Virginia Law

Bills charged to a tenant shall be based upon the tenant's actual measured usage. For submetering, the unit of measurement shall be the energy unit as defined in 20VAC5-305-10. For energy allocation equipment, the units of measurement shall be those characteristics monitored by the allocation equipment.

The owner shall render bills to the tenant in the same energy unit or units as billed the owner by the utility.

The tenant's bills shall be calculated in the following manner: utilizing the most recent electric or natural gas bill from the utility to the owner, said owner shall divide the "total current charges" by the total number of energy units billed by the utility to determine the average cost in cents per energy unit. The average energy unit cost shall be multiplied by each tenant's energy unit consumption to obtain the tenant's charges.

For the purposes of computing the average cost per energy unit, the "total current charges" shall include or exclude the following, as applicable:

Include:

1. Customer, demand, commodity, and energy charges.

2. Fuel adjustment charge.

3. Purchased gas adjustment.

4. Local taxes.

5. Surcharges (i.e., interim rate relief, unrecovered deferred fuel, temporary energy surcharge).

6. Facilities charge.

Exclude:

a. Miscellaneous charges (e.g., charges by the utility for late payments).

b. Outdoor and security lighting charges.

c. Merchandise charges.

The owner may impose a service charge in accordance with § 56-245.3 of the Code of Virginia.

The owner shall recalculate the average cost per energy unit each month based upon the most recent master meter bill received from the utility for the campground. The owner shall implement the new average cost per energy unit within five calendar days of the date the master meter bill is issued to the owner by the utility.

For service at campgrounds where an owner and a tenant have an agreement that clearly states that the campground is or will be using submetering or energy allocation equipment, meter readings for the assigned campsite shall be taken at the time a tenant registers to stay at the campground, and the owner shall provide each tenant a written statement when the tenant registers, stating:

1. That the energy used at the tenant's assigned campsite will be billed to the tenant;

2. A description of how the energy unit cost will be calculated; and

3. The initial meter reading for the assigned campsite.

Meter readings for the assigned campsite shall also be taken at the time of the tenant's checkout. The tenant may be billed at checkout for the tenant's actual electric or natural gas usage at the assigned campsite based upon the tenant's report of the meter reading or upon the owner's reading of the meter for the assigned campsite.

The tenant's bill shall be provided to the tenant at checkout. A tenant's bill shall contain the following:

1. The initial energy reading and date for the current billing period;

2. The final energy reading and date for the current billing period;

3. The applicable rate;

4. The amount due; and

5. A statement that payment is due immediately or the date on which payment is due.

On request of a tenant who has been or will be billed for energy usage, the owner shall show the tenant the master meter bill received from the utility for the campground that corresponds to the rates that the tenant has been or will be charged for the assigned campsite.

Estimated bills shall not be rendered unless the meter or energy allocation equipment has been tampered with, and in such case, the bill shall be distinctly marked "estimated." Such estimates shall be based upon previous consumption at the campsite during a similar billing period.