The Facts about opt‐out

This point paper was provided by the Smart Meter Manufacturers Association of America.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 stimulated much activity in the smart grid sector. Many utilities across America, with and without federal stimulus dollars, received approval from their state public utility commissions for smart meter deployments throughout their service territories.

As the impact of the stimulus has faded, a growing number of utilities from Maine to California have been challenged by a small but vocal minority of residential customers that don’t want smart meters installed on their homes. These customers want the ability to “opt‐out” of the utility’s smart meter deployment and keep their old analog meters. This phenomenon has created a number of technical and business case challenges for utilities deploying SMMAA members’ smart meter technologies.

View the rest of this point paper covering the Business Case Implications of Opt-Out Programs and Cost Causation.

Pa. House panel skeptical of opt-out plan on `smart meters’

This commentary was originally posted by Andrew Maykuth, on the philly.com website.

A proposal that would allow Pennsylvania utility customers to opt out of having “smart meters” installed in their houses generated little support Tuesday at a hearing in Harrisburg..

Members of the House Consumer Affairs Committee expressed bipartisan skepticism about the need for legislation that would modify a 2008 law that gives utilities 15 years to install smart meters, which allow them to monitor usage in real time at a household level and to charge hourly prices to customers who choose time-of-use rates.

Opposition to the two-way meters, which can take readings every few minutes, has emerged in pockets across the country from customers concerned about the loss of privacy, government mandates, and alleged health issues related to wireless data transmissions.

“I guess it’s an antigovernment phenomenon going on out there, but government is necessary in some cases,” Robert W. Godshall (R., Montgomery), the committee’s chairman, said in an interview. He said opposition was being led by some members of the tea party.

“Why is it there are people who would want to go back to yesteryear?” asked Rep. Joseph Preston Jr., the committee’s Democratic chair.

Members of the panel, which approved the meter mandate in 2008, said remote-metering technology had been in use for decades. Peco Energy Co., the Philadelphia utility, converted its 1.6 million customers to remote wireless meters in 2003, allowing the company to phase out meter readers. This year, it began installing “advanced metering infrastructure,” though Peco has stopped calling the devices “smart meters.”

Godshall, who lives near Souderton, is a customer of PPL Electric Utilities, which installed bidirectional smart meters for its 1.4 million customers a decade ago. PPL’s devices transmit hourly meter readings on its power lines rather than by radio.

“I haven’t heard a single complaint in all the 12 years,” Godshall said. “I don’t understand why all of a sudden it has become an issue.”

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Reese (R., Westmoreland), who was elected after the legislature approved the Act 129 conservation law that included the smart-meter mandate, said opposition in his Western Pennsylvania district emerged after the utility First Energy began to charge customers a separate fee in its bills to pay for its smart-meter program.

“Many of our constituents are asking us to address these concerns,” he said.

Environmental Defense Fund Responds to California PUC Decision to Allow Customers to Opt-out of PG&E Smart Meter Deployment

This commentary was originally posted by Lauren Navarro on the EDF California Dream 2.0 Blog.

Energy powers our economy. But our outdated energy system is wasteful, expensive and a major source of pollution, leading to the deaths of approximately 60,000 Americans per year. Utilities in California and across the country are now investing billions of dollars to modernize that infrastructure, making use of the information technologies that have revolutionized so many other realms of our lives. The smart grid they're building will improve air quality and the health of millions of Americans affected by air so dirty it  is often dangerous to breathe.

Smart meters are a key component of the smart grid. They unlock air quality, climate pollution and public health benefits by enabling two-way, real-time communication that gives households, small businesses, manufacturers and farmers  (and the utilities that serve them) the data they need to cut energy use and electricity costs. These devices help ensure that every day energy users reap the many benefits of the smart grid.

Earlier today, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a proposal by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) that allows customers to keep their analog meters and opt out of using the new wireless smart meters. This decision is designed to address concerns of individuals who describe themselves as having electromagnetic hypersensitivity to radio frequencies (RF), and report getting headaches, fatigue, nausea and insomnia from exposure.

Click here to read the full article.

Southern California Edison issues video on the safe operations of Smart Meters

Southern California Edison have developed a video demonstrating the safety of Smart Meters, especially as they relate to other household devices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GgoCvO0oac&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Ohio Public Utility Commission Study Confirms Echelon Smart Meters are More Accurate than Those Replaced

A recent study, requested by the Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Ohio, confirmed the precision measurement of Echelon's smart meters in Ohio. Of the meters examined during the test, all were found to be accurate to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards.

For the the complete study, please visit http://dis.puc.state.oh.us/ViewImage.aspx?