Allocations are a planning tool for local governments. They represent a qualified right to directly assign a portion of SCE's anticipated capital budget to qualified Rule 20A projects. Some of the language in the Rule 20 tariff seems to suggest that the allocations represent actual funds, but that is not the case.

SCE is required to pay for undergrounding projects up front with the money it raises through investor funds. The money is not collected from customers at rates ahead of time. SCE recovers the cost of a Rule 20A project once it has been constructed.

To qualify for undergrounding as a Rule 20A, the project must meet one qualifying criteria from the Rule 20 tariff and be one city block or 600 feet.

Underground facilities are more expensive to install and maintain than overhead equipment. The cost of overhead equipment is about 20% of the cost of underground. Maintenance costs for underground facilities are also higher than for overhead.

Our information is inconclusive. However, we believe that in areas that experience frequent heavy winds, outages decrease when lines are underground. In wetter areas, outages may tend to increase due to the effect of water seepage on underground equipment.

The information we have, while inconclusive, seems to indicate that outages tend to be longer with underground facilities, simply because it is more difficult to find problems and replace equipment underground.

To find out how to begin a Rule 20C project, contact the applicable Service Planning Office which can be found in Electrical Service Requirements (ESR-1) using Table 1-1 Service Planning Office – Telephone Numbers and Locations in conjunction with Table 1-2 Service Center Planning Directory. This manual can be located under SCE Manuals under Electrical Service Requirements. 

You should contact your local city or county government offices to find out if your neighborhood is scheduled for a Rule 20 project or to learn the process used in your locality for Rule 20A and Rule 20B projects.

Rule 20 is a set of policies and procedures established by the California Public Utilities Commission to regulate the conversion of overhead electric equipment to underground facilities, a process called "undergrounding". Rule 20 determines the level of ratepayer funding for different undergrounding arrangements. See Rule 20A, Rule 20B, and Rule 20C above.