SmartMeters to get expedited independent testing
| Friday, Nov 20 2009 04:08 PM
Last Updated Friday, Nov 20 2009 04:08 PM
The state Public Utilities Commission voted Friday to expedite the hiring of a contractor to provide independent testing of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s SmartMeters, the electrical meters that have prompted complaints recently in Bakersfield and elsewhere about unusually high power bills.
The unanimous vote allows the commission to move forward quickly with its plan to back up PG&E's internal testing with independent tests.
A leading critic of the meters, state Sen. Majority Leader Dean Florez, D-Shafter requested that the commission pay for the testing. He also asked the commission to place a moratorium on SmartMeter installations until the testing is complete. That request was rejected.
"While I would have liked to see a halt to SmartMeter installations until we can assure consumers they work, I am happy the PUC took this action to get to those answers as quickly as possible," Florez said in a news release.
PG&E said in an e-mail Friday that it supports the plan to conduct independent testing.
"PG&E is confident that the meters will be shown to be accurate and the (SmartMeter) program, more broadly, will be recognized as an important customer tool to help them control power usage and costs," company spokesman Denny Boyles wrote.
Boyles added that the meters are tested for accuracy before leaving the factory, when they are received by PG&E and then again upon their installation. The company also field tests meters upon customer request, Boyle noted.
"No meters have been found to be inaccurate," he wrote.
SmartMeters are designed to report power usage remotely and to give consumers an idea of how much electricity they use and when.
PG&E has attributed recently high bills to an unusually hot summer as well as rate increases approved by the PUC.
