Business Choice Services

Customers may enroll in the program at any time with appropriate notice (see Enrollment Deadlines below).

Enrollment Deadlines

• For FT-1 Service, a transportation application must be received 30 days in advance of the first of the month - i.e., October 1 deadline for transportation November 1
• For FT-2 Service, a transportation application must be received 15 days in advance of the customer's billing cycle - i.e., October 15 for customers who bill on October 31

Change in Services

• Change from FT-1 to FT-2 service or vice versa and/or change in marketer requires submittal of a new transportation application and the advance notice described above.
• $50 administrative charge for switching marketers and/or switching service more than once in 12 months.

Return to Sales Service

• Change to sales service allowed with appropriate advance notice described above; dependent upon system operating constraints.
• Customers who are not eligible to return to sales service (with no capacity assignment) must take default service.

Contract Receipt

• Customers and marketers will receive confirmation that their application has been accepted. This includes a letter to the customer explaining the next steps of the transportation process. An e-mail is also sent to the marketer confirming the start date. FT-1 customers will receive information regarding telemetering requirements.

For additional information

• Transportation Service Application
• Explanation of Default Service (pdf)

Service General Requirements

• All Business Choice FT-1, Flexible Firm and NFT transportation accounts require telemetry; customers will not be allowed to commence FT-1, Flexible Firm or NFT transportation service until telemetry is in place and operational. Telemetry is operational when the Rhode Island Energy can receive daily usage information.
• Customers must provide Rhode Island Energy with the name and phone number of a facilities contact person who is responsible for maintenance of the phone line.
• Customers may submit a Transportation Service Application without having first installed a phone line, provided that an operational phone line is in place and we have been notified no later than the tenth day of the second month prior to the commencement of transportation (i.e., by October 10 for transportation beginning on December 1).

Phone Line Connection

• An operational analog 24 gauge AWG interior/exterior telephone cable must be installed on the same side of the building where the natural gas meter is located and should have a four to six foot wire coil for interconnection purposes.
• We recommend that customers install a telephone network interface device along with the phone line to allow customers and Rhode Island Energy to verify that the line is operational (has a dial tone)
• In the event that a phone line is either not installed or is non-operational when the Rhode Island Energy arrives at the customer premise to install the telemetering device, the customer will be charged a standard service fee of $40. Additionally, the customer will be returned to the bottom of the installation queue.
• Extra-Large and Non-Firm customers must install a dedicated phone line (telephone line not used for any other purpose).
• A dedicated line is preferred for all customers, but not required, for medium and large customers.
• For safety reasons, phone lines connected to telemetering devices should not be shared by a phone line connected to any emergency related equipment if an interruption to the operation of such equipment would pose a threat to public safety - i.e., fire or security alarms, emergency phone lines, back-up boiler equipment, etc.

Telemetering Equipment

• Telemetry will be installed by the Rhode Island Energy on a first-come, first-served basis
• Rhode Island Energy may stagger installations if the number of Business Choice customers requiring telemetry exceeds 200 per month. A month shall be a rolling thirty (30) day period from the tenth of one month to the tenth of the following month.
• In the event that a phone is either not installed or is non-operational when Rhode Island Energy arrives at the customer's premise to install the telemetering device, the customer will be charged the standard service fee of $40. Additionally, the customer will be returned to the bottom of the installation queue.
• Customers who choose FT-1 transportation service assume financial responsibility for monthly telephone charges and phone line repairs associated with telemetering.
• The customer will reimburse Rhode Island Energy for standard telemetering equipment and associated installation costs at the rates listed below.

Telemetering Costs

Diaphragm Meter and Rotary Meter without Corrector
Meteretek IMU or equivalent	$540
Pulser	$228
Labor ($31 x 1.5 x 4 hrs)	$186
Total	$954

Diaphragm Meter with Corrector
Meteretek IMU or equivalent	$540
Labor ($31 x 1.5 x 6 hrs)	$279
Total	$819

Rotary Meter with Corrector
Meteretek IMU or equivalent	$540
Instrument Drive	$458
Labor ($31 x 1.5 x 7 hrs)	$325
Total	$1,323

Both Business Choice Services are 365-day firm services; transportation service is provided every day of the year and is not interruptible.

Customer Billing

Customers will receive two separate bills, one from us for distribution services and one from the marketer for natural gas and related services

• In the event that the telemetering device fails, we will make an initial repair visit to the customer's location.
• Rhode Island Energy will repair any faulty device at no charge.
• Rhode Island Energy will advise the customer of any phone line problem. This initial assessment will be free of charge; however, the customer is responsible for repairing the line within twenty(20) days of the last call in date.
• Any subsequent visits for a phone line problem will result in the customer being billed for a standard service charge ($40).
• Repeated service calls for phone line problems associated with non-dedicated (shared) lines will result in National Grid requiring the customer to install a dedicated phone line for the telemetering device.
• If a phone line is non-operational for more than twenty days, the customer will be required to return to sales service on the first of the following month.
• The marketer will be contacted as soon as a telemetering problem is detected; National Grid and the marketer will agree on an estimated nomination amount to be used until the phone line and/or telemetry problem is corrected, pursuant to Item 7.0 of the General Terms and Conditions.

Customer Checklist

• Carefully review the attached Telemetering Requirements for FT-1, Flexible Firm and NFT Service.
• When your phone line has been installed and is operational (has dial tone at the meter), contact Customer Contact Center 1 800 870-1664 to arrange for telemetry to be installed.
• When you call to arrange for installation, please have the following information available:
  • Account number
  • Facility location
  • On-site, facility contact name
  • On-site, facility contact phone number
  • Is the phone line for the device dedicated or non-dedicated?
  • Phone number of line
  • Dialing sequence (how does the line dial out to Rhode Island Energy?) e.g., must dial 9 first
  • The dialing sequence is critical since the device will call Rhode Island Energy on a daily basis.