Section 460.10  Definitions

 

            "Acceptance testing" means the approval of a group of meters based on statistical testing procedures.

 

            "Act" means the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5].

 

            "Advanced metering system" means any metering system that does not require on-site meter reading.

 

            "Alternative retail electric supplier" or "ARES" means the same as that term is defined in Section 16-102 of the Act [220 ILCS 5/16-102].

 

            "Answer time" means a measurement from the point the last digit of the meter service provider's telephone number is dialed or, if a menu-driven system is used, from the point the last menu digit is dialed by the subscriber and the call is answered by the meter service provider.

 

            "Applicant" means a person that files an application with the Illinois Commerce Commission to provide metering service as a meter service provider pursuant to Section 16-108(a) of the Act [220 ILCS 5/16-108(a)].

 

            "Average error" means the difference between 100% and the average percent registration as defined in Section 460.370(d).

 

            "Best's Key Rating Insurance Guide" refers to a report published by A. M. Best or its successor that assigns ratings to insurance companies to provide an overall opinion of an insurance company's ability to meet its obligations to policyholders.

 

            "Billing multiplier" means the number by which a meter register reading is multiplied to obtain actual usage data. The billing multiplier shall include the transformer multiplier and meter multiplier, if applicable.

 

            "Bodily injury" means bodily impairment, sickness, or disease sustained by a person, including death resulting from the bodily impairment, sickness, or disease.

 

            "Business enterprise" means a commercial enterprise or establishment.

 

            "Certificate of insurance" means a document evidencing the fact that an insurance policy has been written and includes a statement of the coverage of the policy in general terms.

 

            "Commission" means the Illinois Commerce Commission.

 

            "Commission referee test" means the accuracy test of any customer's electric meter made in the presence of one or more members of Commission Staff.

 

            "Complaint" means an objection made to a meter service provider, by a customer or other entity, as to its charges, facilities or service, the disposal of which complaint requires investigation or analysis.

 

            "Commercial general liability insurance" means insurance that covers suits against the insured for such damages as injury or death and property damage.

 

            "Creep" means a continuous apparent accumulation of energy in a meter with voltage applied and the load terminals open circuited.

 

            "Customer" has the same meaning as "retail customer".

 

            "Delivery services" means the same as that term is defined in Section 16-102 of the Act [220 ILCS 5/16-102].

 

            "Delivery services provider" or "DSP" means the electric utility providing delivery services.

 

            "Demand" means the electric consumption at the point of delivery measured over a specified interval of time in order to estimate the instantaneous electric load.

 

            "Dun & Bradstreet Business Information Report" means a credit report on businesses published by Dun & Bradstreet or its successor.

 

            "Dun & Bradstreet Composite Credit Appraisal" means a number, one through four (one being the highest), that reflects Dun & Bradstreet's or its successor's overall assessment of a firm's creditworthiness.

 

            "Electric cooperative" means the same as that term is defined in Section 3.4 of the Electric Supplier Act [220 ILCS 30/3.4].

 

            "Electric utility" means the same as that term is defined in Section 16-102 of the Act [220 ILCS 5/16-102].

 

            "Entity" means each electric utility while providing services within its service area, each electric utility while providing electric power and energy outside its service area, any ARES, and any electric cooperative or municipal system but only when it provides services as an ARES outside its service territory.

 

            "Escrow account" means a bank account held in the name of the depositor (the applicant or meter service provider) and an escrow agent that is returnable to the depositor or paid to a third person on fulfillment of the escrow condition (i.e., liability obligations of the meter service provider).

 

            "Escrow agent" means the State or national bank or trust company having trust authority in the State of Illinois with which the applicant established an escrow account.

 

            "Experian Small Business Intelliscore report" means a credit report on individuals or businesses published by Experian or its successor.

 

            "Instrument transformer" means a transformer used for metering that reproduces in its secondary circuit, in a definite and known proportion, the voltage or current of its primary circuit, with the phase relation substantially preserved.

 

            "Intelliscore" means a score range from 0 to 100 that reflects Experian's assessment of the likelihood of an individual or business becoming seriously delinquent on its outstanding obligations, as reported in the Experian Small Business Intelliscore report.

 

            "License bond" means an obligation of a surety to pay the monies that the meter service provider owes the State of Illinois for violations of the duties and obligations imposed on it as a meter service provider.

 

            "Management position" means an employed position whereby an individual is responsible for directing, supervising, or administering the activities of a group of two or more people with fiscal responsibility and authority over that group.

 

            "Meter multiplier" means the number (other than one) by which the meter register reading is multiplied to obtain meter data not adjusted for the effect of instrument transformation on the calculated amount of actual usage.

 

            "Meter service provider" or "MSP" means every provider of metering service certified by the Commission under the provisions of this Part.

 

            "Meter shop" means a facility containing equipment used by a meter service provider for determining the accuracy of meters.

 

            "Metering service" means the performance of functions related to the provision, installation, testing, maintenance, repair and reading of electric meters used for billing of retail customers and maintaining meter usage data as well as the maintenance and management of meter information and meter data with respect to those meters. (See Section 460.15.)

 

            "Municipal system" means any public utility owned and operated by any political subdivision or municipal corporation of the State of Illinois, or owned by such and operated by its lessees or agents.

 

            "On-site" means at the premises of the customer.

 

            "PAYDEX Score" is a number from 1 to 100 that represents Dun & Bradstreet's assessment of a company's payment performance, as reported in the Dun & Bradstreet Business Information Report.

 

            "Permit bond" has the same meaning as "license bond".

 

            "Person" means the same as that term is defined in Section 3-114 of the Act [220 ILCS 5/3-114].

 

            "Point of delivery" means the point at which the entity providing distribution facilities connects its lines or equipment to the lines or facilities owned or rented by the customer, without regard to the location or ownership of transformers, substations or meters, unless otherwise provided for by written contract or tariffs.

 

            "Portable standards" means instruments (e.g., watt-hour meters, volt-meters, and ammeters) that are used outside the meter shop to test customer meters.

 

            "Property damage" means physical injury to or destruction of property, including all resulting loss of use of that property, or loss of use of property that is not physically destroyed, provided such loss of use is caused by the physical injury to or destruction of other property.

 

            "Qualifying surety" means a surety or insurer that is authorized by the U.S. Department of Treasury pursuant to 31 USC 9305.   A qualifying surety or insurer may not underwrite more than the amount specified by the U.S. Department of Treasury on a single bond.

 

            "Ratings agency" means Standard & Poor's or its successor, Moody's Investors Service or its successor, Duff & Phelps or its successor, or Fitch IBCA or its successor.

 

            "Reference standards" means instruments (e.g., watt-hour meters, volt-meters, and ammeters) that are used only for verifying the accuracy of working or portable standards, and whose accuracy is traceable back to the national standard maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology or its successor.

 

            "Retail customer" means the same as that term is defined in Section 16-102 of the Act [220 ILCS 5/16-102].

 

            "Self-insurance" means providing self-coverage for damages and liabilities instead of through an insurance company.

 

            "Service watt-hour meter" means an electricity meter used for billing retail customers and maintaining meter usage data that measures and registers the integral, with respect to time, of the real power that flows in the circuit to which the meter is connected. This also includes meters that measure demand in watts or volt-amperes.

 

            "Small commercial retail customer" means the same as that term is defined in Section 16-102 of the Act [220 ILCS 5/16-102].

 

            "Standby letter of credit" means an instrument or document issued by a financial institution guaranteeing the payment of the MSP's liability obligations. The standby letter of credit is used to satisfy claims against the MSP only after the MSP fails to fulfill its obligations.

 

            "Surety bond" means an obligation of a surety to pay the monies that the principal (the applicant or MSP) owes another party in the event the principal fails for whatever reason to fulfill its obligations.

 

            "Technical staff" means a staff of trained technical experts in electric metering and related support functions.

 

            "Test amps" means the electrical current used during meter accuracy testing as designated by the manufacturer and displayed on the meter.

 

            "Transformer multiplier" means the product of the current transformer ratio multiplied by the potential transformer ratio when instrument transformers are part of a metering installation.

 

            "Unconditional guarantee" means an undertaking by a guarantor to pay or fulfill the obligation on failure of the principal obligor to fulfill its contractual obligations. An unconditional guarantee shall contain the following provisions:

 

            The guarantee is one of payment and not collection;

 

            The guarantor's obligations under the guarantee are weighed equally with other guarantees;

 

            The obligations from transactions entered into under the original guarantee are the subject of an ongoing guarantee;

 

            The guarantee reinstates if any guaranteed payment made by the primary obligor is recaptured as a result of bankruptcy or insolvency;

 

            The guarantee is binding on successors of the guarantor;

 

            The guarantor has subjected itself to jurisdiction and service of process with the laws of the State of Illinois, and has agreed that the guarantee will be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois without reference to conflict of laws principles; and

 

            The guaranteed obligations are unconditional, irrespective of value, genuineness, validity, waiver, release, alteration, amendment, and enforceability of the guaranteed obligations.

 

            "Var-hour meter" means an electricity meter that measures and registers the integral, with respect to time, of the reactive power of the circuit in which it is connected. This includes meters that measure demand in vars.

 

            "Working standards" means instruments (e.g., test benches and demand boards) that are used in meter shops to test the accuracy of customer meters.