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Independent probe says heat (not smart meters) caused PG&E bills to soar By SGN Staff Sep 3, 2010 - 10:40:48 AM
. By Liz Enbysk SGN Managing Editor . Around the time Pacific Gas & Electric started installing smart meters in California’s San Joaquin Valley, temperatures started to soar. It was the summer of 2009 and it was hot outside. But consumers got hotter still when their electricity bills started arriving … and you know the rest of the story. New smart meters. Higher bills. We smell a rat.
Structure Group to conduct the evaluation, and its 414-page report was issued Thursday. You can download the executive summary or jump straight to the full report.
In a nutshell? The report says the smart meters were accurate. But it painted a less-than-glowing picture of PG&E’s customer service efforts in the face of the consumer backlash. To its credit, PG&E has acknowledged it messed up and as we reported earlier this week, taken a number of steps to improve its customer care.
“The Structure report makes clear that the transition to a Smart Grid is not just a technological event," said Commissioner Nancy E. Ryan. "Consumers won't fully realize the many potential benefits of smart meters and other grid upgrades unless utilities and regulators place more emphasis on the human side of the equation," she added. "Better communication and customer service will help ensure that consumers see smart meters as something that is done for them, not to them."
It appears the industry has now gotten that message loud and clear. In March the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative formed to bring together utilities, suppliers, vendors and advocates to better understand consumer needs and share best practices.
What next? We’ve already witnessed consumer angst and regulatory hesitance from Maryland to Hawaii. And in Michigan last month, economic hardship was blamed for a drastic cutback in smart meter rollouts planned by Consumers Energy.
But what we’re hearing more about in California – and you know it will only be a matter of time before it spreads eastward – are fears of increased risk of brain cancer and other health issues stemming from electromagnetic radiation produced by smart meters. As the Mercury News reports, several California cities have sought to ban smart meter installations due to health concerns.
It’s not a new topic, thanks in part to the proliferation of cell phones. The FCC has gathered a lot of information on EMF emissions. But of course smart meters are relatively new and there’s no way to gauge long-term effects. What next indeed.
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Smart Grid Newsletter (SGN) is the insider's guide to the Smart Grid revolution. It consists of a FREE bi-monthly email summary, along with a companion Web site that contains the full stories and other helpful materials. Benefits of subscribing: SGN is the only central source for all of the news, trends, research and marketplace information relevant to grid automation. In it, you will read about cutting edge technologies; successful pioneers and how they got ahead; regulatory changes that could unleash new markets; the latest research; and new opportunities for sales of grid-related products and services. © Copyright 2009 SmartGridNews.com |