The city of Buellton will send a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission requesting the state regulator mandate that Pacific Gas & Electric offer a no-cost opt-out clause for its controversial SmartMeter program.
On July 14, the Buellton City Council voted 4-1, with Mayor Ed Andrisek dissenting, to send the utilities commission a letter voicing the council’s preference that PG&E customers should have a choice whether to have their meters converted to the new digital wireless meters.
The council’s vote comes prior to a July 26 utilities commission meeting at which the regulator will decide whether PG&E should implement an opt-out measure for the program. The commission will also decide if the utility company can charge its customers for costs the company says will be necessary to maintain the older analog meters.
In March 2011, commission president Michael Peevey ordered PG&E to complete an opt-out proposal for customers who object to the devices “at a reasonable cost.” But what defines “reasonable” is open for debate.
According to the proposal, opt-out customers not enrolled in low-income programs could face one of two fee schedules: an up-front fee of $135 with a fixed monthly charge of $20, or a one-time fee of $270 and a monthly charge of $14.
Customers enrolled in the low-income assistance program will receive a 20 percent discount.
PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith previously told the Sun that the fees will compensate for having technicians manually turn off the radios on the meters, sending meter readers to check the meters monthly, additional customer communication costs, and updating the existing network to compensate for “network degradation,” resulting from having the radios deactivated.
Buellton Councilwoman Holly Sierra told the Sun that the decision came after a number of residents began questioning the SmartMeter program, and why they would be on the hook for choosing not to go along with it.
“We just feel in town that this was kind of slipped in under our noses,” Sierra said. “I’m not sure yet whether I want a [SmartMeter] at my home, but I just think I should have a choice.”
Sierra said that a little more effort on the public relations front by PG&E early on might have alleviated some—but likely not all—of her constituents’ concerns.
On July 5, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved sending a similar letter to the utility commission, requesting a no-cost alternative to PG&E’s current opt-out proposal.
This article appears in Jul 21-28, 2011.
