Terms & Conditions

The term “Cooperative” as used herein shall mean the Beauregard Electric Cooperative, Inc., its successors or assigns; the term “Member” shall mean each present or prospective user of electric service supplied by the Cooperative.

All electric service furnished by the Cooperative shall be subject to the provisions of these Standard Terms and Conditions and to the applicable provisions of the Cooperative’s electric service rate.

Service is available in all areas served by the Cooperative where existing distribution lines of adequate capacity and suitable phase and voltage to furnish Member’s requirements are located adjacent to the premises to be served.

A written membership application plus a membership fee of $5.00 shall be required of each Member. In situations requiring multiple meters by the Member, the initial membership fee covers all meters installed.

The Cooperative will require the Member to make and maintain a cash deposit as security for payment of bills for service. The amount of such deposit shall be determined by the Cooperative but shall not be less than $100 and up to an amount equal to 2.5 times the estimated maximum monthly bill. Such deposits will be refunded to the customer upon final discontinuance of service and after all indebtedness of the customer to the company has been paid. Interest, at the rate of 5% per annum, will be paid annually on the amount of any such deposit held for six months or more.

In order to partially cover the cost of making service available, and subject to the limitations hereinafter set forth, the Member shall pay to the Cooperative, as a connection charge, the amount set forth in its Schedule of Fees.

Member shall pay monthly for all service furnished in accordance with the rate schedule applicable to the type of service furnished. Bills will be rendered monthly and are payable within 20 days from the date of the bill. The terms month and monthly as used herein and in the Cooperative’s rate schedules shall designate the period between any two consecutive readings of the Cooperative’s meters at approximately 30-day intervals.

Whenever a meter is tested and found to be inaccurate by more than 2% the Cooperative shall adjust past bills for service to compensate for such inaccuracy. Adjustments shall cover the entire period of inaccurate registration if the length of such period can be determined; otherwise, adjustments shall cover such period as may be mutually agreeable to the Member and the Cooperative. In no event, however, shall the adjustment cover a period of more than six months.

The Cooperative may suspend service at any time that the Member fails to comply with these Terms and Conditions or with the provisions of any contract between the Member and the Cooperative. At least five days notice will be given to the Member by the Cooperative of its intent to so suspend service except in cases of emergency or fraud.

When service is suspended for nonpayment of bills, it will not be restored until the Member pays all charges that have been billed plus the cost of restoring service. These restoration costs are on file with the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Should Member request permanent discontinuance of service during any period of suspension for nonpayment of bills, the cost above referred to shall be paid to the Cooperative before service is again made available to the Member.

When service is suspended for any other cause, it will not be restored until the cause of the suspension has been removed or remedied.

The Cooperative shall not be liable for damage occasioned by suspension of service when such suspension is affected in accordance with these provisions.

Where municipal or other governmental regulations require an inspection certificate or permit approving the Member’s installation, the Member shall obtain such certificate or permit before service is made available.

Unless otherwise specified in the Service Agreement, the point of delivery of service shall be on the outside walls of the Member’s building at a point nearest the lines of the Cooperative. The Cooperative’s rate schedules contemplate that all connections between the Cooperative’s lines and the point of delivery will be aerial (overhead) wire by the shortest and most direct route. If for any reason the Member desires underground connections or other overhead wire arrangements, the cost of which is greater than that of such direct overhead wire, then such connections will be furnished, installed, and maintained by the Member. If the Member requests the Cooperative to install underground connections, or other overhead wire arrangements, or desires a routing other than the most direct route, the Member shall reimburse the Cooperative for all direct costs plus normal overhead expenses associated with such connections, arrangements, or routing. The point of delivery will be that point at which such underground or special connection attaches to the lines of the Cooperative.

All metering equipment necessary to properly measure the electricity furnished shall be installed, owned, and maintained by the Cooperative.

A meter socket must be provided and installed by the member.

Member shall furnish a suitable space, acceptable to the Cooperative, for installation of meters and other equipment necessary to deliver and measure the electricity supplied by the Cooperative. Member shall not injure or tamper with said meters, and other equipment and shall take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from injuring or tampering with any of Cooperative’s equipment located on Member’s premises.

The Cooperative, at its expense, shall test its meters at such intervals as may be required by good operating practice and all lawful regulations and at other times when requested to do so by the Member. However, when the Member requests a test at any time other than the Cooperative’s standard testing period, and the meter is found to be accurate within 2% the cost of such test shall be borne by the Member. The cost shall be not less than $20.00.

All facilities, including lines, wiring, apparatus, and appliances, beyond the point of delivery shall be furnished, installed, owned, and maintained by the Member. Such facilities shall be installed and maintained in a safe and efficient manner and in accordance with good practice and all lawful regulations. The Cooperative, however, does not assume the responsibility of inspecting the Member’s facilities.

The Member shall not use the service furnished in any manner that interferes with the supply of proper service to the Cooperative’s other Members.

All service furnished is for the exclusive use of the Member and shall not be resold or shared with others without the Cooperative’s written consent.

Protection of three-phase motors against single phasing shall be the responsibility of the Member. The Member is responsible for adequate over-current protection for all motors.

The Cooperative shall have access to the Member’s premises at all reasonable times, and free of all tolls or other charges, for the purpose of installing, reading, testing, repairing, or removing its meters or other facilities, and for all other purposes necessary to enable the Cooperative to render proper service to the Member and to its other Members.

The Cooperative’s obligation to furnish service shall be contingent upon its ability to secure and retain all necessary franchises, right-of-way, permits, etc., at costs which the Cooperative considers reasonable.

Member shall furnish to the Cooperative, free of all costs, all necessary rights-of-way over land owned or controlled by the Member, and over intervening private property when requested to do so by the Cooperative.

When extensions of or additions to the Company’s facilities are necessary to make service available to the customer, the Company will bear the cost for the first 600 feet. All over 600 feet require a contribution-in-aid (CIA) of construction at a rate of $5.00 per foot plus expenses associated with right-of-way or any other expenses the company deems necessary. All information on line extensions is on file with the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

Line Extension Reimbursement Procedure: In the event of additional connections to the line, reimbursement to members that paid for a line extension, shall be based on the following:

• Shall be requested by the original member, within 3 years of line construction.
• Initial payment (CIA) must exceed $2,000.00.
• Each new connection of a permanent structure will entitle original homeowner/member to a $400.00 reimbursement, not to exceed the initial payment (CIA).

The Member shall be solely responsible for the use and disposition of electricity on the Member’s side of the point of delivery. The Member shall protect and save the Cooperative harmless and indemnified from injury or damage to persons or property occasioned by the presence, absence, use, and disposition of such electricity on the Member’s side of the point of delivery, except where said injury or damage shall be shown to have been caused by the sole negligence of the Cooperative.

The Cooperative shall not be responsible for injury to the Member or the Member’s employees in tampering with or attempting to repair or maintain any of Cooperative’s facilities on the Cooperative’s side of the point of delivery.

The Cooperative shall use due diligence in the operation and maintenance of its facilities so as to provide safe, adequate, and uninterrupted service. However, the Cooperative shall not be liable to the Member, nor shall the Member be liable to the Cooperative by reason of the failure of the Cooperative to deliver, or the Member to receive, electricity as a result of injunction, fire, riot, strike, explosion, flood, accident, breakdown, acts of God, or the public enemy or other acts or conditions reasonably beyond the control of the party affected.

The Cooperative shall not be liable for damages occasioned by interruptions of service, when such interruptions are necessary, to make repairs or changes in the Cooperative’s equipment and facilities.

When more than one of the Cooperative’s rate schedules are applicable to the Member’s service the Cooperative will, upon request of the Member, give such assistance as it reasonably can to enable the Member to select the most favorable rate schedule. Such assistance and advice will be based upon the Member’s representations as to use of service and the Cooperative shall not be responsible for any difference that may later arise because of the provisions or effect of any rate schedule so selected. Any alternate schedule, once selected by the Member, shall remain in effect for at least one year unless (a) the schedule is lawfully modified, (b) a permanent change in the Member’s load or condition of service render the schedule inapplicable, or (c) any contract with the Cooperative is terminated in accordance with its provisions.

No agent of the Cooperative has the power to amend, modify, alter or waive any of these Terms and Conditions or to bind the Cooperative by making any promises or representations that conflict with the provisions of these Terms and Conditions.

Whenever there is a conflict between the provisions of any of the requirements herein and the specific provisions of any rate schedule, the provisions of the rate schedule shall govern.