State regulators are allowing San Diego-area utility customers to opt out of wireless “smart meters” that relay detailed information about home electricity use by radio frequency to the local power company.
San Diego Gas & Electric residential customers who do not want a wireless meter, for whatever reason, can choose to have an analog electric meter or gas meter or both, under provisions approved Thursday by the California Public Utilities Commission.
Opt-out customers will be assessed an initial fee of $75 and a monthly charge of $10 thereafter. Low-income and other customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy program pay a $10 fee and a monthly charge of $5.
The charges and fees do not come close to covering the expense of maintaining analog equipment inventories, and they could be increased during upcoming proceedings about implementation costs.
SDG&E has installed more than 1.3 million smart meters for the vast majority of its customers, an effort that began in 2008.
The utility’s network of wireless equipment does away with meter readers and holds out the promise of helping people better understand how they are using electricity — and eventually how they might save power and money.
A small fraction of customers have health concerns about the effects of adding yet more wireless signals to the modern home. Some customers also oppose sharing information about their hourly energy use with the utility, or suspect they might be penalized by conservation incentives.
Customers who were placed on a smart-meter delay list while the opt-out plan was being crafted will still get a wireless meter unless they elect to participate in SDG&E’s opt-out program, the utilities commission said on Thursday.
Read more:http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/apr/20/tp-utilitys-smart-meters-optional/?print&page=all
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