Residential Advanced Meter or Hub Meter Opt-Out

PURPOSE: This rule establishes the requirements governing the residential advanced meter and hub meter opt-out process in accordance with section 386.820, RSMo. (1) This rule applies to residential utility service provided by all electrical corporations, gas corporations, sewer corporations, and water corporations as those terms are defined in section 386.020, RSMo. (2) The following definitions shall apply in this rule: (A) Advanced meter means a meter or metering device system that is owned or leased by a utility or its agent and that meets one (1) or more of the following requirements: 1. Measures, records, and sends a customer’s utility usage or other data by use of radio waves or broadband over power lines; 2. Allows for two- (2-) way communication between the meter and the utility or its agent; and 3. Allows for a utility or its agent to control a customer’s thermostat, appliance, or service; (B) Billing cycle shall have the same meaning as billing period as defined in 20 CSR 4240-13.015(1)(C); (C) Commercially available means a meter that is readily available for purchase by the utility; (D) Commercially reasonable means in line with commonly accepted practices and standards for electric, gas, water, and sewer utilities as determined by the commission; (E) Hub meter means an advanced meter that generates stronger radio waves as a result of the meter serving as a hub for other advanced meters it communicates with in a given area; (F) Inaccurate information means the intentional underreporting of meter data in an effort to not pay for services. Inaccurate information does not mean minor differences in readings by less than two percent (2%) to account for variations based on the time of day that the meter is read and similar factors; (G) Meter use fee means a fixed monthly charge designed to recover the difference between the revenue requirement associated with metering, reading, and billing a customer without advanced metering and the revenue requirement to be recovered through a fixed monthly charge applicable to customers with similar requirements that are metered, read, and billed using advanced metering; AND INSURANCE (H) Traditional meter means a commercially available meter that is unable to transmit usage information and is only intended to be read by an individual through a visual display. A traditional meter is not designed or capable of transmitting usage data by using radio waves or broadband over power lines, allowing two- (2-) way communication between the meter and the utility or its agents, or allowing a utility or its agents to control a customer’s thermostat, appliance, or service. A traditional meter does not include an advanced meter or hub meter that has certain functionality turned off or deactivated; and (I) Utility or utilities mean residential utility service provided by any electrical corporation, gas corporation, sewer corporation, or water corporation, as those terms are defined in section 386.020, RSMo. (3) All utilities shall file with the commission a tariff that governs its advanced meter or hub meter opt-out process. (A) The tariff may include— 1. A one- (1-) time all-inclusive fee, not to exceed one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125), for removal of an advanced or hub meter and to provide and install a traditional meter; 2. A monthly meter use fee, not to exceed fifteen dollars ($15), for the use of a traditional meter. A. The utility may propose a single monthly fee for all customers using a traditional meter, or it may propose separate monthly fees for customers who elect to self-read the traditional meter and for those whose meters are read by the utility. In no event shall a utility assess more than one (1) monthly fee per meter for the use of a traditional meter; and 3. An interest charge on any unpaid amount the utility may assess due to the customer’s failure to report usage or reporting inaccurate information in any given billing cycle. Such interest rate shall be no greater than five percent (5%). (B) The tariff must include— 1. A description of the utility’s meter placement practices, including location; 2. A commercially reasonable time, in days, the utility expects to replace an advanced or hub meter with a traditional meter, following a request; 3. A description of how the customer may supply readings as further defined in section (5); 4. A list and description of situations that would prevent the installation of a traditional meter. For example, but not limited to, a current net-metering arrangement or customer selection of a rate that requires interval billing; and 5. If the utility’s existing tariffs contain any of the items in subsections (3)(A) and (3)(B), a reference to that information shall be included in the advanced or hub meter opt-out tariff. (4) If a utility seeks to discontinue its advanced or hub meter opt-out process, it shall include information that is sufficient to determine traditional meters are not commercially available in its discontinuance filing. (5) Customer-supplied readings shall be in accordance with 20 CSR 4240-13.020 and the utility’s commission-approved tariffs. (A) Each utility shall provide the customer with a detailed process to report meter readings by telephone or other commercially reasonable means. A utility may additionally offer reporting through a secure website. (B) If a customer elects to supply meter readings, the customer shall timely report accurate usage to the utility once per billing cycle. (C) The utility shall obtain an actual meter reading to verify accuracy of customer-supplied meter readings at least once every twelve (12) months. (6) Each utility shall provide its customers a simple comparison of the functional differences between the utility’s traditional and advanced meters, hub meters, or appurtenances that enable automated or remote meter readings on traditional meters. (7) If the utility determines or believes that the commercially reasonable time, as defined in its tariff, will be exceeded before the advanced or hub meter replacement date, the utility shall provide notice to the customer explaining the replacement of the advanced or hub meter has been extended, with the new date the utility will replace the advanced or hub meter to a traditional meter. (8) Beginning on July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the utility shall submit a non-case related submission that provides the following information: (A) Number of customers electing a traditional meter; (B) Number of advanced meters and hub meters in use by the utility to serve residential customers; (C) Cost of offering the advanced and hub meter opt-out process for the most recent twelve (12) months; and (D) Fee revenues collected related to the advanced and hub meter opt-out process for the most recent twelve (12) months. AUTHORITY: section 386.820, RSMo Supp. 2025.* Original rule filed Aug. 28, 2025, effective April 30, 2026. *Original authority: 386.820, RSMo 2025.