Md. PSC questions utilities about smart meter roll out
Friday - 8/24/2012, 5:46pm ET
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Pepco serves customers in Virginia.
WASHINGTON - Maryland utility regulators want to hear from local power companies about their plans to install digital meters and whether the devices have caused any fires in the state.
If You Go:
When: 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 28
The Maryland Public Service Commission told PEPCO, Baltimore Gas and Electric, Delmarva Power and Southern Maryland Electric
Cooperative to attend a hearing in Baltimore on Tuesday.
The commission wants to know what type
of smart meters the companies plan to install -- or have installed -- in their
service areas, and whether they know of any reports of electrical overheating or
malfunction associated with the new technology.
The PSC is taking the action after media reports of fires related to the smart
meters installed by a Pennsylvania electric company, PECO. Because of those
reports, the Pennsylvania provider suspended installation of its smart meters.
Smart meters replace the spinning, analog meters that measure the amount of
electricity a house or business uses each month. Power companies must send meter
readers to check the analog devices regularly, but the new meters send power usage
information to the utilities directly.
Pepco, the utility which serves parts of Maryland and D.C., says it is unaware of
any fires tied to the installation of a smart meter.
Earlier this year, BGE announced a three-year, $482 million
rollout of the new technology. And other local companies are in various stages of
approval and installation.
There are reports that overheating digital meters may have caused fires in
Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas, adding to concern for groups opposing the change
from analog to digital. Members of Maryland Smart Meter Awareness say along with
the fire concerns, they worry about everything from interference with household
appliances to invasion of privacy.
Utility companies say the new devices will save them money by
eliminating the need for meter readers. But the devices will also help the
companies detect outages without relying on customers to report an outage.
The new meters are also intended to allow customers to track and control usage,
helping them save on their energy bills. But customer savings vary widely from a
few dollars a year to several hundred.
An estimated 35 percent of American homes and businesses either use the devices or
are in the process of having the technology installed.
WTOP's Kate Ryan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
Where: 16th Floor Hearing Room,
William Donald Schaefer Tower,
6 St. Paul Street,
Baltimore
