PD Editorial: Meter mess
PG&E records offer reasons to delay SmartMeter program
Published: Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 14, 2010 at 2:53 p.m.
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A few years ago, it was trees.
Related Links: Accused of padding profits with money that was supposed to be used for tree-trimming, PG&E admitted responsibility for a fire that destroyed two homes and burned more than 2,100 acres near Sonoma.
The giant utility paid a $29 million fine and promised to do better.
Before that, state regulators said PG&E layoffs contributed to lengthy winter power failures for thousands of people, and PG&E promised to do better.
Last week, yet again, PG&E vowed to do better. The latest promise followed the release of internal documents revealing widespread problems — including billing errors — with the wireless meters that PG&E is rolling out across the state. The meters are supposed to provide real-time data on electricity and natural gas to both customers and PG&E, saving meter-reading costs while allowing people to reduce their bills by adjusting their usage.
Until now, the company denied any accuracy problems with the meters, effectively calling its customers uninformed, or worse.
We think PG&E customers deserve more than promises.
Instead of adding phone lines and operators to handle questions and complaints, PG&E should stop installing SmartMeters until it can truly assure customers that the devices accurately gauge their usage of natural gas and electricity.
If PG&E won't take this step voluntarily, and there's no indication that it will, the state Public Utilities Commission should step in and impose a moratorium.
Complaints about startling increases in monthly utility bills began as soon as PG&E started installing the new meters last year in Kern County. At first, PG&E blamed hot weather, then it said customers may have been underbilled in the past because of errors by human meter readers.
A different story unfolded in 667 pages of previously confidential documents made public last week by order of the PUC. The records showed that, despite its steadfast denials, PG&E had confirmed problems with about 43,000 of the new meters.
The PG&E records also outlined “risks” and “issues” including an ongoing inability to recover real-time data, faulty hardware originating with PG&E vendors and how much it will cost the San Francisco-based company to defend itself against a lawsuit and other accusations that its SmartMeters are flawed.
PG&E's record for customer service is mixed at best. It did itself no good by publicly denying problems with its wireless meters and damaged its cause by deciding at the last minute to skip a public forum on the issue in Sebastopol.
Right now, the smart move is to leave these meters on the shelf until all the problems are resolved.
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