Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 | 12:21 p.m.
CARSON CITY — An estimated 10,000 NV Energy customers in Southern Nevada who don’t want smart meters will be hit with extra costs, under a draft order to be presented to the state Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday.
If adopted, those who opt out of the smart-meter program in Southern Nevada would have to pay $98 for installation of an alternative meter and a $9-per-month fee.
In Northern Nevada, some 4,000 customers would be charged $107 for installation and $10 a month, under the draft order by commission Chairwoman Alaina Burtenshaw.
The three-member commission will vote on the proposed plan and is still free to make changes.
The draft order says the fees imposed on the opt-out customers “will result in just and reasonable rates.”
Some customers oppose the smart meters, fearing they might cause health hazards, and many said they would be willing to pay the added cost.
NV Energy has installed about 1.3 million smart meters, which can transmit meter-reading data directly from a home or business to the utility.
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