A Word About Life-Support Systems

March 2, 2021

The company (Wells Rural Electric Co.) will exercise reasonable diligence to furnish a continuous and sufficient supply of electricity to its members and to avoid any shortages or interruption of delivery thereof. It cannot, however, guarantee complete freedom from interruption. The actual rules follow:

  1. The company will not be liable for interruption or shortage of supply, nor for any loss or damage occasioned thereby.
  2. Temporary Suspension for Repairs The company has the right to suspend service temporarily for the purpose of making necessary repairs or improvements to its system. When this becomes necessary, it will give to the member who may be affected as reasonable notice thereof as circumstances will permit, and will prosecute the work with reasonable diligence.
  3. Apportionment of Supply During Time Shortage: During times of shortage of supply, the company will apportion its available supply of electricity among its members in accordance with the company’s interruptible Rule 11.
  4. The company has no way to ensure that life-support systems will not be subject to an interruption, or, that conditions will not occur which will result in discontinuance of electric service. As a result, if a member or occupant of the member’s household is dependent on a life-support system, the member or occupant is solely responsible for his/her own back-up support.

All new members and existing members shall be given a written notice as follows:

  1. The company assumes no responsibility for ensuring that power will be provided to a member at all times for a life-support system;
  2. Rules in effect if temperature is above 105 or below 15: Disconnection of service may be delayed for 30 days, with one renewal, if member is facing medical emergency. Member must pay bill in installments within the next 90 days.
  3. The term “member” herein includes the member or occupant of member’s household on a life-support system.
  4. If a member is on a life-support system, the member is solely responsible for his/her own backup support for power interruption or discontinuance for any reason.
  5. Any member may notify the company in writing of life-support dependency in which event the company will place a visible notice in the member’s main account record that there is life-support dependency. If someone other than the member, e.g. member’s caretaker is identified as the responsible party for the account, such person must be specifically identified in the notice to the company.
  6. The following conditions will, thereafter, apply to a member with a life-support dependency notice on their account:
    1. No company employee will disconnect a meter designated to be serving an account bearing a life-support dependency notice without confirming with office personnel that there has been notification of the company’s intent to disconnect for nonpayment as provided by this rule.
    2. Power will not be discontinued for nonpayment until prior written notices of delinquency have occurred in accordance with company Rule 6 and, further, until a company representative has made reasonable efforts to notify such member, such person’s known caretaker, or other person as identified in the written notification pursuant to subparagraph 4 above, at least 7 days before by phone or in-person before a disconnect occurs. If no personal contact has been made, no disconnection shall occur unless a notice of such disconnection has been physically placed on the door of the member at least three days before disconnection. Records of such direct contact, or attempts at such contact, shall be maintained by the company. If, after any such notice, a member on life support delivers to the company a medical certificate signed by a licensed physician of the state where the service is being provided that the discontinuance of power would be especially dangerous to the person on a life-support system within the member’s household, service will not be disconnected for another 30 days.
    3. Prior to any other planned interruption, company shall make reasonable efforts to contact and provide advance notice to such members either by phone or in person. The effort shall be deemed reasonable if two phone attempts or one personal contact attempt has been made. Records of such contact, or attempts at such contact, shall be maintained by the company.
  1. In the event a member with life-support dependency does not notify the company of the life-support status, member may not expect service different from that provided to members without life-support systems.
  2. All obligations described herein referring to “member” are equally applicable to any person in member’s household on a life-support system.