SmartMeter Debate - Part 3

The Daily Journal is reporting:

SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators will ask Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to set up a process so its customers can opt out of smart meters if they have concerns about the devices’ potential health effects.

California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey says he will ask the utility to develop the proposal over the next two weeks.

Peevey’s announcement came before dozens of people and advocacy groups testified at Thursday’s commission meeting that exposure to radio frequencies and radiation from the wireless electricity and gas meters was harming people’s health.

PG&E maintains that the meters are safe. Other PUC commissioners have said they want to see more research on whether the electronic meter-reading system can impact health.

Peevey says he believes PG&E should allow customers to opt out for a “reasonable cost”.

The key here is "reasonable cost" which I believe will be considered high by many residents simply because the costs themselves will be high--the cost to have a person walk down the street and read a couple of meters here and there manually.  We considered the meters' accuracy here.

Comments

[Led rør]

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[pat giorni]

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Tee Heehee

[Editor]

Left in place for your entertainment!

[Joe]

Today's SF Examiner is reporting on the opt-out process:

Drowning out a chorus of boos and hisses from angry audience members, the state’s utility watchdog approved a plan Wednesday that would charge fees to residents who want to opt-out of PG&E’s contentious SmartMeter program.

Residents who elect to abstain from the digital energy readers will have to pay a one-time fee of $75 and a subsequent monthly bill of $10, as part of the plan authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/02/pge-customers-must-pay-opt-out-smartmeters#ixzz1lG640vd0

[Vermonter]

BENNINGON, Vt. (AP) -- Four southern Vermont towns have passed nonbinding resolution opposing the use of so-called "smart meters," but Central Vermont Public Service says it will continue installing the wireless digital electrical meters as scheduled.

Voters in Bennington, Dorset, Manchester and Sandgate approved resolutions during floor meetings or by ballot. Smart-meter opponents say the devices pose health risks and raise privacy concerns.

Central Vermont Power spokesman Steve Costello told the Bennington Banner (http://bit.ly/zgbAgA) that the utility has already installed some of the new meters in Rutland County and that everything remains on track to connect about 160,000 of them in time.

The utility says the meters are perfectly safe.