Terms & Conditions of Service

A. ACCEPTANCE 

Applications for membership may be accepted by the Board at the regular monthly meetings. 

Acceptance by the Board entitles members to all of the privileges and responsibilities of SECO Energy membership. 

In order to continue as a member of SECO Energy (SECO), one membership fee as detailed in the Rate Tariff shall be paid. In addition, for each electrical connection serviced by SECO Energy, such member must have paid any necessary deposits, connection or reconnection fees, line extension or other fees as may from time to time be required in keeping with policies adopted by the Board of Trustees, and such member must continue to receive electric service from SECO Energy at all times. 

If such member shall have a paid membership and requests the Cooperative to hold the membership fee for an inactive account for future reactivation, the member shall relinquish all rights as an active member but remains a member of the Cooperative in an inactive status. 

B. WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBERSHIP 

Membership in the Cooperative may be withdrawn without prior Board action by verbal or written request of the member. 

Should a member fail to meet any of the preceding conditions of continuing membership, such membership, upon approval of the CEO or their designee, shall cease and be automatically terminated. The membership fee of such member shall be returned, less any indebtedness due the Cooperative for electric energy and other accrued charges. Regular monthly reports of memberships, thus terminated, shall be made to the Board of Trustees. 

C. MEMBERSHIP FEE REFUND 

Membership fee shall be deemed returned for purposes of this policy when mailed to the member at the member’s last known address or when applied to indebtedness due the Cooperative for electric energy and other accrued charges. 

When membership in the Cooperative ceases, terminates or becomes inactive, the member’s right to vote as a member of the Cooperative shall also cease and terminate. 

The Cooperative will use reasonable diligence to furnish a regular and uninterrupted supply of energy, but does not guarantee uninterrupted service. The Cooperative shall not be liable for damages in case such supply should be interrupted or fail by reason of an act of God, the public enemy, accidents, labor disputes, orders or acts of civil or military authority, breakdowns or injury to the machinery, transmission lines, distribution lines or other facilities of the Cooperative, extraordinary repairs of any other cause whatsoever, or any act of the Cooperative, including the interruption of service to any consumer, taken to prevent or limit the extent or duration of interruption, instability or disturbance on the electric system of the Cooperative or any electric system interconnected, directly or indirectly, with the Cooperative’s system, whenever such act is necessary or indicated in the sole judgment of the Cooperative. 

Unless otherwise provided in a contract between the Cooperative and member, the point at which service is delivered by the Cooperative to the member, to be known as “delivery point,” shall be the point at which the member’s facilities are connected to the Cooperative’s facilities. The Cooperative shall not be liable for any loss, injury or damage resulting from the member’s use of his equipment or occasioned by the energy furnished by the Cooperative beyond the delivery point. 

The member shall provide and maintain suitable protective devices on his equipment to prevent any loss, injury or damage that might result from single phasing conditions or any other fluctuation or irregularity in the supply of energy. The Cooperative shall not be liable for any loss, injury or damage resulting from a single phasing condition or any other fluctuation or irregularity in the supply of energy which could have been prevented by the use of such protective devices. 

A. DAMAGED EQUIPMENT 

In the event of loss or injury to the property of the Cooperative through misuse by, or the negligence of the member, the cost of the necessary repairs or replacement thereof shall be paid to the Cooperative by the member. 

B. RIGHT-OF-ACCESS 

The Cooperative shall have the right during regular working hours and in emergencies to enter the premises of the member for the purpose of vegetation management, installing, inspecting, reading, removing, testing, replacing, upgrading, disconnecting, reconnecting or otherwise disposing of its apparatus and property, and the right of entire removal of the Cooperative’s property in the event of the termination of the membership for any cause. The Cooperative’s agent will, upon request, show their credentials and state the reason for requiring access. 

Members are responsible for providing clear and safe access to SECO Energy’s equipment that is free of hazards or obstructions. 

C. LIGHTING SERVICE 

The member shall maintain lighting service for a minimum term of one year from the commencement of service and shall continue thereafter until terminated by either party with written notice or as outlined by contract. 

A. PLANNED INTERRUPTIONS 

The Cooperative shall, whenever possible, ensure that all members are notified three days in advance of any planned interruptions of service of one hour or more, on any line where said service is interrupted for the purpose of making changes and/or repairs to said line. 

Notifications are issued via email, text (SMS) message, voice message or a combination of the three as chosen by the member through SECO Energy’s notification system. Members who opt out of notifications from SECO Energy’s notification system will therefore not receive advance notice of planned interruptions. 

B. INTERRUPTION DUE TO EMERGENCIES OR POWER SUPPLIER INTERRUPTIONS 

The preceding notification requirement does not apply to any interruption which may be caused by storms or other causes over which SECO Energy has no control nor will interruption of service caused by the failure of the power supplier be considered as the responsibility of the Cooperative. 

C. MORE THAN ONE MEMBER PER METER 

Where more than one member is served from a single meter, that meter shall be billed on non-residential rates; for example, two mobile homes on one meter (two separate buildings must be commercial rate). However, a separate meter for a workshop, garage, pool or tennis court, etc., which is essentially an accessory use of the home, is considered residential and will be billed as such. Pumps separately metered for residential purposes only also fall into this category for residential billing. 

D. TWO WIRE SERVICE 

The Cooperative shall not provide service to two wire installations, except in special conditions such as small water pumps, etc. 

E. METER LOCATION 

SECO Energy will not locate a meter on an inside location. All meter locations shall be spotted by an authorized SECO Energy employee or contractor and shall be spotted so that the service may be provided as near the load center as possible. SECO Energy will determine the location of the service/meter. 

If the member relocates the meter location without approval of the Cooperative and impedes safe access to the Cooperative’s equipment, the member will be responsible for moving the meter to a new location approved by the Cooperative at the member’s expense. 

F. MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY 

The Cooperative is responsible for the maintenance of its facilities including the meter. The member shall be responsible for maintenance of their portion of the service from the weatherhead to the main switch. 

G. WORK DONE ON MEMBER’S ELECTRICAL FACILITIES PROHIBITED 

No employee of the Cooperative shall do any house wiring, installation of electric facilities or any other work related to house wiring or installation on the premises of a member of the Cooperative or any other individual unless the employee is instructed by their supervisor to do so and they are compensated for this work by the Cooperative. This type of work will not be done during off duty hours by an employee. 

H. POINT OF DELIVERY 

Under normal situations the meter is the point of jurisdiction between the Cooperative and the member. When a member requests that energy be delivered at a point or in a manner other than that designated by the Cooperative, the member shall pay the additional cost of such service if the Cooperative grants the member’s request. 

I. RELOCATION OF COOPERATIVE’S FACILITIES FOR CONVENIENCE OF MEMBER 

Any time the Cooperative’s facilities located on a member’s premises are relocated solely for the convenience of the member, the member shall pay the Cooperative the actual or estimated total cost of making such relocation. The cost shall be itemized by major categories and shall include the Cooperative’s normal overheads and be credited with the net value of any salvageable material. 

J. INSPECTION 

When a member’s premises are located in areas where electrical inspection laws or ordinances are in effect, the Cooperative may withhold furnishing electric service to new installations until it has received evidence that the electrical inspection laws or ordinances have been met. No responsibility shall accrue to the Cooperative because of any waiver of these requirements. 

K. DISCONNECTION OF SERVICE 

The Cooperative reserves the right to discontinue the supply of electric service to any member or members without notice for any of the following reasons: 

1. Fraudulent representation as to the use of electric service. 
2. Disapproval of member’s equipment or installation due to defects, unsafe, or hazardous conditions. 
3. For repairs or emergency operations. 
4. Wherever such action is necessary to protect SECO Energy from fraud or abuse. 
5. Upon cancellation of membership. 
6. Upon the order of code or a law enforcement officer, as soon as practical. 

L. DISCONNECTION OF SERVICE – FIVE (5) DAYS NOTICE 

With notice of five working days, the Cooperative reserves the right to discontinue service for: 

1. Non-payment of bill. SECO Energy MyWay PrePay account types are excluded from the 5-day notice of disconnection. 
2. Entry to its meter, meters, or other equipment is refused or if access thereto is obstructed or hazardous. 
3. Terms and Conditions of the Cooperative are violated. 

M. TAMPERING WITH METERS AND OTHER PROPERTY OF THE COOPERATIVE 

The Cooperative may thoroughly investigate any and all complaints or incidents where any person or persons may have tampered with meters and/or other equipment or property of the Cooperative. If the Cooperative determines that such person or persons is a member/consumer (or at the request of a member/consumer or with prior knowledge by a member/consumer) and did tamper with the meter and/or other equipment or property in any manner, service to that member or consumer may be immediately discontinued and the member may be expelled from membership in the Cooperative. 

Each member will be held responsible for any tampering with, interfering with, or breaking of seals of meters or other equipment of the Cooperative installed on the member’s premises. No one except representatives of the Cooperative shall be allowed to make any internal or external adjustments to any meter or any other piece of apparatus which is the property of the Cooperative. Fees such as Unauthorized Access, Meter Tampering, and Current Diversion and applicable reconnect fee may apply. 

It shall further be the policy of the Cooperative that the information gathered in the investigation is reviewed by the appropriate Cooperative personnel. Charges may be brought against said party in order that prosecution may follow. Other persons charged with any offense in destroying or tampering with the property of the Cooperative may also be prosecuted in the same manner. In cases where the incident may be a violation of Federal Law, the United States District Attorney may be notified in order that the evidence may be submitted to a Federal Grand Jury, etc. 

N. METER INSTALLATION AFTER REGULAR WORKING HOURS 

No new meter installations shall be performed after normal working hours, unless extenuating circumstances exist that will justify the additional expense. 

O. METER BASE 

The member is responsible for providing and installing the meter base or can, including the meter socket, for single-phase residential or commercial installations, including multi-position sockets, rated at 320 amps or less. All meter bases installed on the Cooperative’s system must be approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and pass inspection by the applicable building code agency. The Cooperative will not install a meter in a meter base that cannot be adequately secured and locked or is not compatible with Cooperative service wires/cables and meters. 

The Cooperative will provide three-phase meter bases and enclosures for metering electric services that require the use of instrument transformers, but the original installation of this equipment, as well as any removal and replacement for maintenance purposes, is the responsibility of the member.

A. METER READING 

All meters are to be read monthly by the Cooperative, when possible. All electric meters will be read as nearly as possible according to the same reading schedule each month. It shall be the member’s responsibility to see that no hazards, unsafe conditions or obstacles exist to prevent an accurate meter reading each month. 

The Cooperative will, upon request of the member, test any meter suspected of improper registration. There is a meter testing fee as listed in the Cooperative’s published Rate Tariff for each meter test in excess of one per year. Such tests, witnessed by the member when possible, will be conducted using a properly calibrated meter standard. Any meter found registering correctly will be resealed and the date and results of the tests entered on the Cooperative’s records. If the meter is found to be registering improperly, outside of established guidelines, appropriate adjustments to the meter will be made and the meter testing fee will be refunded. 

Meter tests conducted by the meter manufacturer will be accepted as a valid meter test. If a member requests a meter test within one year of the accepted manufacturer test, the applicable meter testing fee will be charged. 

Accounts that opt out of automated metering infrastructure (AMI) will be required to pay a monthly manual meter reading fee that is published in the Cooperative’s Rate Tariff. The manual meter reading charge represents the partial cost of dispatching an employee to read the non-AMI meter when other meters in the billing cycle are being read by automated metering. There are no additional charges for the installation of the non-AMI meter. Manually read meters will be inspected periodically to protect the Cooperative from current diversion and meter tampering loss. 

To be eligible to opt out of the AMI program, the payment and account record history must be in good standing with no prior meter tampering or current diversion. Accounts with unsatisfactory payment history and account record are subject to have the AMI opt-out rescinded as determined by Management of the Cooperative. The AMI opt out is not available for rate classes that require AMI functionality (ie: accounts with interconnected solar arrays, time-of-use rate (TOU), EV Super-Off Peak Incentive, Special Interest/Medically Necessary Service). Account must be current with no past due balance. 

B. BILLING AND PAYMENT OF BILLS 

All electric accounts shall be billed monthly. Neither rates nor bills shall be discounted. Bills are due and payable by the date shown on the bill. Bills not paid by the date shown on the bill are subject to a late payment fee. See the Rate Tariff for fee schedule. Bills are payable at locations designated by the Cooperative. 

The billing period shall cover usage from the last meter reading date to the next meter reading date or until receipt of notice from the member to disconnect or upon disconnection by the Cooperative for breach of Terms and Conditions of the Cooperative. 

C. BILLING FOR SERVICE AVAILABILITY 

The member is required to pay the applicable monthly customer charge for electric service as long as service is available. If for any reason other than fire, flood or other natural disaster, service is disconnected and at a later date reconnected at the same location for use by the same member, in addition to the reconnect fee, the member will be billed the applicable daily customer charge for electric service times the number of days the service has been disconnected, not to exceed 365 days.

A. DEFINITION 

A monthly bill is a statement made by the Cooperative, of all charges made by the member, including any applicable taxes required by law, and accrued late payment fees, deposits and other fees or charges. 

The bill shall be the first notice. A second and final notice will be mailed if payment is not received by the date shown on the first notice stating that service will be subject to disconnection without further notice if payment is not received by the date shown on the second and final notice. 

A payment delinquency initiates an account deposit reassessment. Deposit calculation is equal to two times the average monthly bill for the service address during the 12 preceding occupied months. 

When electric service has been disconnected due to non-payment of the bill, service will not be reconnected until the bill, plus applicable fee(s) and an increased deposit, if required, has been paid. Fees are published in the Rate Tariff. 

Request for reconnection after 9:00 p.m. will occur on the next working day. 

NOTE: Member may choose to wait until the next working day for reconnection if payment is made after 5:00 p.m. If so, the applicable Monday – Friday business hours reconnection fee will apply. 

The administration of this policy shall be under the direction of the CEO or designee, and they are directed to use discretion if unusual circumstances arise in the administration of this policy that may jeopardize the interests of the members of the Cooperative. 

B. DISPUTED BILLS 

In the event any member disputes the accuracy of any bill received for electrical service, the member must immediately contact the Call Center or a Customer Service Center of the Cooperative. The member shall be afforded the opportunity to dispute a current bill and to present any information on their behalf. 

C. COLLECTION ACTIVITIES 

The Cooperative reserves the right to require additional deposit funds if the member’s account becomes delinquent or at any time the credit record necessitates. This charge will be made to the member’s account and must be paid by the due date of the next bill or service is subject to disconnection. 

Upon account closure, the deposit will be credited toward the final bill and any other unpaid balances for services. If monies are still left, a refund will be made to the member of record. In the event that a balance remains unpaid on the account after the deposit is applied, the Cooperative reserves the right to begin collection activities which may include: 30, 60 or 90 day notices; balance transfers; door hanger; referral to the consumer’s credit file; referral to a credit information service; referral to a third party collection agency; or legal action.