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Apparently, Pacific Gas & Electric is getting tired of its fight with smart meter opponents. On Monday, the utility proposed to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that customers who don't want smart meters have the choice of keeping their old analog meters – for a fee.

 

It's quite a change in direction for PG&E. Here's a brief rundown of the story. In the early days of its smart meter deployment the utility simply planned to install the new wireless meters without consulting customers.

 

Opponents of the new meters, who say they are health hazards and have made them sick, didn't take it lying down. PG&E was sued, some customers removed the smart meters or blocked installers from their property and some took their protest to the streets – and some city and county governments passed legislation to block the installations until they were satisfied the meters are safe.

 

In March, PG&E's first opt-out proposal was to install the smart meters but shut off the wireless transmitters inside them for customers who requested it – for an upfront fee of $270 plus an additional $14 per month to cover the costs of hiring people to read the meters. That didn't go over well with opponents, either.

 

Last month, the CPUC put out a proposal of its own, which was similar to PG&E's but would be cheaper.

 

And now...

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, PG&E's Monday filing offers customers the additional option of keeping their old meters – for a 'comparable' fee. While smart meter opponents still don't like what the utility has come up with because they don't believe they should have to pay to protect their health, PG&E officials said their plan should allow the utility to recover its additional costs without forcing all of its customers to pay for them.

 

Opponents also say the plan should include smart meter-free zones.

 

Customers who are concerned about the meters can ask PG&E to hold off on installation until an opt-out plan is firmly in place. According to the Chronicle article, about 83,000 customers have asked for the delay.

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Current Comments (2)

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found an EMF-free home yet?

Are these same customers keeping their cell phones, microwave ovens, and electronic equipment with remote controls? don't forget electric blankets, hair dryers, and computers! A utility rep probably just needs to walk around the house with something that will display the amount of emf radiation that is already present. . .

Darlene Holmberg - 12/21/2011 - 11:46

Smart meters plus crazy logic

Are you saying that if I choose to have a cell phone, then the government has the right to force me to have a smart meter. Are you saying that if you have some EMFs already present then the government has the right to add more? Did you flunk Logic 101?

Ann Berry - 12/23/2011 - 15:06

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