NV Energy proposes fee for opting out of smart meter program

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 | 4:07 p.m.

CARSON CITY — NV Energy customers who don’t want smart meters at their homes should be able to withdraw without any costs, representatives of consumer and senior citizens groups say.

Overflow crowds in Las Vegas and Carson City showed up at a hearing of the state Public Utilities Commission, which is considering a proposal to permit consumers to opt out of the smart-meter program.

Hearing officer Nancy Wenzel warned the crowd that outbursts would not be tolerated. One man was removed from the Las Vegas hearing after yelling out that company officials were lying.

Critics of the smart meters say they pose health hazards and are an invasion of privacy.

Scores of consumer signed up to testify, most in support of the opt-out provision.

Shawn Elicegui, associate general counsel for the utility, said 710,000 meters have been installed in Las Vegas and the job is 99.2 percent complete. The installation is starting this week in Northern Nevada.

Valley Electric and Mt. Wheeler Power are already are using smart meters to compute the bills of their customers. The meters permit readings to be done in the office rather than having a meter reader go to homes every month.

NV Energy offered four alternatives for customers to forego the program. It prefers the option to allow the meter to be installed but without the communication capability.

Elicegui, Gary Smith and Laura Walsh, all of NV Energy, explained how the system would work and its cost.

The cost to have the non-communication meter in Southern Nevada would be $110 for an initial visit and $14.86 a month for the meter reader to visit the home or business. In Northern Nevada, the initial cost would be $130 and a monthly charge of $13.

Company officials are estimating that 4,500 customers will opt out in Clark County and 3,000 in Northern Nevada.

But Deputy Attorney General David Norris and Dan Jacobson, both of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the consumer should not pay anything.

Norris said NV Energy is going to cut 100 meter readers off the payroll with the installation of smart meters.

Jacobson said the utility will realize large savings and there is no reason to change the rates for the opt-out customers.

But there seemed to be some agreement that if the PUC allows an opt out, NV Energy should be required to file a rate application to justify its costs.

Las Vegas resident Aric C. Miller said her first smart meter bill was for 30 kilowatt hours compared to 20 hours last year, and the temperatures were warmer this winter.

“I have no idea what could have caused such a jump in our usage habits, but I can tell you that I am now dreading the coming summer,” she said.

She said she may be faced with a $400 monthly bill in the summer to keep the house cool “or just being uncomfortable through the hot summer is not something I’d wish on anyone.”

Wenzel will take the testimony under study and make a recommendation to the PUC which will make a decision later.