National Grid installs new smart meters across eastern New York
ALBANY - New meters are coming to a neighborhood near you. Since spring, National Grid has been swapping out the 20-year-old mechanical utility meters for new digital smart meters across eastern New York. The utility calls or notifies homeowners when they are coming to switch out the meters, which monitor gas and electric usage.
So far, the utility has installed more than 88,000 in eastern New York and more than 334,000 statewide.
The company has been notifying Capital Region residents recently of the change, through mailings and phone calls. It takes about 10 minutes to make the switch, which might mean a brief interruption in electric service but not in gas supply, the utility said.
If the gas and electric meters are outside, people do not have to be home when they are installed. National Grid is using a vendor, Utility Partners of America, to install the devices.
The older model meters transmit the data via low-powered radio waves, which meter readers record as they drive past customers' homes and businesses. In some instances, National Grid still uses in-person readings, if there is a problem picking up the radio transmission.
The new devices transmit the data by cellular or ethernet networks.
One of the advantages is that the new meters offer real-time readouts of gas and electric use, which consumers can access, according to National Grid. This can help customers keep track of their energy use throughout the day.
Consumers can also help the utility see where power outages may be occurring.
Customers can opt out of the new meters if they want. If so, they will have to use a "non-communicating" meter that must be read manually. That will cost an extra $11.64 per month for a gas or electric meter or $17.71 for a combined gas and electric device.
Less than 1% of the company's customers have opted out of getting the new devices, according to National Grid spokesman Patrick Stella.
There's no charge for the changeover, but the cost was calculated in National Grid's 2020 rate filing so consumers are already paying for them. The cost works out to a few pennies per month, since the new meters are expected to last about 20 years, spokesman Jaren Paventi said.
The company is also seeking a rate hike, which it says would cost the average household an extra $18.92 for electric service and $18.34 for gas per month.
As a utility, National Grid does not generate gas or electricity, it brings it to consumers over its power and gas lines.
This story was originally published September 21, 2024, 3:44 PM.
