Dive Summary:
- Seven years after the Texas legislature passed a law essentially mandating smart meter installations, public backlash is causing a push for "opt-out" legislation, which state Senator John Carona (R-Dallas), the Chairman of the Business and Commerce Committee, says he will advocate.
- Due to the growing number of complaints, the Public Utility Commission will also consider making smart meters optional; currently, 90% of electricity meters in Texas have smart capabilities.
- The smart meter implementation project has cost $2.5 billion thus far, which is financed by $2-3 surcharges on customers' monthly bills.
From the article:
"... 'I think anything resulting in voluntary energy efficiency is beneficial, but this particular program has gone a little overboard,' state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, said in an email. Carona, who chairs the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, plans to push for legislation that would create an opt-out option. But PUC 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 PUC. The meters have replaced analog meters that could be read manually each month. ..."