Legislators, look into PG&E fiasco
| Tuesday, Sep 22 2009 03:21 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Sep 22 2009 03:23 PM
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The outcry over PG&E's SmartMeters has reached a crescendo unlike anything we've heard recently in the public-utility realm. Consumers across Bakersfield are reporting huge increases in their electricity bills -- despite, in many cases, having taken energy-saving steps that should have cut the the amount owed.
SmartMeters are devices that allow PG&E to read electrical usage remotely through radio signals. Since 2006, the company gradually has been replacing old-style mechanical meters that must be read manually. All PG&E customers are scheduled to have the new meters installed by 2012.
PG&E says it has investigated many of the complaints and that in virtually every case, the meters' readings have proved accurate. The company says the higher bills are linked to a combination of high energy use and a new rate hike that increases charges for customers who use more than 130 percent of the baseline amount of electricity.
Not likely, say many consumers who insist their usage has decreased, not increased. Clearly, these people deserve answers, and none seem to be forthcoming. At least none that make sense. If ever there was reason for a member of the state Legislature to step forward on behalf of ratepayers, this is the time.
Bakersfield residents are starting to notice the deafening silence from their elected representatives. One frustrated local PG&E customer, Dan Johnson, e-mailed last week to share his exasperation over a $795 July electricity bill. He said he routinely sets his thermostat at 82 degrees and uses his air conditioner sparingly. But when he called PG&E, the rep told him to turn off his cooler.
So Johnson did the same thing we would have done: He called his representative in the state assembly -- in his case, 32nd District Assemblywoman Jean Fuller. Johnson received a very nice letter stating that "July saw several days of above 100 degree heat, which pushed many PG&E customers into the upper tiers of their rate schedule." Fuller was "confident" that PG&E customer service could help, the letter concluded.
Two days later Johnson spotted The Californian's list of local legislators' campaign donations. PG&E had given $3,000 to both Fuller and 30th District Assemblyman Danny Gilmore. "I guess we can't count on our local politicians to help," Johnson surmised.
Where are our legislators? PG&E's analysis of the reason for these huge bills may be valid in some cases, but it's hard to believe when customers swear they've scaled back.
One legislator, at least, has noticed. State Sen. Dean Florez has tentatively scheduled a public hearing at the Kern County Supervisors' chambers the evening of Oct. 5. The California Public Utilities Commission is invited, along with PG&E and Southern California Edison, which has just started rolling out its own SmartMeters in the city of Downey. SCE has customers in Bakersfield, too.
It's not our show, but we'll take the liberty of inviting a few people ourselves. For starters, Fuller, Gilmore and state Sen. Roy Ashburn.
"Someone once said 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,'" Florez noted Tuesday. "Why the magic show stopped in Bakersfield, and whether it will continue, will be a major focus of the hearing."
