PDA

View Full Version : PG&E acknowledges technical problems with smart meters




tangent4ronpaul
04-26-2010, 08:45 PM
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14963541

Utility co spyware...

After months of denying any technical problems with its smart meter program, PG&E publicly acknowledged Monday a range of glitches affecting tens of thousands of the digital meters

But the San Francisco-based utility said it had found just 8 meters that inaccurately reported a customer's energy use. It would not say how many of the 5.5 million meters installed so far have been tested for accuracy after installation.

PG&E detailed 43,376 cases in which the meters were involved in other kinds of problems. It said 23,000 meters were installed improperly, 11,376 failed to retain consumer usage information and 9,000 had trouble connecting with the wireless network.

"No technology is infallible. No technology is completely immune to human error. And, to my knowledge, no one at PG&E has made such a claim," Helen Burt, PG&E senior vice president and chief customer officer, said in prepared remarks before a California Senate hearing Monday. "Last fall, when we said 'the meters work,' we meant it. They do. But that doesn't mean that every single one of them works 100 percent of the time."

A PG&E spokesman said "a few" customers received bills that did not reflect their actual energy usage, but declined to be more specific. It urged any customers who have concerns about their electric usage or bills to call PG&E directly.

But State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, said Monday that he thinks thousands of consumers may
have received inaccurate bills.

"We need to know how many meters failed, and how many meters failed to transmit data, and we're finally beginning to get some answers," said Florez. "But if all of these various parts aren't working, then the bills aren't accurate. Why not own up to the fact?"

Utilities across the country are replacing analog meters with digital meters that can be read remotely. As more features are added, the so-called smart meters will be able to give consumers detailed information about their power use, from how much energy their appliances draw to consumer electric usage by the hour and day.

PG&E, which provides gas and electric service to customers from Eureka to Bakersfield, was the first major utility to aggressively adopt the technology and is installing about 12,000 smart meters a day, with the goal of having 10 million in place by the end of 2012.

But the rollout has been far from smooth. Hundreds of PG&E customers who already have smart meters have complained of skyrocketing electric bills, leading to widespread suspicions that the meters either malfunction or are used to intentionally overcharge.

In November, a PG&E spokesman told the Mercury News that "the meters themselves are completely accurate" and noted that customers in Bakersfield and elsewhere were noticing higher bills because of rate hikes and the heavy use of air conditioning during the sweltering summer months.

Monday's remarks mark the first time that PG&E has publicly acknowledged technology problems.

"Up until now, PG&E's basic message has been 'We are 100 percent right, and our customers are 100 percent wrong,'" said Mark Toney, executive director of consumer advocacy group TURN, the Utility Reform Network. "Today they acknowledged some widespread technology problems, which is what they should have done in the first place."

The flood of consumer complaints led the California Public Utilities Commission to hire the Structure Group of Houston to conduct a long-awaited independent evaluation of PG&E's Smart Meters. Under its $1.4 million contract, which is expected to be completed in August, Structure will analyze individual customer complaints, initially focusing on those from the San Joaquin Valley area.

Two vendors provide the meters for PG&E: Landis+Gyr, based in Zurich, and General Electric. Redwood City-based Silver Spring Networks provides the communications software for the meters.

Contact Dana Hull at 408-920-2706. Follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/danahull

PG&E Smart MEter problems

PG&E acknowledged a variety of problems with its smart meter program Monday, including:
Accuracy: 8 of the 5.5 million meters installed so far were found to not measure electric use accurately.
Communication problems: 9,000 meters had trouble connecting with the wireless network.
Data Storage: 11,376 meters measured customer usage data correctly but did not retain it.
Human Error: 23,000 meters were not installed properly.
To contact PG&E"s Smart Meter phone line, call 866-743-0263.