Switch Hold on Your Electricity Meter
Switch Hold on Your Home Electricity Meter
Reasons why a lock or switch hold is placed on a home electricity meter.
The main reason for a switch hold is that someone owes money to an electricity provider. Now, let’s be completely honest with ourselves. If you, one of your family, or anyone related to you is linked or associated with the switch hold, it will never go away until that debt is settled with the previous energy company. One of the utility tasks is exactly that, to make sure that any dispute is settled.
So the bottom line is this, if you know that your switch hold is an issue for you or anyone related to you, don’t call around to see if you can get new electricity service and pay what it’s owed.
On the other hand, if you are sure the above-mentioned has nothing to do with you, we are here to help.
A switch hold is easy to remove; however, some leg work needs to be done. We understand that the switch hold is not your fault, but the utility needs to make sure of that. With that said, the utility needs to make sure that the NEW HOME electricity customer is really a new resident at that address. Again, we would like to help you, the only thing that is required is a legal statement that you are a new resident at that address.
A copy of a lease agreement and a New Occupant Statement (Appendix J2) or final closing disclosure (if you are buying a house).
How to remove a SWITCH HOLD on an electricity meter
Have your document ready to send. Details on the legal statement that the utility will look closely.
- Previews residents. Any person stated on the document has no relationship with the preview’s resident or owner of the premises.
- Dates. The document must be dated within the last 7 days of requesting the electricity service.
- Signatures. All pages need to be signed and initialed by the responsible parties.
- Legible documents. Nowadays, handwritten documents are hardly accepted. This makes fraud more difficult.
If you have this document ready, you can send it to us and we will help you to submit it after your new electricity account with one of our preferred energy providers is created.
Samples of documents
Lease agreement
New Occupant Statement
New_Occupant_Statement_Blank
Final Closing Documen
Who is who in the distribution of electricity in Texas?
First, I would like to explain, in a few words, the difference between REP and Utility. In another blog, I will explain in more detail, this explanation is only to differentiate responsibilities; REP (Retail Utility Provider) are all companies that can market, sell and bill electricity consumption. The utility is the one in charge of energy distribution, poles and cables repairs, and consumption measurements and regulates the rules so that there is a balance between the light companies and the customers.
We know 2 types of switch holds on your Home Electricity Meter; The one that puts the REP (Retail Utility Provider) or electricity company and the other one is issued by the utility, which regulates the distribution of the electricity.
More in-depth
Switch Hold on your Home Electricity Meter detailed
- The one that is issued by the power company is because someone owes money to the REP
When someone requires residential electricity, the service calls a power company (not the utility), and this energy company will enter the electricity order, and both, the power company and utility will review the order, by address, telephone number, customer name, etc. It will be reviewed and if this new client does not owe this same company, the utility will review, among other things, and if the company that gave energy service previously placed a switch hold in the Home Electricity Meter.
If the person residing at this address leaves a pending account with the company that served before the new resident arrived, it is most likely that the previous company will put a lock on the meter (Switch Hold), and they do not know that the previous resident did not tell this company that they no longer needed the electricity and continued electricity service and accumulated a considerable amount and this company tries to collect that amount to pay.
- New residents. The solution to this type of Switch Hold on to your Home Electricity Meter.
- Remove this type of Switch Hold on your Home Electricity Meter, it is simple, but it requires your help and patience, it is necessary to verify that the person who is requiring residential electricity has no relation to the person to whom it was applied The Switch Hold on the meter; Send a copy of the lease checking that you just moved to this residence and fill out the APJ2 form stating that you are a new resident in this property.
- Residents who already live in the residence and obtain a Switch Hold on your Home Electricity Meter.
- This happens when a resident accumulates a considerable amount of money to owe the current electricity company and gives indications of changing the power company. It can also be placed when requesting a payment arrangement for past-due invoices or requesting an extension to pay later.
- The only solution to remove this switch hold is to pay what is owed. If the current resident cannot make the payment of the month and asks for a settlement of payments, the electricity company that is giving him service will not remove the switch hold on the meter until the payment arrangement ends.
- The Switch Hold placed by the utility is because the meter needs to be checked. There are several reasons.
- The residence is under construction
- The Utility will check if everything is in order; Inspection and full permits. When a house is built, is in remodeling, or a possible relocation (in the case of mobile homes or trailer homes), then the posts and cables could be moved and for the security of all, it has to be checked that the connections are okay, the permissions to ensure that the one who installed the meter and cables are licensed to do this and the inspections to see that there will be no problems in the future. In this case, the resident must go to ask for the necessary permits from the city that corresponds to him since the permits were issued the inspection will be done and then the utility will have the right to place the meter.
- The meter was tampered with or altered.
- The utility receives a signal from the meter when it has been “tampered with”, moved, altered, or is not sending the correct signal. The utility will require mandatory inspection. After the utility did the inspection then it gives permission to the energy company to complete the order.
Of course, avoid this headache; Act quickly, follow the instructions, and have patience, Electricity Express is to help you with any problems with your meter locks, we have a team with much experience that will try to help you solve that little problem and avoid many headaches.
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