(a) Notwithstanding any other commission rule or order to the contrary, this Part governs the rights, duties and obligations of every gas corporation, electric corporation, gas and electric corporation, steam corporation and municipality subject to the jurisdiction of the commission by virtue of articles 2, 4 and 4-A of the Public Service Law, their residential customers and applicants for residential service. When used in this Part:

1. (i) The term utility means any such gas corporation, electric corporation, gas and electric corporation, steam corporation, municipality, or any entity that, in any manner, sells or facilitates the sale, furnishing or provision of gas or electric commodity to residential customers; provided, however, that the term does not include any municipality that is exempt from commission regulation by virtue of section 1005(5)(g) of the Public Authorities Law.
2. (ii) The term distribution utility means any utility that is authorized under any general or special law, or any charter or franchise, to lay down, erect or maintain pipes, conduits, ducts, mains, poles or other gas or electricity distributing fixtures, in, on, over, or under streets, highways, or public places; provided, however, that the term does not include any municipality that is exempt from commission regulation by virtue of section 1005(5)(g) of the Public Authorities Law.
3. (iii) The term ESCO means an entity eligible to sell electricity and/or natural gas to end-use customers using the transmission or distribution system of a utility.
4. (iv) The terms terminate or termination mean ending an ESCO's provision of commodity service.
5. (v) The terms disconnect or disconnection mean ending distribution service (alone or in combination with commodity service) by and solely at the behest of the utility providing such service.
6. (vi) The terms suspend or suspension mean a customer's loss of distribution service at the request of an ESCO.

7. (2) The term residential customer or current residential customer includes any person who, pursuant to an application for service or an agreement for the provision of commodity supply made by such person or a third party on his or her behalf, is supplied directly with all or any part of the gas, electric or steam service at a premises used in whole or in part as his or her residence where:

   1. (i) the distribution utility's effective tariff specifies a residential rate for such service; provided, however, that no person who is supplied service to an entire multiple dwelling or for the common areas of a multiple dwelling as defined in the Multiple Dwelling Law or the Multiple Residence Law, shall be considered a residential customer solely because the distribution utility's effective tariff specifies a residential rate;
   2. (ii) such service is primarily used for his or her residential purposes and the customer has so notified the utility;
   3. (iii) the utility knows or reasonably should have known that any of such service is provided through a single meter to both units of a two-family dwelling, as defined in section 11.8 of this Part; or
   4. (iv) such person was a residential customer, as defined in the preceding subparagraphs of the same distribution utility within 60 days of making the request, was not terminated, disconnected or suspended for nonpayment, meter-tampering or theft of services, and has moved to a different dwelling within the distribution utility's service territory so long as such person remains a residential customer as defined in the preceding subparagraphs.

8. (3) The term applicant, when used in this Part, shall include any person who requests all or any part of gas, electric or steam service at a premises to be used as his or her residence or the residence of a third party on whose behalf the person is requesting service, where:

   1. (i) the distribution utility's effective tariff specifies a residential rate for such service; provided, however, that no person who requests service to an entire multiple dwelling or for the common areas of a multiple dwelling as defined in the Multiple Dwelling Law or the Multiple Residence Law, shall be considered a residential applicant solely because the distribution utility's tariff specifies a residential rate;
   2. (ii) such service will primarily be used for the resident's residential purposes and the applicant has so notified the utility; or
   3. (iii) the utility knows or reasonably should know that any of such service will be provided through a single meter to both units of a two-family dwelling, as defined in section 11.8 of this Part.

(1)