How far back North Carolina utilities refund overcharges
Overcharges from a misapplied rate schedule, meter reading or any other human, machine or meter error are refunded or credited for the interval of the overcharge. Here is the rule behind it, what starts or limits the clock, and what it means for a business with a billing error in North Carolina.
North Carolina at a glance
| North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Rule | NCUC Rule R8-44 (electric billing errors) and R6-15 (gas) |
| How far back refunds go | Overcharges from a misapplied rate schedule, meter reading or any other human, machine or meter error are refunded or credited for the interval of the overcharge |
| What starts or limits the clock | If that interval cannot be determined, the 12 months before the error was discovered; for gas, the actual period up to three years from discovery |
| Interest | Not stated in the rule text read |
| Regulator | North Carolina utility commission |
What it means for a refund claim in North Carolina
- North Carolina names a misapplied rate schedule expressly as a refundable error.
- Dating the start of the error is what separates a 12-month refund from a longer one.
- 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 North Carolina with every other state.
Sources
- NCUC Rule R8-44 (electric billing errors) and R6-15 (gas)
- Pennsylvania PUC national list of utility commissions