Q:
What is a Cooperative?
A: An organization owned by and operated for the benefit of
those using its services.
Q:
Who sets UCEMC policies?
A: UCEMC policies are set by a nine-member board of directors
elected by the members from among themselves at the Cooperative-wide
elections.
Q:
What is the term of a Board Director?
A: The term of office of a director if three
years.
Q:
Who regulates UCEMC?
A: TVA regulates UCEMC.
Q:
How many customers does UCEMC serve?
A: As January 2006, UCEMC billed 46,776 accounts and provides
power through more than 4,100 miles of line.
Q:
Do a husband and wife hold a membership together?
A: A membership issued to either spouse of a
marriage is deemed to be held jointly by the two. Please see Section
1.04 in the member’s handbook section for details.
Q:
When do I need to request meter installations or disconnection?
A: Consumers must request meter installations or
disconnections no later than the cooperative workday immediately
preceding the requested date for the connection or disconnection.
Q:
When will I receive my first bill?
A: Your electric bill is mailed to you at least 15 days before
it is due. You may pay the net amount due on or before the due date. If
payment is made after the due date, the gross amount must be paid.
Q:
How often will I receive an electric bill?
A: You will receive your electric bill about every 30 days.
Should you terminate your service, your bill could be for a shorter or
longer period.
Q:
If I do not receive my bill what should I do?
A: Please call your local UCEMC office for the amount due.
Paying it before the due date will save you from paying the amount of
the penalty.
Q: Does UCEMC offer an
alternative bill date for low-income consumers?
A: Yes! To enable consumers with monthly periodic
incomes at or below the poverty level as defined and published by the U.
S. Department of Human Services to pay their electric bills on date
coincident with their receipt of monthly income.
Q: How does UCEMC help
consumers on life support equipment?
A: UCEMC offers a service for all members on life support, don’t
wait until an outage to notify us of these circumstances. Call us now at
our office. Although UCEMC cannot guarantee uninterrupted service, these
residences are given priority when services are reconnected. When this
type of equipment is in use full-time, you may need to consider a
generator.
Q:
What are your fees for a late payment?
A: When any bill is paid after the applicable
discount date, an 8 percent penalty will be added to the net amount. Any
member may request and be granted one late payment penalty adjustment
for each account assigned to the member not to exceed one adjustment per
account during any 12 consecutive month period.
Q:
Is it possible to find out what the past electric usage in my home
was?
A: Yes! We can provide print outs of the bills for the past 13
months.
Q:
What services do you offer?
A: Bank Draft, Budget Billing, Project Help, Alternate Payment
Date, Automated Meter Reading, and Special Incentive Programs for
Commercial/Industrial Customers.
Q:
What is the tax rate on residential use?
A: At the present time UCEMC does not collect tax on
residential usage. However, there appears to be some confusion regarding
what constitutes residential energy fuel usage. Some examples are:
Residential lighting, security lighting, cooking and heating; pumps that
supply water to residences; backyard swimming pools, tennis or
basketball courts; and similar residential energy fuel applications.
Q:
Why do I have to pay tax on my barn or shop?
A: Effective July 1, 1985, legislation was enacted
in the State of Tennessee which provides exemption from the 1.5% state
sales tax imposed on the sale of energy to residential consumers.
However, some examples of energy fuel usage that will not qualify
as residential are: Dairy barns, hog barns, and chicken houses;
irrigation systems; electric fences (other than those that surround
yards); farm equipment garages, storage sheds and farm workshops; and
other usage of energy fuel not strictly residential.
Q:
Do Farmers or Nurserymen quality for a reduced sales tax rate?
A: Yes! If the farmer or nurserymen certifies that
the purchase of energy is to be used directly and principally in the
production of an agricultural product. The Certificate for Reduced Rates
for Farmers or Nurserymen will be available at your district office.
Q: What is tax rate for
non-profit organizations?
A: Generally, organizations not for profit are
exempt from tax, if they have filed a Certificate of Exemption with
UCEMC.
Q:
What are the sales and use tax benefits for manufacturers?
A: A reduced rate of sales and use tax are available for energy
used by manufacturers. Please contact your local office for forms from
the State of Tennessee.
Q:
Where can I find the sales and use tax laws in the Tennessee Code?
A: These laws are in T.C.A. Section 67-6-101 et
seq.
Q:
Do the meter readers really read my meter?
A: Yes! A meter reader reads your electric meter each month. The
amount of your electric bill is based on the meter reading.
Occasionally, a bill may be estimated due to bad weather, locked gate or
a vicious dog in the yard.
Q:
How do I read my electric meter? Click
here for more information about reading your meter.
A: On a dial meter there are five dials, numbered 0 through 9, with the
0 at the top. You’ll notice that the numbers go around the face
clockwise on some dials, but counterclockwise on every other dial.
Read the dials
from right to left. When the pointer lies between two numbers, record
the smaller number. If the pointer is directly on a number, look at the
dial to its immediate right. If that pointer has not passed zero, write
down the smaller number. Just subtract
the previous reading from the new reading, and you will know how many
kilowatt-hours you have used.
Q:
Does UCEMC offer automated meter reading?
A: Yes! A pilot program began on August 31, 2000 with UCEMC and
Util-Link. UCEMC will be installing the automated meter reading system.
Link meters will be located in remote areas, areas with dogs or
customers wishing no access to their property.
Q:
Are you available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
A: Our office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
For calls placed after working hours you are invited to call our
emergency number in your phone directory for your local office. On
weekends an answering service or call forwarding will be available.
Q:
If my power goes out, how do I report it?
A: If you have experienced a power outage, please call your
local office immediately.
Q:
What causes my lights to sometimes blink?
A: Problems of this nature are related to electric
power quality. This can be caused by lightning or wind storm, falling
tree limbs, a squirrel or bird getting into a transformer, someone
driving into a utility pole, or even a home appliance cycling on and
off.
Q:
What can I do to prevent damage to my home or business equipment
due to power surges?
A: Electronic equipment is very vulnerable to
power surges. To protect your equipment, you might consider a quality
surge protectors to help stop the surge before it enters your equipment.
Q: Are power lines insulated?
A: Power lines are not insulated. Appliances with insulated
cords use 110 to 240 volts. At this level insulation is practical. Power
lines use 72,00 volts, and no material can insulate this voltage.
Q: Am I protected, if I wear
tennis shoes and touch a power line?
A: No! Line Technicians were protective equipment when working
on power lines. Their rubberized gear is specially insulated. The gloves
are safety tested every sixty days. Tennis shoes are not insulated or
safety tested. Never touch items that may be energized.
Q: What can I do to help UCEMC
keep electricity safe?
A: You can help us by reporting outside electrical
equipment, which looks unsafe to you, and please be careful when driving
past our crews working along roadways.
Q: Does UCEMC have wiring
standards?
A: All wiring of Customer must conform to Distributor’s
requirements and accepted modern standards, as exemplified by the
requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code, the National
Electrical Code, and Tennessee Department of Insurance. Chp. 0780-2-1.
Q: Does UCEMC charge
for temporary service?
A: Customers requiring electric service on a
temporary basis may be required by UCEMC to pay all costs for connection
and disconnection incidentals to the supplying and removing of service.
This rule applies to circuses, carnivals, fairs, temporary construction
and the like.
Q: What holidays does UCEMC
observe?
A: UCEMC observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Good
Friday, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day
and the Friday after, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
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