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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>79615</law_id><section_number>56-245.2</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>55.1-1200</reference><reference>55.1-1212</reference><reference>55.1-1404</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="56">Public Service Companies</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="10">Heat, Light, Power, Water and Other Utility Companies Generally</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2.1">Regulation of Submetering and Energy Allocation Equipment</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> When used in this article, unless expressly stated otherwise:
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Apartment house</span>&#x201D; means a building or buildings with the primary purpose of residential occupancy containing more than two <span class="dictionary">dwelling units</span> all of which are rented primarily for nontransient use, with rental paid at intervals of one week or longer. <span class="dictionary">Apartment house</span> includes residential condominiums and cooperatives, whether rented or owner occupied.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Campground</span>&#x201D; means the same as the term is defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/35.1-1/">35.1-1</a>.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Campsite</span>&#x201D; means that same as that term is defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/35.1-1/">35.1-1</a>.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Dwelling unit</span>&#x201D; means a room or rooms suitable for occupancy as a residence containing kitchen and bathroom facilities.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Energy allocation equipment</span>&#x201D; means any device, other than <span class="dictionary">submetering equipment</span>, used to determine approximate electric or natural gas usage for any <span class="dictionary">dwelling unit</span> or <span class="dictionary">nonresidential rental unit</span> within an <span class="dictionary">apartment house</span>, <span class="dictionary">office building</span> or <span class="dictionary">shopping center</span>, or <span class="dictionary">campsite</span> at a <span class="dictionary">campground</span>.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Nonresidential rental unit</span>&#x201D; means a room or rooms in which retail or commercial services, clerical work or professional duties are carried out.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Office building</span>&#x201D; means a building or buildings containing more than two rental units which are rented primarily for retail, commercial or professional use, with rental paid at intervals of one month or longer.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Owner-paid areas</span>&#x201D; means those areas for which the owner bears financial responsibility for energy costs which include but are not limited to areas outside individual residential or nonresidential units or <span class="dictionary">campsites</span> or in owner-occupied or owner-shared areas such as maintenance shops, vacant units, meeting units, meeting rooms, offices, swimming pools, laundry rooms, or model apartments.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Shopping center</span>&#x201D; means a building or buildings containing more than two stores which are rented primarily for commercial, retail or professional use.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Submetering equipment</span>&#x201D; means equipment used to measure actual electricity or natural gas usage in any <span class="dictionary">dwelling unit</span> or <span class="dictionary">nonresidential rental unit</span> or <span class="dictionary">campsite</span> when such equipment is not owned or controlled by the electric or natural gas utility serving the <span class="dictionary">apartment house</span>, <span class="dictionary">office building</span>, <span class="dictionary">shopping center</span>, or <span class="dictionary">campground</span> in which the <span class="dictionary">dwelling unit</span> or <span class="dictionary">nonresidential rental unit</span> or <span class="dictionary">campsite</span> is located. <a id="paragraph-285254" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-245.2/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Any building or buildings which qualify as an <span class="dictionary">apartment house</span>, <span class="dictionary">office building</span>, or <span class="dictionary">shopping center</span> shall not be excluded from &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Commission to promulgate regulations and standards" href="/56-245.3/">56-245.3</a> because the <span class="dictionary">apartment house</span>, <span class="dictionary">office building</span> or <span class="dictionary">shopping center</span> contains a mixture of <span class="dictionary">dwelling units</span> and <span class="dictionary">nonresidential rental units</span>. <a id="paragraph-285255" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-245.2/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1978, c. 392; 1979, c. 313; 1992, c. 766; 2012, c. 338.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
