Oncor to Seek Permission to Upgrade Meters
By Elizabeth Souder, The Dallas Morning News
May 27–Oncor Electric Delivery plans to file on Wednesday for regulatory permission to replace every meter in its North Texas and West Texas territories with new, high-tech meters.
The meters would give Oncor, the unit of Energy Future Holdings that operates power lines, automatic meter readings every 15 minutes, and allow the company to anticipate grid problems before outages occur. To pay for the meters, Oncor will propose charging around $2.35 per household, each month, for the next 11 years.
What do you get for your money? According to Oncor, you get a tool to help you reduce your electricity use by enough to make up for the cost of the meter itself.
“Using power more efficiently, that’s what this is all about,” said Oncor chief executive Bob Shapard during an event in Arlington on Tuesday to educate the public about the meters.
Some studies show that the data the advanced meters generate can help consumers cut electricity usage by 5 percent.
Oncor spokesman Chris Schein said the company will create a website that allows electricity users to view details of their bills. Once customers understand their own usage patterns, they can find ways to conserve.
For about $40, consumers can buy an in-home monitor to connect to the meter that tallies electricity costs throughout the month.
Further, retail electricity companies can use the data from the meters to create new pricing plans, such as charging a lower price during off-peak hours, or helping customers to stick to a strict monthly budget. No retailer has revealed how much it will charge for such services.
Technically, Oncor would charge retail electricity companies for the meters. Retailers may pass that cost along to customers or eat it.
Oncor’s system upgrades will cost around $690 million. Spokesman Chris Schein said the company has begun installing some of the new meters in Rockwall as a pilot project, but won’t begin full installation until the Public Utility Commission signs off on the plans and cost.
A PUC decision could take months. Mr. Schein said Oncor expects to finish the upgrades by 2012.
Oncor will buy the 3 million new meters from Landis+Gyr.
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