50 local governments in California oppose smart meters,
according to the group, Stop Smart Meters. Connecticut has
postponed its decision on whether to participate in
Northeast Utilities proposal to install 1.2 million smart
meters.
Southern California Edison, the state's second-largest
utility, says about 28,000 customers our of 4.9 million
customers have asked to delay the program.
States seem to be leaning toward allowing customers to be
charged if they refuse a
smart meter because of the benefits they see in the
smart grid: reducing power consumption during peak
hours; reducing the need for new power plants; and reducing
the potential for black-outs from capacity that can't keep
up with urban growth, reports Bloomberg.
In California, utilities charge an upfront fee of $75 and
$10 a month to keep their old meter, Greg Snapper, a PG&E
spokesman, told Bloomberg. Over 90% of customers have a
smart meter now, as a result of its $2.2 billion program to
deploy at least 9.7 million of them, he said.
A state study found that smart meters are charging
accurately, not over-charging. In fact, they were more
accurate than tradtional meters, which could be behind
peoples' perception that they're being charged more.
In 2011, the California Council on Science and Technology, a
state-created technology advisory board, looked at a range
of scientific studies and found they emit far less
radio-frequency energy than microwaves or mobile phones.
Asia Moving Ahead
Many Asia Pacific nations view smart meters as the
fundamental step in reducing carbon emissions and fostering
a cleaner society, and Japan, Australia and China have some
of the biggest penetration rates in the world, says Pike
Research.
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