PG&E to host SmartMeter meeting
Looking to ease public concerns over its new data collection technology, Pacific Gas and Electric will host a SmartMeter Open House on Monday, November 8 in Sonoma.
The event will be at the Sonoma Community Center at 276 East Napa Street from 6 to 9 p.m.
SmartMeters transmit usage information via a microwave signal – a high-tech version of a ‘meter reader’ going yard to yard. PG&E said the technology with give consumers more information and more rate options to help reduce energy use and costs.
According to PG&E, the system provides the foundation for a future “smart grid,” which will make the state’s power grid more reliable, efficient and sustainable.
Critics are concerned the radiation generated by the SmartMeter system could pose a health hazard. They also argue that the cost of installing the new grid, including adding relay antennas on light and power poles, will be passed on to consumers.
Estimates for statewide implementation of the system range up to $2.2 billion. Customers have no ‘opt-out’ choice.
The public vented health concerns, and a general distrust of PG&E, during a Sonoma city council meeting last month. No action was taken on the discussion item that night.
Several California cities have considered a moratorium on the system. Last month, after four heated meetings, the Sebastopol city council decided not to oppose PG&E’s plan. The panel said it lacked jurisdiction on the matter, and was concerned about a costly legal battle.
SmartMeters are being installed under the authority of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Reacting to a flood of complaints received by his office, Assemblymember Jared Huffman has called for a safety study of the SmartMeter.
Huffman, whose 6th Assembly District covers most of the Sonoma Valley, said that concerns about the accuracy, security, and health safety of the devices should be resolved as quickly as possible.
“I fully support the goal of using smart meter technology to help consumers become much more energy efficient and achieve substantial statewide energy savings,” he explained. “But this must be done right, and that means PG&E and the PUC must take seriously the concerns residents have been expressing.”
The accuracy of the meter has also been questioned. Customers in Bakersfield, one the first test cities, filed a class action suit against the utility last year alleging the new system was responsible for overcharges in their electric bills.
PG&E countered that the system was not at fault for the increased bills, which reflected instead a planned rate-hike and a summer heat spell.
As to the radiation question, PG&E has said the system’s 1-watt radio generates a weak signal similar to that of a cell phone or a baby monitor.
According to company collateral, SmartMeters transmit only about 45 seconds a day. “You'd have to have one of our meters on your home or business for more than 1,000 years to get as much exposure to radio waves as a typical cell phone user gets in just one month,” it states.
