All requests for electric service should be made as early as possible.
We take this opportunity to introduce you to the procedure for providing the electric service you are requesting and to our Line Extension Policies.
If our staking technicians are scheduled to meet with you it is essential that you keep this appointment, as we cannot proceed with your request for electrical service until the stakes are in place and you have provided us with the following information. (If you cannot keep this appointment, please give us 24 hours notice so we can best utilize the Staking Technicians busy schedule.)
1. Type of electrical load to be served (residence, mobile home, well, shop, etc.).
2. Size of electrical load to be served. You will need to provide an electrical load analysis or be able to provide the total AMP capacity required. IF YOUR ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS EXCEED 200 AMPS, WE REQUIRE AN ELECTRICAL LOAD ANALYSIS CALCULATED BY YOUR ELECTRICIAN PRIOR TO DESIGNING OUR ELECTRICAL LINES.
PROPERTY AND PROVIDE A COPY OF THE PLAT OF YOUR PROPERTY.
6. PROVIDE A COPY OF YOUR RECORDED DEED AND/OR CONTRACT OF SALE TO VERIFY OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY AND ACQUIRE DEED INFORMATION TO PREPARE ANY RIGHT-OF-WAY EASEMENT NEEDED.
7. Member is responsible for locating and/or exposing all member owned underground electric lines, communications lines, water lines, sprinkler systems, sewer lines and septic systems.
From this information, our Technicians will discuss the route you prefer across your property and then survey a route, stake the pole and guy locations, and determine the necessary engineering details to provide your service.
PLEASE NOTE: The Cooperative shall provide up to two appointments to design the power line for electric service at no charge to the person requesting service. If the applicant request a third appointment with a Cooperative’s representative, a non-refundable contribution of $150.00 will be assessed to the cost of the new service request. Once an applicant’s job has been staked and the applicant requests a re-stake prior to construction, a non-refundable contribution of $300.00 will be assessed to the cost of the new request.
FOR SAFETY PURPOSES, buildings, trees or other obstructions are not permitted in the path of the power line. We require a 20’ wide (10’feet on each side of the power line) un-obstructed right-of-way that is free and clear of buildings, trees or other obstructions. The consumer is responsible to clear the right-of-way of all trees, stumps, brush, debris, and/or any obstacles along the route of the proposed extension to a width specified by the Cooperative. The Cooperative prohibits the party requesting service to clear the right-of-way on a third party property owner without a waiver from the Cooperative. Any right-of-way being cleared by the Cooperative on a line extension shall be at the member’s expense.
Once the engineering details are completed and drafted onto a staking sheet, the job goes to our right-of-way department to prepare and secure all the easements and permits that may be needed. Any information you can supply us regarding this would be helpful. Power lines shall be constructed only on an un-obstructed right-of-way covered by properly executed easements.
When the staking sheets are prepared, easements and permits, if any, are secured, service agreement is signed, and all fees paid along with a copy of your photo ID, then the job will be released to our construction department to be built at our earliest opportunity. You will need to have your service entrance equipment (commonly referred to as a “meter loop”) installed on the outside of your building if the meter is going on the building or assembled and on site for us to install if it is going on our pole. PLEASE NOTE: Should the meter loop not be ready to connect at the time of construction of the line and an additional trip is required to connect the service, a non-refundable charge of $60.00 will be assessed to the Member. If the additional trip to connect the service is made after normal business hours a non-refundable charge of $120.00 will be assessed to the Member.
In order to avoid unnecessary delays during initial construction and future emergency line repairs, the Cooperative shall require that the party receiving service grant permission for the Cooperative to install its standard padlock where required to gain access to its lines when such gate or gap is kept locked by the property owner.
The Cooperative shall extend electric service to each applicant under the Line Extension Policy in effect at the time service is requested. The following is exerts from our current Line Extension Policy.
New Single Phase Line Extensions The Cooperative will extend single phase power lines, overhead or underground, to all residential, general (barns, water wells, shop, etc.,) and small commercial services as requested by the Member. The Member will be required to pay a contribution in aid of construction, in advance, equal to the average estimated unit costs for all units required to extend the service. The Member will be required to sign a Five Year Electric Service Application and Agreement. Under the terms of the five year agreement, the Member shall be obligated and responsible for continual service for the first year (12 months) and in order to continue to receive any refund/discount from the contribution in aid of construction monies paid shall maintain continual service for the remaining term of five years.
New Three Phase Line Extensions The Cooperative will extend three phase power lines, overhead or underground, to all residential, general (barns, water wells, shop, etc.,), small commercial and large commercial services as requested by the Member. The Member will be required to pay a contribution in aid of construction, in advance, equal to the total estimated cost to extend the service. The Member will be required to sign a Five Year Electric Service Application and Agreement. Under the terms of the five year agreement, the Member shall be obligated and responsible for continual service for the first year (12 months) and in order to continue to receive any refund/discount from the contribution in aid of construction monies paid shall maintain continual service for the remaining term of five years.
Temporary Line Extensions The Cooperative will extend a temporary power line to all applicants where the expected period of usage is twenty-four months or less, then removed, such as construction power, construction storage facilities, rock crusher and quarry activities and other similar activities. A non-refundable contribution in aid of construction will be required, in advance, for the total cost of the new construction and/or system improvements plus thirty-five percent (35%) to cover retirement labor, overhead and material losses less salvageable materials. Temporary pole use shall be limited to not longer than one year. For temporary services on a pole longer than one year period shall require the installation of a permanent meter pole by the Cooperative at the expense of the Member.
Refunds of Contribution in Aid of Construction on New Extensions The Cooperative will refund the contribution for the service location, to the original member that maintains service in a continual manner, in the form of a credit on the monthly bill at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) off the Wires Charge for accounts on Residential and General Service rates or twenty percent (20%) off the Demand Charge on Large Power rates each month until they have received credit for the entire contribution paid or until their five year Agreement has expired whichever comes first. No refund/credits will be given in excess of the original contribution paid. No refund/credits will be given after the initial five year contract term has expired. The refund/credits are non-transferable to another Member or another Account. If the original Member discontinues service in his/her name, all refund/credits will become null and void.
In the event additional Members are connected from a line extension constructed as a result of a contribution in aid of construction within five years from the date applicant paid the contribution in aid of construction, upon the request of the original applicant, the Cooperative will make a pro-rata reimbursement according to the following provisions
1. The additional extension must be made past the first pole of the original overhead extension or past the pad-mount transformer on an underground extension in which the Member has paid a contribution in aid of construction for those facilities.
2. The pro-rata reimbursement for each additional extension shall not exceed $500.00. When two or more Members contributed to the original line extensions, the $500.00 reimbursement will be divided equally among the qualifying Members.
3. The original Member shall not receive more than three additional line extension reimbursements, and in no event shall the sum of all refunds and credits exceed the original contribution.
Area Lighting The Cooperative will install, own and maintain area lighting facilities for the Member provided the Member signs the required Electric Service Application and Agreement agreeing to a contract term of not less than one year and pay a connection fee if the area light is going on an existing pole with existing secondary voltage. Should the area light be installed at the time line construction is being done, the connection fee will be waved. The monthly rate for the area light shall be in accordance with the applicable rate schedule. Some models of area lights have a one time fixture charge.
In the event the Member desires the area light to be installed at a location where there is no existing wood pole with the appropriate secondary voltage available or there is no transformer, a contribution in aid of construction shall be assessed for the total cost of the additional facilities including transformer. An area light may not be available at all requested locations and the extra facilities in order to serve an area light where secondary voltage is not available shall be installed at the sole discretion of the Cooperative at the Member’s cost described above.
Manually operated switches will be installed at the request of the Member, provided the Member pays the full cost of the labor and material for the switch installation.
Area lighting may not be available to Member at a location where persistent damage to the area light occurs.
Underground Service The Cooperative will provide underground facilities as requested by the Member. The Member will be required to pay a contribution in aid of construction equal to the estimated average cost per lineal foot with a one thousand dollar ($1,000.00) minimum.
Relocation of Lines and Facilities Relocation of electric power lines and electrical facilities shall be made at the sole option of the Cooperative. In the event the relocation of lines and/or facilities is requested by a Member, landowner, or other state, local or government body, the party making the request shall pay a non-refundable engineering fee of $750.00, if required by the Cooperative, to cover the engineering and right-of-way easement cost, design, prepare the necessary paper work, and acquire the necessary permissions in order to move or relocate the power line and facilities. The engineering fee will be credited toward the total estimated cost if the member abides by the following requirements. Once SBEC has prepared the necessary paper work and cost estimate, the member requesting the line move shall pay the requested fees, execute any necessary easements and application for the line move within 60 days from the date the paperwork was mailed or given to the member. If the Member fails to return the requested fees and paperwork within the 60 days, the non-refundable engineering fee shall be forfeited and no future credit of the engineering fee off the cost of the relocation would be available if the Member decides to pursue the line move at a later date.
Service Provisions The consumer shall agree to a one year contract term and commence receiving electric service within thirty days after it is made available or shall commence paying to the Cooperative the minimum monthly charge as specified in the applicable rate schedule as no meter billing.
Ownership San Bernard Electric Cooperative shall retain ownership of all materials and facilities installed by the Cooperative.
Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions. Thank you.
Service Requirements and Meter Loop Specifications SBEC requires that its consumers be responsible for providing all materials (Except for the meter base and meter pole) for the meter loop and labor for installing and maintaining their meter loops. The location of the meter loop must be in a mutually acceptable location to the consumer and SBEC. Each consumer's meter loop must be inspected by a SBEC employee and must be approved in its entirety before SBEC will extend and connect its service conductors and install its meter. These specifications contain guidelines for meter loops for both overhead and underground service extensions. Several examples of meter loop construction are shown on drawings in these specifications. These specifications are for meter loops rated 200 amps or less. For larger service, contact SBEC. Note! New service will not be provided to any consumer when the consumer's facilities (mobile home, house, barn, sign, structure, etc.) are within 10 feet in any direction of SBEC's pole, or within SBEC's primary distribution line right-of-way which is at least 10 feet and up to 15 feet on either side of the center line between two consecutive poles. The purpose of this rule is for the consumer's safety. Some Counties require that consumers obtain a permit before receiving electric service. It is the policy of the Cooperative to require that service entrance equipment conform to the standards of the latest edition of the National Electrical Code and the regulations specified in this information before the meter can be placed into service. THE COOPERATIVE STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT ALL WIRING INSTALLATIONS AND METHODS BEYOND THE METER CONFORM TO THE LATEST EDITION OF THE NATIONAL ELECTRIC CODE.
