Problem is, regulations have changed since the '40s, gotten tighter, more numerous. Like a private citizen doing a remodel, if they go in to add to or change the electrical system, they have to bring stuff up to the current code. In new hookups, PG&E has to go in and verify that the installation meets code before they can provide service. When PG&E has to do a distribution system rebuild, they then have to go around and turn all those customers back on individually. If they supply gas to a house, and reconnect their new service and don't make sure that the customer side is up to code and the house explodes, guess who is held responsible? If new regulations state that the electric service must be a certain number of feet away from the gas meter, it's not PG&E's responsibility to make the necessary code-driven changes on the customer side. In this nanny-state, litiginous environment, PG&E's only recourse would be to refuse to reconnect the customer rather than face the liability.
“Problem is, regulations have changed since the ‘40s, gotten tighter, more numerous. “
Sure, I am a registered PE in the State of California, and I understand what you’ve said. It isn’t that these changes weren’t needed, it’s two things: 1). They did a survey, of these needs, but they were not communicated to the homeowners in a timely fashion so as to facilitate and mitigate the individual situations the changes were going to cause. In my case, if I had allowed them to move my meter, it would have been in violation of local fire codes relating to egress, but seemingly, that was not taken into consideration by PG&E. And because I am an engineer (and I happened by chance to show up when they were actually working on our home), I was able to meet with the PG&E inspector on-site and craft an alternative that met both needs. But initially, it didn’t look like they were going to listen until I threatened to have the job red tagged by the FD. There are a lot of older retired people in Carmel who found themselves in an unnecessary bind both because of the way PG&E approached the problem and the fact that the City Engineer was not on top of what was going on. 2) It goes to PG&E’s mindset that they only reacted across the state in the aftermath of of San Bruno when they should have been reviewing areas proactively for years to avoid any San Brunos.
At the end of the day, public utilities are only a small step removed from the government in the manner in which they deal with their customers. If you doubt that, try opting out from your smart meter.