Line Extension Services

General Terms and Conditions
1) Company- or customer-constructed new line extensions or relocations, both overhead and
underground, will be located in a right-of-way reasonably acceptable to the company. The
customer shall grant an easement, without cost to the company, for that portion of the right-of-way that traverses property owned by the customer or runs along a roadway on property owned by the customer. If additional easements are required, the customer shall bear the company’s costs of obtaining said easements.

Unless approved by the company, the right-of-way must be adjacent to a road that is suitably maintained so as to permit the company’s maintenance vehicles to have direct access in all weather conditions. Should the right-of-way be adjacent to a private road, rights of ingress and egress must be granted to the company before any line extension is constructed. New customers must be attached directly to the company’s system.

For underground extensions on the customer’s property, all right-of-way clearing, trenching, and backfilling to company standards will be performed by the customer prior to the start of work by the company unless other arrangements are made.

Each new customer and, in the case of residential service, each new single-family residence or separately metered individual dwelling units, is entitled to a credit equal to the cost of the service drop as defined under the definition section of the tariff, installed to connect the new customer service location to the company’s existing system. If a service drop is not required, no credit will be applicable.

When an existing service is relocated at a customer’s request, all costs associated with relocation shall be borne by the requesting party and no service drop credit shall be applicable. The costs, conditions, and requirements for electric service extensions shall apply to service relocations.

2) All underground cable to be owned and maintained by the company must be installed in conduit according to company specifications. The customer shall supply, install and bear the cost of such conduit. The company shall credit the customer’s account in an amount equal to 50 percent of the material cost of the underground conduit. Conduit installations shall include conduit, pull cord, trenching, and backfilling and meet all company distribution standards and specifications. When connecting to an overhead source, the customer shall furnish a slip joint at the base of the pole, as well as sufficient conduit to reach to the height on the pole described in the company’s specifications. The installation of the conduit on the pole shall be
done by the company.

Residential customers may install, own and maintain their own primary underground cable, but shall not own and maintain overhead primary circuits without the prior written approval of the company and the obtaining of a waiver by the company from the Public Service Board. At the time of energizing the customer-owned line, the company shall notify Dig-Safe of the location of the connection of the customer-owned line to the company’s system; provided, however, at no time shall the company be responsible for such customer-owned line nor shall the company be liable for any claims by any persons relating in any way to the customer-owned line.

3) The customer will be required to pay the company prior to the start of construction the costs to construct the line extension or relocation, less the service drop credit, if any. Charges will be based upon the actual route taken by the line extension or relocation. Costs and charges will be calculated according to this tariff. When the new line extension requires not more than 150 feet of conductor or cable at secondary voltage, the company will waive the application fee, except that, when the extension of not more than 150 feet at secondary voltage requires the installation of one pole in accordance with the company’s construction standards, the company will waive only 50 percent of the application fee. Such waivers shall not apply to relocations or underground line extensions.

Whenever special requirements of the applicant or the physical properties of the installation site necessitate construction methods or installations that are not standard for the company, the customer shall pay the additional cost of such methods or installations. The cost of tree trimming and/or tree and brush removal are considered as special construction charges. Whenever special federal, state or local permits, such as “Act 250” permits or particular town permits, are required for the construction, the customer shall pay the additional cost of obtaining such permit(s).

The cost of facilities indicated as “actual” will be reasonably estimated by the company for purposes of establishing the initial CIAC payment by the customer and will be adjusted to actual costs when such actual costs are known. An additional payment by the customer or refund by the company (each including the tax assessment, if applicable) may be required by the company prior to the company energizing the line. In the event the company consents to energizing the line prior to determination and payment of “actual” costs, the customer shall pay any additional payment within 30 days following receipt by the customer of the company’s billing of such additional payment due. If the company incurs costs for
collection of any such additional payment due from but not paid by the customer, and with approval of the appropriate court, the company shall be entitled to collect its costs of collection, including, without limitation, reasonable attorney’s fees. The company also shall be entitled to interest on the unpaid amount at the same rate that the company charges its customers for delinquent accounts.

4) When construction of the requested line extension is delayed more than 60 days following the receipt of funds from the customer equal to the estimated cost of the requested line extension, the company will credit the cost of the extension with interest as follows:

(a) No interest shall be paid on an initial fee required. This fee shall not exceed 10 percent of the total estimated cost of the line extension.
(b) No interest shall be paid on funds received in advance of line extension construction and used for the purpose of ordering long lead time specialty items necessary for the subject line extension.
(c) With the exception of items (a) and (b) above, interest shall be paid, at the same rate that the company charges its customers for delinquent accounts, to line extension customers on funds received in advance of construction (unless returned to the customer due to perceived delays), from 60 days after the payment is received by the utility to the date of the commencement of the line extension construction.
(d) No interest shall be paid by the company under item (c) above as a result of construction
delays beyond the control of the utility.
(e) Interest to be paid on funds received more than 60 days in advance of the
commencement of line extension construction may be waived by customers seeking priority status for construction at a specified time as agreed to by both the customer and the company.

5) The customer is entitled to contract with a private contractor for the construction of the line extension or relocation. All construction and materials shall be in accordance with the company’s distribution standards and specifications, which the company will provide to the contractor. All construction shall be subject to inspection and monitoring by the company at the customer’s expense. All primary cable terminations must be made by the company. Prior to any construction the customer must notify the company of the commencement date of construction.

The company shall not connect any customer-built line extension or relocation that does not conform to the company’s applicable job specifications and standards. Contractors must maintain insurance with coverage and limits reasonably acceptable to the company, and shall provide a satisfactory certificate of insurance to the company prior to commencing any construction. The customer will be charged for application, engineering, design services, inspections, cable terminations, connection and other costs as specified in this tariff. The company will reimburse the customer for 50 percent of the material cost of the conduit used in an underground line extension. At the time the company connects to the customer-built line extension or relocation and energizes the customer’s line, ownership and responsibility for
maintenance of the line extension or relocation shall transfer to the company. The customer shall pay to the company a tax assessment based upon the reasonable cost or value of the customer-built line extension or relocation less the credit for the service drop, if applicable, as defined in Section B above. The customer is responsible for ensuring that the customer built line extension or relocation meets all applicable telephone company standards.

6) Telephone company participation: Whenever the customer requests telephone service coincident with the request for electric service, the company’s charges shall recognize the telephone company’s participation in the cost of the extension. The customer must have a separate agreement with the telephone company. Pole charges and other costs to the customer are as specified in this tariff.

General Job Specification
1) The company will determine job specifications for each individual line extension or relocation upon application for the service by the customer. These job specifications will be the standards to which each new extension or relocation must conform. A copy of the company’s distribution standards and specifications is available upon request through any company office. The company’s standards and specifications shall, at a minimum, meet NESC standards. No single-phase line extension applicant shall receive service at a nominal voltage in excess of 480 volts unless special circumstances are approved by the company in writing. The company shall not connect any line extension or relocation to its system that does not conform to its applicable job specifications and standards.