Smart Meters - Public Service Commission

Installer Speaks Of Smart Meter Problems
Print
Posted: Aug 17, 2012 6:29 PM EDTUpdated: Sep 13, 2012 1:41 PM EDT
It's been just two days since regional energy giant PECO abruptly halted its
federally funded smart meter installation program, yet the utility has already
received 1,000 calls from customers. According to a PECO spokesperson,
most of the calls are from consumers seeking answers to questions about
smart meters, but 200 of the callers have asked Peco to send a crew to
their homes to inspect meters or electrical equipment.
PECO put the installation of 1.6 million smart meters on-hold after a Fox 29
investigative report last week raised questions about the installation effort.
A home owner in Yardley told reporter Jeff Cole he arrived home recently
to find a man racing across his yard with a fire extinguisher. The man was
an installer attempting to control a problem inside the electric box-a
problem which occurred soon after a smart meter was put in. Also in that
report, Fox 29 broadcast the words of another installer who said he didn't
believe he was prepared to identify or correct problems that may come up
during meter installations.
This week PECO announced it was stopping installation of the meters while
it re-evaluated the program. The spokesperson also said the utility
would install new safety features in meters already in customers' homes.
Beginning Saturday, PECO expects to remove some of the meters made
by the Sensus company and replace them with those produced by another
supplier known as L & G. Meanwhile an installer, who asked Fox 29 to
hide his identity, said his fellow installers have faced bursts of energy and
sparks as they've attempted to put some of the new smart meters in place.