CPUC Says PG&E Should Allow SmartMeter Opt-Outs

The California Public Utilities Commission issued an order today that PG&E allow residents to opt-out of the utility’s controversial SmartMeters.

“[I have asked PG&E to] bring to this commission a proposal or a series of proposals that will allow customers with an aversion to wireless devices the option of being metered without the use of wireless technology,” said CPUC President Michael Peevey in a statement before the CPUC’s meeting today in San Francisco, where dozens of people spoke about the health risks associated with the meters.

“This is fantastic news,” said Sandi Maurer, founder of the EMF Safety Network, who had previously filed a motion with the CPUC asking for a moratorium on the installation of the meters, and has held demonstrations outside Rohnert Park's public utilities yard.

The wireless digital meters have come under fire over the last year because of concerns about accuracy, security, privacy and health effects. The meters use a combination of radio and microwaves to transmit data from the digital meter attached to your house to a transponder on a nearby telephone pole. That data is then transmitted via a cellular mesh network back to PG&E. 

Because of concerns primarily focused on the health questions related to electro-magnetic frequencies and radio frequencies, PG&E has said in the past that it was considering developing alternatives, such as wired meters. PG&E has maintained, however, that the meters are safe and .

“It’s something we’ve actually been looking at,” said PG&E spokesperson Katie Romans of the CPUC’s order. “The order certainly advances the timeline.”

PG&E has until March 24 to come up with a plan to implement the opt-out, while continuing installation of the meters otherwise, and bring that plan back to the CPUC.

Romans said some of the key questions that will be resolved by that March 24 plan are what various options are for those who choose to opt-out, what the cost impacts of those options would be, and what PG&E will do about those customers that already have the new meters installed in their homes.

“We really will have to look at who we are talking about,” said Romans.

It in unlikely that customers will simply be allowed to opt for their current analogue meter, given that those are in the process of being phased out by manufacturers, she said. Additionally, PG&E still has a mandate to implement upgrades to the overall system and install a smart grid to allow for energy efficiency programs down the line. It is likely, then, that customers will be given a wired or digital option.

“How do we address these customers’ concerns while still ensuring them these environmental benefits,” Romans said.

Peevey also said in his statement that PG&E’s proposal for “some form of opt-out for customers who object to these devices” could be achieved at a “reasonable cost” that will be paid for by the customers that choose to opt-out.

Statewide, PG&E has installed over 7.65 million meters, with the goal of installing 10 million gas and electric meters by mid-2012. In Rohnert Park, 25,985 SmartMeters have been installed since March 4, and 4,862 have not, according to the report. 

The opt-out proposal is not likely to entirely resolve the issue. For residents concerned about the health issues surrounding EMF and RF, the fact that the SmartMeter network will continue to exist in their towns, on their blocks and at their neighbor’s means that them simply opting out doesn’t answer all their questions.

What is needed, said Maurer, is public education and a hearing on the effects of microwave radiation.

“I’m looking forward to a continuing conversation on consumer rights,” said Maurer.