- Meter Base Ratings; 100, 200, and 320 Services
- Meter Location Requirements
- Electrical Equipment on your Property
- Meter Base Installation Requirements and Material List
- Class 320 Amp Ground and Bonding
- Meter Base Clearance Requirements — Underground Feed
- Meter Pedestals — Underground Feed
- Overhead Service Requirements
- Meter Base Clearance Requirements — Overhead Feed
Meter Base Ratings; 100, 200, & 320 Services
- Electric meters are supplied and owned by Flathead Electric Cooperative (FEC)
- Meter bases are the responsibility and property of the member
Meter bases that do not meet the requirements listed below will not be approved to be energized.
Voltage: 120/240
- 100 amp rating: Common on older homes, outbuildings, and wells
- 200 amp rating: Most common service size. Small to medium homes.
- 320 amp rating: Large homes, homes with heat pumps, or to supply 200 amps to the home and 200 amps to an outbuilding or shop.
Voltage: 120/240*:
- Over 320 amp rating: Very large homes and home sites with multiple outbuildings. 400 amps and over require CT metering.
- All amp ratings: Gang Metering / “House” Meter
Voltage: 120/208*:
- 100 to 200 amp rating: Apartment and townhome metering.
All* Voltages with All Amp Ratings
- Net Metering – Solar, Wind, or other generation connected to FEC’s system.
*See FEC’s Non-Residential Electric Service Handbook. Will need to submit specification sheets and obtain pre-approval from FEC’s metering department.
100 Amp, 200 Amp, & 320 Amp Services Must Meet These Requirements:
- Underwriters Laboratory (UL) approved
- Rated for exterior use, and be rain-tight according to NEMA-3R
- Must be located on an outside wall
- FEC will not accept meter bases that are set flush or semi-flush
- Protected from ice, snow, and debris unloading from the roof
- All unused openings must be tightly sealed from the inside of the base
- Be plumb and securely fastened to the supporting structure
- Must have a main disconnect
- Must have a ring-type meter socket. Ringless meter sockets are not acceptable
- Rated for 120/240 volts and 100, 200, or 320 amps
- Contain four meter jaws and one connection point for the neutral conductor
- Meter socket must be between four and one-half to six feet at center from finished grade
Meter Location Requirements
- Install your meter base where it will be accessible to FEC at all times
- All locations are subject to approval by an FEC representative
- FEC requires placing the meter base on the quadrant of your house closest to the FEC transformer
- Any deviations must be pre-approved by FEC
Electrical Equipment on Your Property
Even when located on your property, electrical equipment is the property of Flathead Electric, and must remain accessible to Coop crews at all times. Why?
- Emergencies: In the event of a fire, crews must be able to shut the power off before firefighters can begin their work. Every second counts during such a critical event.
- Maintenance: Flathead Electric routinely checks and maintains the meters to make sure equipment hasn’t been damaged and is in good working order.
- Outages: Some equipment must be accessed in the event of a power outage. inaccessible equipment causes longer outages for you and your neighbors.
If we can’t access equipment, we have to contact the member and return at a later date. That’s inefficient for our workforce, costly to your Co-op, and it could be dangerous in an emergency situation.Thank you for keeping everyone safe by keeping electrical equipment on your property accessible!
Electric Meters
Electric meters are the property of Flathead Electric and must be accessible by Co-op crews. In the past some members had opted to enclose the electric meters on their property for aesthetic purposes. Enclosed meters were to be accessible (unlocked hinged door, for example) and unobstructed. FEC previously worked with state electrical inspectors and local fire departments to come up with acceptable options to safely enclose meter bases.
Moving forward, FEC will not allow meters to be enclosed as this is a NEC code violation 110.26 (E) (2) per state electrical inspectors. Flathead Electric requires that all meter bases must be completely exposed and readily accessible.
- The meter base shall always be accessible to FEC employees.
- The meter base shall always be on the outside of the house, building, structure, etc.
- There shall always be a minimum of three feet of clear flat working space maintained in front of the meter and all apparatus.
- All FEC meter and meter base requirements and clearances shall be met including proper separation from other utilities.
- All applicable local, state, and federal codes shall be followed.
Having safe and easy access to meters is not only for the benefit and safety of Flathead Electric employees and others that need to work on your electrical equipment. It is for the protection of your building, property, and possibly your life in the case of emergency. First responders look for meters and their associated disconnecting devices when they report to structure fires.
Protecting Your Meter From Snow & Ice
Heavy snow and ice coming off your roof can damage Flathead Electric’s meter or your electric equipment, which may cause outages and lead to costly repairs. To avoid broken or damaged meters and equipment, members should consider placing a protective structure over their meter base in areas where heavy snowfall or ice buildup is likely.
Locked Gates
If you have a locked gate or secured private property, Flathead Electric offers several options for property owners to ensure that we can access it when needed:
In the case of a coded gate, the property owner can provide Flathead Electric Cooperative with a gate code or 24/7 contact information enabling us to gain immediate access to equipment. Some systems allow you to set up additional codes just for utilities and other approved visitors. The code will only be used to access our system and will never be shared outside FEC.- In the case of a gate requiring a key, Flathead Electric Cooperative can furnish a lock (right) for the property owner enabling both the property owner’s key and a key retained by Flathead Electric Cooperative to work.
We respect your privacy and right for security as a property owner, and we will only access our equipment when necessary to provide reliable and safe service to our members.
Padmount Transformers
Flathead Electric crews need room to work safely around padmount transformers. Please keep shrubs and fences 10 feet away from the side with doors and 5 feet away from all other sides. Obstructions closer to the transformer may be damaged or removed during service restorations and maintenance.
Meter Base Installation Requirements & Material List
- Member Supplied Meter Base
- 4 Terminal
- Ring Type
- Wire Landing Lugs
- Main Disconnect Breaker
- Plastic Insulating Bushing
- Metal Lock Ring
- Threaded Slip Joint
- Continuous Copper Ground in accordance with the NEC. Use 6 AWG or larger.
- 2 (⅝ inch) Copper Ground Rods and Clamps
After energizing your meter base, FEC will lock the FEC (meter) side of the base with a tamper seal and leave the main breaker in the off position.
Concrete-encased electrode (UFER) Ground Exception
FEC will accept UFER grounds as an alternative to driving 2 copper ground rods.
UFER grounds must meet NEC code and be inspected by an FEC designer or electrical inspector:
- An electrode encased by at least 2 inches of concrete
- Located within and near the bottom of a concrete foundation or footing that is in direct contact with earth
- Consisting of at least :
- 20 feet of one or more bare, zinc galvanized or other electrically conductive coated steel reinforcing bars
- Rods of not less than ½ inch diameter
- 20 feet of bare copper conductor not smaller than 4 American Wire Gauge (AWG)
- Reinforcing bars shall be permitted to be bonded together by the usual steel tie wires or other effective means
Class 320 Amp Ground & Bonding
Typical Class 320 Amp Ground and Bonding
Meter Base Clearance Requirements — Underground Feed
Vertical Clearance
- 72-inches headroom from floor to ceiling
- 10-inches minimum from meter base to ceiling
Horizontal Clearance
- 10-inches minimum from meter base to sidewall
- 36-inches minimum from gas/liquefied petroleum gas tank
- 36-inches by 36-inches work space in front of meter base
Meter Pedestals — Underground Feed
Factory Built Meter Pedestal
This is a factory-built meter pedestal. This setup is most common in mobile home and RV parks. The grounding requirements are the same as a typical service mounted on a home.
Installation note: For factory-built pedestals to accept wide radius sweeps, the trench and conduit will need to be excavated much deeper than a normal service.
Custom Built Meter Pedestal
There are many variations that can be utilized when building a custom meter pedestal. Some are extravagant but most are simple. The requirements are the same as placing a meter on a home.
Only materials that are made for outside exposure should be used (for example green, treated lumber, unistrut, or steel).
The base supports shall be rigid to keep the base from moving and vibrating.
Temporary Service
Most service installations can be coordinated to provide your permanent service early in the construction process to eliminate:
- The need for a temporary service
- An additional visit to your construction site
- Additional costs to you
FEC will connect it under the following conditions if temporary services are required for your project:
- You or your electrician must submit a state electrical inspection permit to FEC. Temporary services are allowed for the duration of your electrical permit
- FEC will collect a separate charge for temporary services
- Temporary meter loops and pedestals will be provided by you or your electrical contractor. Only one ground rod is required for temporary services
- Temporary services should be located adjacent to an FEC transformer or secondary pedestal
- Must have enough wire stubbed out from the wire landing lugs to connect directly to FEC facilities. Members (or their contractors) shall not extend wire into FEC equipment
- Member (or their contractor) shall expose the bottom of transformer wells and secondary pedestals or concrete vault knockouts*
- A primary line extension will be necessary if a secondary pedestal or transformer are not located on your property
*Contact FEC’s distribution design department with questions regarding exposing FEC equipment.
Removing & Installing Meters
- Only authorized and qualified FEC personnel shall remove and install meters
- Qualified electricians with prior approval from FEC may remove a meter to disconnect the service only:
- Under abnormal
- Emergency conditions
Note: With some types of meter bases, removal of the meter does not de-energize the members’ system. The purpose of FEC’s seals on meters and associated service equipment is to prevent injury and/or tampering.
Overhead Service Requirements
Maintaining A Clear Path
You must clear and maintain a clear path for the overhead service line from trees.
- Overhead service lines through trees:
- Are a safety hazard
- Put your home and/or service equipment at risk of damage
- Large limbs and trees that are at risk of falling through the overhead service line can:
- bend masts
- damage the area of roof that the mast extends through
See wire clearance requirements in the next section which will help determine mast height needed.
Meter Base
Before installing an overhead meter base:
- Contact FEC to set up an appointment with a distribution designer*
- All overhead services must meet National Electrical Code (NEC) code requirements
*A Distribution Designer will assist in determining an acceptable location for the proposed service.
Masts
Please note:
- FEC will not attach overhead wire directly to the home using a house knob
- All overhead services must attach to the service mast
The following require additional masts supports:
-
- Masts over 26 inches above the roof
- large service conductors
- Service wire over 100 feet
Service Entrance Conductor
Once you have installed the meter base and mast, you are ready to provide and install your service entrance conductor.
The service entrance conductor:
- Is the wiring that is typically connected to the top lugs in your meter base and runs upward through the service mast
- Must be sized according to the NEC and to the rating of your meter base
When you install:
- The wire, leave at least 2 feet of wire exposed at the end of the weatherhead to allow FEC to connect the service line to your wire
- Your meter base, make sure the center of the meter will be 4 ½ to 6 feet above finished ground level
Meter Base Clearance Requirements — Overhead Feed
FEC Supplied Overhead Secondary Line
- 24.5-foot minimum clearance over State Highways
- 16-foot minimum clearance over County/City streets
- 12-foot minimum clearance on residential property.
Other Minimum Clearances
- 11-foot clearance over roof with permanent access
- 36 inches clearance over roof without permanent access
- 11-foot clearance over deck
Roof Clearances
- 3-foot minimum clearance over roofs
- 18-inch minimum clearance from roof to drip loop
- Member supplied service entrance conductor: 2-foot minimum clearance
Contact an FEC designer with all clearance questions.
Tree trimming around the service line is the member’s responsibility.