Florez takes Smart Meter fight to Fresno
Hearing set to answer unresolved questions on overcharges and meters’ link to bill spikes

FRESNO -- Following a contentious five-hour hearing in Bakersfield and a barrage of letters full of unanswered questions, Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) will convene a hearing of a major utility and the regulatory body that pushed forward the company’s implementation of “Smart Meters,” technology that has so far failed to deliver promised savings to consumers.

Smart Meters are ultimately supposed to give consumers real-time information on their energy usage, so they can make adjustments to save on their bills, but the technology to allow the sort of communication needed to achieve that will not be in place for years.  So far, only the utility itself seems to be saving -- eliminating the labor costs of manually reading older meters -- as many consumers say their bills have increased dramatically despite cutting back on energy consumption. 

The October 5 Bakersfield hearing heard public comments from dozens of residents who have seen their bills double – even triple, or worse – since the installation of a “Smart” Meter, including anecdotal evidence of people who were forced to move due to the expense.  PG&E has blamed the spike on summer heat, but much of the increase has come from multiple rate hikes approved readily by the Public Utilities Commission, much of that to pay for the new meters.

Despite evidence of billing anomalies, such as peaks in usage for a vacant house, PG&E has only tested 50 of the 250,000 meters installed in Kern County.  Florez wants to give Fresno residents the same opportunity to present their concerns to PG&E and the CPUC, while having those bodies address questions remaining unanswered from the previous hearing.

Florez has called on the CPUC to place a moratorium on Smart Meter installations and additional rate increases until an independent technology expert can verify the accuracy of the new meters.  He has also called for testing and monitoring of a representative sample of those meters already installed, in addition to the formation of a Citizens’ Oversight Committee to review complaints.

Florez has also asked PG&E to investigate and resolve the concerns of hearing participants, with written follow-up on those outcomes.  In a follow-up letter today, Florez detailed questions he will want answered and further asked the utility to lay out how it plans to distribute more than $400 million in overcharges due to an overestimation of natural gas prices for this year.  Attached is a copy of today’s letter from Florez to PG&E.

Public comment by concerned consumers is welcomed and encouraged at the October 21 hearing.  

*** MEDIA ADVISORY *** MEDIA ADVISORY *** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

WHO:             Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, D-Shafter
                        Pacific Gas & Electric
                        California Public Utilities Commission
                        Concerned consumers and consumer advocates

WHAT:           Hearing into Smart Meter implementation and relation to rate hikes

WHEN:           Wednesday, October 21, 2009; 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:         Hugh Burns State Bldg., 2550 Mariposa Mall, Assembly Room 1036

10-13-09 letter from Florez to PG%E CEO Peter Darbee