Report: BGE Pushes for Smart Meter Opt-Out Fee

bowie.patch.com ^ | August 06, 2013 at 12:11 PM | Jenni Pompi

[RedMDer]

Residents who want to opt out of smart meter installation could be charged a monthly fee for their choice, if BGE and other utilities are able make their case convincingly to state regulators Tuesday.

BGE is proposing both a one-time fee of $100 and a monthly fee ranging from $15 to $87, while Pepco is proposing a one-time fee ranging from $71 to $105 and monthly fees ranging from $30 to $35, according to The Baltimore Sun.

[nascarnation]

Sadly this had little effect on the election. The gusher of entitlements overwhelmed any fuel price backlash.

[SoFloFreeper]

[SoFloFreeper]

[SoFloFreeper]

[RedMDer]

And the MSM is silent about Obama’s war on any energy except for the fake ‘green’ kind that bankrupts our nation.

[Wurlitzer]

“Sadly this had little effect on the election. The gusher of entitlements overwhelmed any fuel price backlash.Sadly this had little effect on the election. The gusher of entitlements overwhelmed any fuel price backlash.”

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Correct, when the taxpayers/ratepayers are covering your bill why should you care how high the rates go? Vote for more stuff!

I wonder who the gimmie, gimmie leaches will get to give them their freebies when they have killed the economy!

[RedMDer]

Just *shared* that one :)

[rawhide]

Gouge the senior citizens!

[rawhide]

I do not understand why the power companies cannot install the smart meter away from the house, maybe out by the street, to appease those who do not want them installed? Charge a one-time fee to the user for this option.

[RedMDer]

I don't think any fee should be charged installed or not. I didn't pay for the installation of the current dumb meter on any house that I bought.

[RedMDer]

[Abby4116]

I didn't want a smart meter but unfortunately I have one. Yes, Delmarva was going to charge a monthly fee to come read the meter. It is on the backside of the detached garage and the meter reader used to park in the driveway, walk around the garage, read the meter, record it and go on to repeat the same thing at the next house.

While I don't like to see anyone lose their jobs (the meter readers), I can see a definite savings for the power company using them.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

BGE says smart meters save money since they do not need to be read in person. They argue that the proposed fees for customers choosing to opt out are necessary to recoup the cost of sending technicians out to read meters, reports the Sun.

Bull. We don't have a technician fee now.

Maryland "Freak State" PING!

[Sensei Ern]

You can opt out, by moving out. I did.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I plan to opt out when job circumstances dictate, or when my mother passes away (which, hopefully, is way off yet), whichever comes first.

[Katya]

If you live in a home that predates 1960 you may have problems with the install itself. They went through five meters before they sent an installer who knew what he was doing. I also spent a considerable amount of money having my electrician come out and prove to them it was the meter not the electric inside the house. This went on for a week.

Some of the older meters have junction tabs that have to be lined up, and you can’t just knock the meter in place assuming it will work. The electricity would then arc and burn out the tabs that weren’t line up on the new meter, so I only had half the power coming into my home. Basically, the reg meter install guys, are not electricians and merely technicians... who really don’t know how to deal with older equipment.

[RedMDer]

I hope you got some rebate for the power not used. Was it BGE?

Our house was built in 1955 but it was rewired in the late 90s.