Smart meters, which can be remotely read, record power-use data almost instantly, enabling utilities to respond faster to power failures and helping consumers track their own electricity habits and save money.
Utilities have placed the meters in millions of Texas households, and proponents say they make the power system more efficient. But some Texans say the program, which is essentially mandated by the Public Utility Commission, should be optional, and legislators are listening.
“I think anything resulting in voluntary energy efficiency is beneficial, but this particular program has gone a little overboard,” State Senator John Carona, Republican of Dallas, wrote in an e-mail. Mr. Carona, who is chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, plans to push for legislation that would create an opt-out option. But commission regulators, who are also considering the issue, could act first.
More than 90 percent of the meters in the deregulated Texas power market, which covers most of the state, now have “smart” capabilities, according to the P.U.C. The meters have replaced analog meters that could be read manually each month.
The cost of the smart-meter project is around $2.5 billion so far, financed by years of charges ($2 or $3 per month) on most Texans’ power bills.
Smart meters allow Texans to switch power providers quickly, said Trip Doggett, chief executive of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state grid.
They cut the need for meter readers and allow utilities to pinpoint power failures more quickly. Since the spring, Oncor, a Dallas-based utility, has responded to more than 2,500 power failures without customers even reporting the problem, according to Catherine Cuellar, a spokeswoman for the utility. Oncor has also slashed its cost to connect service to $3.20 from about $15 under the old meters, according to the P.U.C.
However, “for some people, the benefit does not match the cost,” said Tim Morstad, a Texas official with AARP, which represents people 50 and older. For example, he said, retail power providers (which are different from utilities like Oncor) have been charging more for connection and disconnection services, reducing any benefits for customers. (Oncor and AARP are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune.)
Some Texans have complained about health risks from radio frequency signals, a key reason resistance to meter installation has grown. The commission says the exposure is less than that for a microwave.
The energy-saving changes envisioned with smart-grid technology, like prices that are lower in the early morning and higher in the afternoon to encourage reduction of strains on the grid, have mostly not happened. But advocates insist they are coming.
“It’s almost like the early days of dial-up modems,” said Brewster McCracken, chief executive of Pecan Street, an Austin smart-grid project.
kgalbraith@texastribune.org
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/us/some-texans-dont-want-their-electric-meters-smart.html?partner=rss&emc=rss