Southern California Edison installed Smart Meters in our area last year. They initially said we could opt out but when it came to it the State Utilities Board allowed them to charge us a monthly $75 fee to have our meter read and $150 per year fine. Who could pay that? So we were forced to have the meter. Our bill jumped 10%. Meanwhile, because of the glut of solar panels companies are springing up to lease solar systems. So we are having a solar system installed on the house which will cut what we pay SCE from $200/month to $40. We will still have a Smart Meter but it’s a little of our own back. I’m sure Edison will make the State outlaw this before long. You all should look into it where you live. Ours is called Solar City.
I thought we all already paid for meters with stimulus hand outs.