The California Public Utilities Commission is calling all parties to submit their proposals for a “smart” meter opt-out policy that would apply to the state’s investor-owned energy utilities. The proposals are due Aug. 19 and intended to frame the discussion of an opt-out policy at a Sept. 14 meeting. Among the possible options are for utilities to: -Turn off the wireless transmitters on smart meters and read the meters manually; -Leave analog meters in place or use them to replace already-installed smart meters; and -Replace wireless communication with the meters with signals sent via copper wire or optical fiber systems. Additional issues involve how to handle multiple-resident buildings and deal with the costs of allowing opt-outs, such as stringing new wire and fiber optics, manual meter reading, and replacement of the new meters with analog meters.
