Policies governing the construction and connection of new electric services have undergone a fundamental change at Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative. The co-op will now own and provide a meter cabinet or pedestal with which consumers can connect via underground, conduit-protected wire.

The combination cabinets, including a meter and breaker assembly, will be mounted on a transformer pole or a pedestal installed by the co-op.

Co-op officials expect this shift will reduce the amount of material used and the number of trips made to job sites in order to build facilities.

“Operating and material costs have gone through the roof due to the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005 and the pressure of emerging Asian economies on global metal markets,” said Jeff Tackett, vice president of Engineering and Planning.

“Also, everyone knows how volatile the fuel situation is in the United States. We are trying to keep from passing steep cost increases through to the membership in the rates. Revising the service policies seems to be the best way to address the problem.”

The policy changes approved by the Board of Trustees are aimed at streamlining the new service construction process, reducing the co-op’s overheads, improving safety and reliability, and making it simpler for consumers.

Here’s how the system will work:

• After a request for new service is made through the co-op’s Customer Service Department, an engineering technician will visit the site and design the build-in.

• Instead of a meter base and pole, which formerly was the consumer’s responsibility to provide and to wire, BREC will terminate its facilities at the transformer pole or a pedestal within 10 feet of the transformer pole. (It is at the discretion of the co-op whether to use the transformer pole or install a pedestal.)

• The co-op will provide, own, and maintain the meter cabinet and/or pedestal, including the main breaker.

• The consumer is responsible for reaching the meter cabinet via conductor buried in conduit.

• Point of connection is at the bottom of the meter cabinet inside a disconnect box.

• After installing the meter cabinet, the co-op will immediately energize the service.

“This means,” Tackett pointed out, “that in most cases BREC will have the service installed and energized before the consumer’s electrician is ready to connect. Temporary power to a home construction site will no longer be needed because the same meter cabinet will provide permanent service. It’s one and the same.”

He added, “So many times, we are called to a job site but the service is not ready to connect. This policy will eliminate those expensive, wasted trips. The electric power will be there when the consumer or contractor needs it.”

BREC will assume responsibility for the meter cabinet, thereby relieving the consumer of the headache of repair and maintenance.

“Wear and tear on meter bases and poles eventually result in reliability problems for the consumer,” Tackett noted.

Overhead service wires and many lift poles will also be eliminated.

“Imagine the work, money, and frustration that could have been avoided in 2003 during the ice storm if all services had been underground instead of overhead,” said Tackett.

BREC’s Board of Trustees was particularly concerned about the effect of the new Ohio Manufactured Homes Commission inspection program on the connection and overall service process. Regulations now require manufactured home installations to pass a three-step inspection: foundation, electrical, and final. The electrical and final inspections require an energized service.

“These new policies allow the co-op to respond quickly to service requests for manufactured housing units and get the meter cabinet or pedestal set and energized for the inspections,” said Steve Oden, BREC’s vice president of Member Services.

“Our reading of the rules indicates power is needed for the second inspection and the subsequent final inspection. We’ll have everything ready without having to make multiple trips to the same job site.”

Oden also said the co-op’s ownership of the meter cabinet or pedestal relieves the consumer of some of the inspection responsibility.

“This is a major change in the way we handle new service construction and connection, but in the long run I can clearly see lots of benefit for the co-op and its members,” said Oden.

Several co-ops in Ohio – and many across the nation – have adopted similar service policies.

Frontier Power Company, a co-op in Coshocton, was the first in the Buckeye State to convert entirely to meter cabinets/pedestals and underground service wires.

BREC members with existing overhead services will not be affected by the policy change until they upgrade or replace their current facilities. They will have the option of converting to the co-op-owned cabinets/pedestals at that time.