requirements.

PSC 113.0813(2)(c) (c) The results of tests of instrument transformers shall be kept on record and available for use when transformers are installed. For other than 0.3% accuracy class instrument transformers, the results of the most recent test for each instrument transformer shall be entered on or attached to the test card form for each test of the associated meter prior to the test of that meter.

PSC 113.0813(3) (3) Phase shifting transformers shall have secondary voltages under balanced line-voltage conditions within 1% plus or minus of the voltage impressed on the primary.

PSC 113.0813 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0814 PSC 113.0814 Portable indicating instruments. All portable indicating electrical instruments used for determining quality of service to customers or for billing purposes, such as voltmeters, ammeters and watt meters, shall be checked against suitable secondary reference standards at least once in each 6 months. If the portable indicating instrument is found appreciably in error at zero or in error by more than 1% of indication at commonly used scale deflections, it shall be adjusted. A history and calibration record shall be kept for each such instrument.

PSC 113.0814 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0815 PSC 113.0815 Type of instruments. All electric service of the same type rendered under the same rate schedule shall be metered with instruments having like characteristics, except that the commission may approve the use of instruments of different types if their use does not result in unreasonable discrimination. Either all of the reactive meters which may run backwards or none of the reactive meters used for measuring reactive power under one schedule shall be ratcheted.

PSC 113.0815 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0816 PSC 113.0816 Servicing utilization control equipment.

PSC 113.0816(1) (1) Utilities shall service and maintain any equipment they use on customers’ premises so as to provide service in accordance with the rate provisions.

PSC 113.0816(2) (2) Systems and devices used by the utility to control customer metering and loads shall be tested or checked on installation and periodically thereafter, if necessary, to verify proper operation.

PSC 113.0816 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0817 PSC 113.0817 Metering at point of interchange and for customers’ operating generating equipment.

PSC 113.0817(1) (1) Metering facilities located at any point where energy may flow in either direction and where the quantities measured are used for billing purposes shall consist of meters equipped with ratchets or other devices to prevent reverse registration and be so connected as to separately meter energy flow in each direction. Reverse meter registration is permitted for installations with customer-owned generators served under a net billing energy rate through one meter in accordance with s. PSC 113.0926.

PSC 113.0817(2) (2) Reactive metering shall not be employed for determining average power factor where energy may flow in either direction or where the customer may generate an appreciable amount of his or her requirements at any time unless suitable directional relays and ratchets are installed to obtain correct registration under all conditions of operation and unless the general plan of installation is approved by the commission.

PSC 113.0817 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0818 PSC 113.0818 Determination of average meter error. Whenever a metering installation is found upon any test to be in error by more than 2% at any test load, the average error shall be determined in one of the following ways:

PSC 113.0818(1) (1) If the metering installation is used to measure a load which has practically constant characteristics, such as a street-lighting load, the meter shall be tested under similar conditions of load and the accuracy of the meter “as found” shall be considered as the average accuracy.

PSC 113.0818(2) (2) If a single-phase metering installation is used on a varying load, the average error shall be the weighted algebraic average of the error at light load and the error at heavy load, the latter being given a weighting of 4 times the former.

PSC 113.0818(3) (3) If a polyphase metering installation is used on a varying load, the average error shall be the weighted algebraic average of its error at light load given a weighting of 1, its error at heavy load and 100% power factor given a weighting of 4 and at heavy load and 50% lagging power factor given a weighting of 2.

PSC 113.0818(4) (4) If a load, other than the light, heavy and low power-factor load specified for routine testing, is more representative of the customary use of the metering equipment, its error at that load should also be determined. In this case the average error is to be computed by giving the error at such load and power factor a weighting of 3 and each of the errors at the other loads (light, heavy and 50% lagging power factor) a weighting of 1. Each error shall be assigned its proper sign.

PSC 113.0818 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

subch. IX of ch. PSC 113 Subchapter IX — Electric Meter Testing Programs and Record Requirements

PSC 113.0901 PSC 113.0901 Testing of metering installations-general requirements.

PSC 113.0901(1) (1) The test of any unit of metering equipment shall consist of a comparison of its accuracy with a standard of known accuracy by a qualified person. Units not properly connected or not meeting the accuracy or other requirements of ss. PSC 113.0811, 113.0812 and 113.0813 at the time of test shall be reconnected and/or rebuilt to meet such requirements and adjusted to within the required accuracy and as close to 100% accurate as practicable or their use discontinued.

PSC 113.0901(2) (2) Each unit of metering equipment shall be inspected for mechanical and electrical faults whenever the accuracy of the device is checked.

PSC 113.0901(3) (3) Each meter tested shall have the register and the internal connections checked before the meter is first placed in service and whenever the meter is repaired.

PSC 113.0901(4) (4) Each meter shall have the connections to the customer’s circuits, the disc rotation and any multiplier checked when the meter is installed or removed or an instrument transformer is changed.

PSC 113.0901(5) (5) Polyphase meters shall be tested for accuracy at 50% power factor before first being used for measuring customer’s service either by a test of each meter or by a sample test plan approved under s. PSC 113.0911 (1) (a).

PSC 113.0901(6) (6) The connections, phase sequence and multiplier of polyphase transformer-rated metering installations shall be checked for error by qualified personnel within 60 days after the meter is installed.

PSC 113.0901(7) (7) Special control devices, switches, etc., for time-of-use service shall be checked for proper operation whenever the associated meter is tested.

PSC 113.0901 History History: Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535, eff. 8-1-00.

PSC 113.0902 PSC 113.0902 Testing equipment.

PSC 113.0902(1) (1) Each utility shall maintain sufficient laboratories, meter testing shops, secondary standards, instruments and facilities to determine the accuracy of all types of meters and measuring devices used by the utility. A utility may, however, with the approval of the commission, have all or part of the required tests made or its portable testing equipment checked by the original equipment manufacturers, another utility, or testing agency having adequate and sufficient testing equipment to comply with these rules.

PSC 113.0902(2) (2) Each utility shall have the following minimum testing equipment available:

PSC 113.0902(2)(a) (a) One or more portable standard watthour meters of capacity and voltage range adequate to test all watthour meters used by the utility.

PSC 113.0902(2)(b) (b) Portable indicating instruments of such various types as are required to determine the accuracy of all instruments used by the utility.

PSC 113.0902(2)(c) (c) One or more secondary standards to check each of the various types of portable standard watthour meters used for testing watthour meters. Each secondary standard shall consist of either an approved portable standard watthour meter kept permanently at one point and not used for field work, or not less than three approved watthour meters connected with current coils in series and voltage coils in parallel and kept running by connecting a 10-watt load. These meters must be well compensated for both classes of temperature errors, practically free from errors due to ordinary voltage variations and free from erratic registration due to any cause.

PSC 113.0902(2)(d) (d) Suitable standards which are not used for field work to check portable instruments used in testing.

PSC 113.0902(3) (3) Any utility having more than 10,000 customers, or any other utility upon approval of the commission, may provide and use primary standards consisting of precision instruments, timing devices, potentiometers, standard cells, etc.