How far back Maine utilities refund overcharges
Utilities must credit or refund any amount billed above correct rates, or any amount the customer should not have been charged, for the previous six years. Here is the rule behind it, what starts or limits the clock, and what it means for a business with a billing error in Maine.
Maine at a glance
| Maine | |
|---|---|
| Rule | 35-A M.R.S. §1308 and MPUC Chapter 815, §8 |
| How far back refunds go | Utilities must credit or refund any amount billed above correct rates, or any amount the customer should not have been charged, for the previous six years |
| What starts or limits the clock | Counted from the date the utility discovers the error or is notified of it; the error must be corrected within 45 days |
| Interest | Not stated in the rule text read |
| Regulator | Maine utility commission |
What it means for a refund claim in Maine
- Chapter 815 defines a billing error to include an incorrect rate or charge, which reaches a wrong rate class.
- The Commission may not order a rebate for a billing error that predates its order by more than six years, so claims older than that are lost.
- Read the utility's tariff rules on billing and meter error too: tariffs often repeat or extend the commission rule.
- Municipal utilities and cooperatives usually set their own billing rules.
Discovery Energy reviews 36 to 48 months of history on every account and pursues the longest period each jurisdiction allows. See how overcharge recovery works, or compare Maine with every other state.