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CA State Senator Dean Florez Takes Fight For Consumers Regarding PG&E Smart Meter Overcharge Concerns To San Francisco and CPUC
By curtislwalker
SAN FRANCISCO -- Following a lengthy townhall meeting on Smart Meter implementation in Bakersfield on Monday evening -- attended by hundreds of PG&E customers whose moods ranged from frustrated to irate – Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) visited the California Public Utilities Commission office in San Francisco today with a list of actions the CPUC should require of PG&E as it relates to the new meters, which many are blaming for a dramatic spike in their utility bills.
Florez personally presented a letter with recommendations based on findings from Monday’s townhall meeting, which stretched nearly to midnight due to the volume of public comment, to CPUC President Michael Peevy.
Smart Meters are ultimately supposed to give consumers real-time information on their energy usage, so they can make adjustments to save on their bills, but the technology to allow the sort of communication needed to achieve that will not be in place for years. So far, only the utility itself seems to be saving -- eliminating the labor costs of manually reading older meters -- as many consumers have seen their bills more than double despite having cut back on energy consumption.
In today’s letter to the CPUC, which pushed for the implementation of Smart Meters, Florez asks that PG&E be required to place a moratorium on installation of more Smart Meters and further rate hikes until an independent technology expert can attest to the accuracy of the new meters’ calibration and compare their accuracy to traditional meters.
Florez also asks that PG&E be required to monitor a representative sample of Smart Meters, perhaps 10 percent, as opposed to 50 Smart Meters the company testified they have tested out of 250,000 installed so far in Kern County.
In addition, Florez is calling for the creation of a Citizen’s Oversight Committee to review PG&E’s progress on customer complaints on a monthly basis and conduct an annual performance review.
As discussed Monday night, Florez is asking that PG&E be required to report to the Office of the Ratepayer Advocate on means by which they will notify customers in the future when they are about to hit the next tier of energy consumption, such as by cellular text or e-mail.
http://my.rosevillept.com/detail/131736.html
PS: Got my notice yesterday they'll be installing my "Smart" meter soon....oh boy!
A few comments:
PG&E now faces a revolt in Bakersfield over the SmartMeters, which the company has been installing throughout its territory since late 2006. Angry homeowners repeatedly booed PG&E representatives during a public hearing on the meters earlier this month. State Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez has demanded a moratorium on their installation. State energy regulators last week agreed to investigate the meters' accuracy, although they stopped short of agreeing to a moratorium.
"People think these meters are fraud meters," said Florez, D-Shafter (Kern County). "They feel they're being defrauded. They're getting no benefit from these things."
...Many energy experts consider installing the meters an essential first step in building a "smart grid," an electrical transmission system that is more flexible and reliable than the one we have today. Meters that let homeowners monitor their electricity use hour by hour could be a key tool for cutting energy consumption and fighting global warming.
"For this state and this nation to go where we want to go, we need smart meters," said Michael Peevey, president of the California Public Utilities Commission....
Many residents reported doubling and more of gas and electricity charges.
But the new generation of smart meters that Pennsylvania utilities are required to install will produce far more data, generating readings at least hourly. The meters could record material so frequently that power flows could be interpreted like DNA to reveal unique electrical signatures of individual appliances.
Some experts imagine an Orwellian future in a carbon-constrained world, where consumers are cited for excessive electricity use, or divorce lawyers comb through meter records and ask: Who used the hot tub while the spouse was away?
"The privacy implications are astounding," said Susan L. Lyon, a Seattle lawyer who specializes in data-security issues. She compared the smart grid's potential benefits - and risks - with those of the Internet.
...Last month, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission opened an inquiry into the privacy implications. Other states are expected to follow.
By curtislwalker
SAN FRANCISCO -- Following a lengthy townhall meeting on Smart Meter implementation in Bakersfield on Monday evening -- attended by hundreds of PG&E customers whose moods ranged from frustrated to irate – Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) visited the California Public Utilities Commission office in San Francisco today with a list of actions the CPUC should require of PG&E as it relates to the new meters, which many are blaming for a dramatic spike in their utility bills.
Florez personally presented a letter with recommendations based on findings from Monday’s townhall meeting, which stretched nearly to midnight due to the volume of public comment, to CPUC President Michael Peevy.
Smart Meters are ultimately supposed to give consumers real-time information on their energy usage, so they can make adjustments to save on their bills, but the technology to allow the sort of communication needed to achieve that will not be in place for years. So far, only the utility itself seems to be saving -- eliminating the labor costs of manually reading older meters -- as many consumers have seen their bills more than double despite having cut back on energy consumption.
In today’s letter to the CPUC, which pushed for the implementation of Smart Meters, Florez asks that PG&E be required to place a moratorium on installation of more Smart Meters and further rate hikes until an independent technology expert can attest to the accuracy of the new meters’ calibration and compare their accuracy to traditional meters.
Florez also asks that PG&E be required to monitor a representative sample of Smart Meters, perhaps 10 percent, as opposed to 50 Smart Meters the company testified they have tested out of 250,000 installed so far in Kern County.
In addition, Florez is calling for the creation of a Citizen’s Oversight Committee to review PG&E’s progress on customer complaints on a monthly basis and conduct an annual performance review.
As discussed Monday night, Florez is asking that PG&E be required to report to the Office of the Ratepayer Advocate on means by which they will notify customers in the future when they are about to hit the next tier of energy consumption, such as by cellular text or e-mail.
http://my.rosevillept.com/detail/131736.html
PS: Got my notice yesterday they'll be installing my "Smart" meter soon....oh boy!
A few comments:
PG&E now faces a revolt in Bakersfield over the SmartMeters, which the company has been installing throughout its territory since late 2006. Angry homeowners repeatedly booed PG&E representatives during a public hearing on the meters earlier this month. State Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez has demanded a moratorium on their installation. State energy regulators last week agreed to investigate the meters' accuracy, although they stopped short of agreeing to a moratorium.
"People think these meters are fraud meters," said Florez, D-Shafter (Kern County). "They feel they're being defrauded. They're getting no benefit from these things."
...Many energy experts consider installing the meters an essential first step in building a "smart grid," an electrical transmission system that is more flexible and reliable than the one we have today. Meters that let homeowners monitor their electricity use hour by hour could be a key tool for cutting energy consumption and fighting global warming.
"For this state and this nation to go where we want to go, we need smart meters," said Michael Peevey, president of the California Public Utilities Commission....
Many residents reported doubling and more of gas and electricity charges.
But the new generation of smart meters that Pennsylvania utilities are required to install will produce far more data, generating readings at least hourly. The meters could record material so frequently that power flows could be interpreted like DNA to reveal unique electrical signatures of individual appliances.
Some experts imagine an Orwellian future in a carbon-constrained world, where consumers are cited for excessive electricity use, or divorce lawyers comb through meter records and ask: Who used the hot tub while the spouse was away?
"The privacy implications are astounding," said Susan L. Lyon, a Seattle lawyer who specializes in data-security issues. She compared the smart grid's potential benefits - and risks - with those of the Internet.
...Last month, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission opened an inquiry into the privacy implications. Other states are expected to follow.
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