{"id":1072,"date":"2011-05-16T16:58:32","date_gmt":"2011-05-16T16:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=1072"},"modified":"2015-12-21T12:46:26","modified_gmt":"2015-12-21T18:46:26","slug":"malfunctioning-smart-meters-demonstrate-their-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2011\/05\/16\/malfunctioning-smart-meters-demonstrate-their-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"Malfunctioning Smart Meters Demonstrate Their Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The digital \u201csmart meter\u201d replacement of antiquated analog meters in California has caused quite a stir.\u00a0 These devices have been making headlines since installations began en masse in 2006 because of concerns about health risks related to the wireless technology they use to transmit data<\/a>\u00a0and coincidental bill increases.\u00a0 While an independent contractor<\/a> hired by the California Public Utilities Commission found<\/a> that the initial bill increases were due to summertime rate hikes and unusually high summer temperatures, PG&E\u2019s smart meters are in the news again for billing errors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This time there are<\/em> faulty meters generating billing errors when hot weather makes them run faster than normal.\u00a0 While some skeptics may feel that the meter malfunctions validate their concerns, in fact, it demonstrates a key smart meter benefit: for the first time ever, meters have the ability to alert utilities that they aren\u2019t working properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Bad News is Good News<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this particular instance, PG&E remotely compared the meters\u2019 clocks with real time. It identified roughly 1,600 out of 2 million meters made by Landis & Gyr<\/a>\u00a0that were malfunctioning.\u00a0 Its other 2 million meters made by General Electric don\u2019t appear to have the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is transformative: PG&E can now monitor millions of meters in real time to comprehensively identify and ameliorate problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t possible with old analog meters, which is one of the many reasons why they\u2019re being replaced. Before smart meters, electricity users who suspected erroneous billing had little evidence to make their claims.\u00a0 Now the utility can proactively identify and address problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To Put Things in Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n

While it is inconvenient when any technical device, including a smart meter, is malfunctioning, the rate of problems with analog meters is much higher.\u00a0 Consider this comparison:<\/p>\n