In order for our line worker to correctly attach the cable from the pole to your cable, at least 24" of cable should be extending out of the weatherhead.

You are responsible for having the hook installed in a solid framing member to provide the proper clearances for the cable over roads, driveways, lawns, or other surfaces. The hook is used to attach the cable from the pole to the building. The hook should be located below the service weatherhead not more than 24 inches away.

If the pipe of your mast is more than 30" above the roof, it must be supported with a guy wire. This wire is used to offset the pull from the weight of the cable coming in from the pole. Often the weight of this cable gets very heavy with standing ice and snow and could cause the mast to bend.

We follow the National Electric Code and require a mast kit to have conduit a minimum of 2" in diameter for services less than 100'. For service drops longer than 100' a 2-1/2" minimum conduit is required.

A teardrop-shaped ground clamp is used. The two piece "water pipe" type clamp is not allowed because it will break too easily when exposed to damage and is not rated for direct burial in the ground.

Yes, this wire needs to be placed inside a piece of conduit or attached to the building. This will prevent the wire from being caught up on something passing by and being torn out of the meter enclosure or off the ground rod.

Stainless steel or galvanized screws are recommended to ensure sturdy attachment of the meter enclosure to the backboard.

Only the screw holes at the corners of the meter enclosure should be used for attachment. If the holes in the center of the meter enclosure are used, they cannot easily be removed once the wires are run and energized. They may need to be removed in the future to float the meter enclosure for a siding job.

We along with the National Electric Code do not allow more than one wire under each lug. This often results in an unsecured connection that could cause a fire. We often find old meter enclosures with the ground and neutral wires under the same lug since these older enclosures do not have a separate lug for each wire. Newer enclosures are equipped with separate lugs for the ground and neutral wires.

It is required that both ends of the threaded piece of conduit be bonded with a bonding bushing.

Often a total change will be necessary to comply with the National Electric Code. The smallest size service allowed for a residence is 100 amps. Many homes with older services will only handle 60 amps or less. The entrance wires to these services are not able to handle the increased amperage of the new service. This will require the entire service to be changed.

The meter enclosure is mounted on a backboard that is fastened to the pole. The backboard must be stained, painted or pressure-treated to preserve the wood.

Galvanized or stainless steel screws with adequate head size are required. Black sheet rock screws with washers are not acceptable.

This is very important! These forms must be returned to us prior to your service being energized. Failure to return all forms may cause delays in getting your service energized.

The National Electric Code and CMP require that the wire from the meter enclosure be put into the panel box as soon as possible once the wire enters the house. This wire is not protected by a breaker or fuse and could possibly get very hot in the event of a problem with the inside wiring. This could possibly cause a fire. In order to have the panel box located further inside the home, a disconnect can be mounted on the outside of the home by the meter enclosure.

In services where the main disconnect is located outside by the meter, it is required that a wire of the proper size with four conductors be run to the panel box instead of a wire with only three wires as in the case when running directly from the meter enclosure to the main breaker inside the panel box. This additional wire is used to continue the ground connection from the outside disconnect into the panel box.

The customer-owned service pole must be properly anchored and a guy wire installed to hold the pole in place when we connect a service cable to it. The anchor must be 10 feet minimum or 1/3 the height of the pole away from the pole and in line with our pole and service cable. We can install the customer provided guy wire.

The anchor needs to be directly behind the customer-owned service pole in line with the pole that we will run a service cable from.

NO, the trailer pole must be fully pressure-treated, or an untreated cedar pole stripped of all bark. It must have a minimum diameter of 8" at the base and 6" at the top. A 6" x 6" pressure-treated timber is also acceptable.

A 4" x 6" (minimum) pressure-treated timber, usually 10 feet in length, is installed 4 feet minimum into the ground leaving 5 feet out of the ground to mount the meter enclosure and disconnect on.

Yes, a grounding clamp, commonly known as a gedney clamp, is attached to the conduit to bond the conduit to the ground rod.

The materials supplied by the customer for the pole end of the service are:

• 1 10' section of rigid steel, steel IMC or (schedule 80 PVC if conduit is 3" in diameter or less) 
• 2 to 3 10' sections of schedule 40 rated for outdoor use PVC conduit Size depends on size of service conductors 
• 6 to 8 2-hole conduit straps (3 per conduit) 
• 12 to 16 5/16" 1" x 3" lag bolts (2 per conduit strap) 
• 1 can of expanding foam or weatherhead 
• 1 steel to PVC conduit adapter 
• 1 plastic bushing 
• 1 threaded / non-threaded coupling or insulated bushing 
• 1 Gedney clamp 
• 1 conduit ground connector made of either copper alloy or galvanized steel. If running a continuous conduit a steel elbow is required instead of a bushing.
• PVC cement 

These materials must be on site at the time of the meter inspection.

Yes, our standards require stand-off brackets be used to attach the new conduit to the pole whenever there is an existing conduit on the pole. The stand-off brackets keep the conduit off the face of the pole. This is necessary for situations where our lineworkers would need to climb the pole. Too many conduits on the pole would leave no room for their feet to safely climb the pole.

A municipal electrical permit may be required if your town has its own electrical inspector. In all other towns, a state permit is required for relocation of the service at business establishments but not for residences. The state will only issue an electrical permit to a licensed electrician.

Yes, you may legally work on your own residential service. If it is a business establishment, the work must be done by a licensed electrician and would require a permit from the authority having jurisdiction (the state or local inspector). The state will only issue an electrical permit to a licensed electrician.

Yes, please call us at 800.750.4000 (for residential) or 800.565.3181 (for commercial/industrial) 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and ask that an electrical representative meet you on site to discuss your relocation.

When you or your electrician call us, your account number or the model of the meter and meter number needs to be provided. The meter number is an eight-digit number usually found on the face of the meter. This will help us to identify the exact location.

Yes, a representative should check the location prior to doing the actual work. This is true even if the service is going in the same place as the existing one. Often new regulations have been passed since the time the existing service was built. Once that existing service is altered, any new regulations apply to the new service.

Yes, a representative can float your meter enclosure upon request. Please call 800.750.4000 (for residential) or 800.565.3181 (for commercial/industrial).

No, the National Electric Code (NEC) requires that the meter enclosure, service cable and weatherhead all be rated the same; both inside at the switch and outside at the metering equipment.

Yes, if your town has a municipal electrical inspector they will want to inspect the upgrade. Multiple meter situations and business upgrades will require a state permit for towns that do not have a municipal electrical inspector.

We recommend that you first set up an appointment to schedule a representative to disconnect the power to your service. Most upgrades should be done with our personnel and an electrical contractor at the site location as designated by appointment. We can provide a Handbook of Standard Requirements for Electrical Service and Meter Installations.

Yes, business upgrades of greater than 400 amps must involve an Energy Services Advisor. Usually, load requirements need to be checked and matched up to ensure that our equipment can meet the service requirements. When you call us we will transfer you to the appropriate advisor for your area.

On your first electricity delivery service bill, you will be charged $12.00 for a standard wireless meter or $35.00 for a non-standard meter.

A representative will assess your situation to see if we need to install a pole and will advise you of any associated costs. There may be other charges depending on the distance between poles.

If we only have to install a service cable, the temporary service fee is $312.00. If a transformer that will not be used for the permanent service needs to be installed, the fee is $448.00. You will also be responsible for any fees that an electrician charges for the construction of the actual temporary service.

Before anything specific can be done on your project, please call us at 800.750.4000 (for residential) or 800.565.3181 (for commercial/industrial) to set up a new account. For a more specific estimate, an appointment will be set up for you to meet with a representative at the site.

Yes, if you wish to install an underground service cable. You can have your contractor supply and install the cable. If you do this, you will be responsible for maintaining the underground cable. 

You are responsible for the excavating and back filling of the trench, and for providing the conduit and hardware for the riser pole. If that nearest pole is on the opposite side of the road from your new building, we may have to install a pole to cross the road overhead before you can go underground with your service cable. A road-crossing pole may involve additional charges to you.

In order to determine pole locations, your driveway needs to be roughed in and the site of your building, septic and well staked out. You will also need to speak with a Customer Representative to establish a new billing account and to schedule an appointment for you to meet on site with a representative. Our field representatives are often scheduled weeks ahead of time so please keep this in mind and call ahead.

A field representative needs to determine the location of the meter.

Before you request your service be disconnected or relocated, you should do your research. If your service drop crosses the land of another and is removed (coiled back to the pole) or changes the current path for any reason and there’s no easement on record from the landowner, you will be required to obtain a new easement for CMP before it will replace the service drop and energize the line. It is in your best interest to research or ask for an easement in advance.

If yes, customer owned underground service, you, the customer, will be responsible for obtaining necessary rights from the landowner. CMP will not request evidence of your rights prior to energizing your service. However, if CMP receives legal notice that your line trespasses over the land of another, CMP may be required to deenergize your line. It is in your best interest to obtain legal rights in advance of your line being energized.
 
If yes, overhead service drop, you will need to have the abutting landowner(s) complete an easement information worksheet for CMP to prepare an aerial easement. If an easement is not obtained you may be required to show proof of land ownership, pay to have the installed line relocated or CMP may be required to deenergize your line.
 
If your service will not cross the land of another, CMP does not require an easement from you, the customer, for a service only (customer owned underground service or overhead service drop). Your permission is implied.

Maine Revenue Services provides a 750 kWh per month exemption from state sales tax for residential dwelling accounts. In some situations, CMP can combine two meters into a single account, combining the usage of two meters, with only one customer charge and one 750-kWh sales tax exemption.

In order to Combined Meter Combined Use (CMCU) two or more meters, CMP Terms and Conditions require:

• both meters serve primarily residential (non-business) usage;
• both meters be billed on the same rate;
• both meters use the same supplier, which may be Standard Offer or a Competitive Energy Provider;
• both meters be fed from the same transformer and same pole (i.e., the same point of delivery)

Existing Meters:
For residential customers, CMP can CMCU two or more meters if the additional meter is fed from the same transformer and same pole as the residence, and the meter is for a residential purpose such as a garage, barn, or well meter.

New Build / New Meter:
For residential customers, CMP can CMCU the meters if the power for the second meter / new build comes from the same transformer and the same pole, and the meter is for a residential purpose. If the new build / new meter is served off a different pole or different transformer, CMP will not be able to CMCU.

For more information, please refer to CMP’s Terms and Conditions, or contact us at 800.750.4000, Monday through Friday, 7:30am – 6pm.

Reminder: CMP’s Handbook of Requirements provides building standards for residential and non-residential uses; it does not determine billing rates.