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ORDER NO. PSC -2017 -0283 -TRF -EI <br />DOCKET NO. 20170069 -EI <br />• PAGE <br />• <br />The URD tariffs provide standard charges for underground service in new residential <br />subdivisions and represent the additional costs, if any, the utility incurs to provide underground <br />service in place of standard overhead service. The cost of standard overhead construction is <br />recovered through base rates from all ratepayers. In lieu of overhead construction, customers <br />have the option of requesting underground facilities. Any additional cost is paid by the customer <br />as contribution -in -aid -of construction (CIAC). Typically, the URD customer is the developer of a <br />subdivision. <br />Traditionally, three standard model subdivision designs have been the basis upon which <br />each IOU submits URD tariff changes for Commission approval: low density, high density, and a <br />high density subdivision where dwelling units take service at ganged meter pedestals (groups of <br />meters at the same physical location). Examples of this last subdivision type include mobile <br />home and recreational vehicle parks. While actual construction may differ from the model <br />subdivisions, the model subdivisions are designed to reflect average overhead and underground <br />subdivisions. <br />Table 1 shows the current and proposed URD differentials for the low density, high, <br />density, and ganged meter subdivisions. The charges shown are per -lot charges. <br />Table 1 <br />Comaarison of URD Differential Der Lot <br />Current Differential <br />Proposed Differential <br />Low Density $768 <br />$694 <br />High Density $459 <br />$403 <br />Ganged Meter $211 <br />$158 <br />Source: 2014 Order and 2017 Petition <br />As shown in Table 1, the proposed URD differentials show a decrease for all model <br />subdivisions. The calculations of the proposed URD charges include updated labor and material <br />costs, as well as updated operational costs. <br />Updated Labor and Material Costs <br />The installation costs of both overhead and underground facilities include the labor and <br />material costs to provide primary, secondary, and service distribution lines, as well as <br />transformers. The cost to provide overhead service also includes poles. The cost to provide <br />underground service includes the cost of trenching and backfilling. Duke reevaluated each <br />subdivision design to determine if the designs still met current construction standards for the <br />National Electric Safety Code (NESC) and Duke. According to Duke, all subdivision designs <br />had minor modifications to meet NESC and Duke standards. Duke reported that it upgraded <br />certain padmounted transformers in the underground designs, resulting in a minor increase in the <br />differential cost. <br />0 <br />' $694 is calculated as follows: $408 (Table 2) + $286 (Table 3) = $694. <br />