Advanced meters coming to Chelan County
In spring 2022, the PUD began installing the first set of 700 advanced meters for customers. These two-way digital meters offer multiple benefits, including:
- Faster outage notification and restoration
- More accurate billing and fewer estimated bills
- Lays a foundation for expanded services in the future, such as account pre-payments, high-use alerts and web-based tools for energy savings
The bulk of PUD customers will receive new meters in 2023 or early 2024. Prior to installation, customers will receive a mailer and reminder postcard. Advanced meters are another way we’re meeting customers’ interest in more choice, convenience and control.
In December 2017, PUD commissioners authorized staff to move forward with advanced, two-way metering as a preferred alternative for future customer meters and as part of a new customer technology program. Commissioners reviewed extensive outreach (including 18 community meetings) and research done since 2005.
After careful consideration, and input from customer-owners, in January 2020 the PUD Commission adopted an opt-out fee of $25 per month for customers who choose not to have an advanced meter installed. The fee covers additional PUD costs for meter reading and administrative work.
Other benefits include:
- Less need for a PUD employee to enter customer property
- Fewer PUD vehicles on roadways, reducing carbon emissions
- Better information on customers' potential conservation savings
We are committed to providing our customer-owners with industry-leading service and reliability. We want to give you the tools to manage your own energy use, as well as being notified about outages or upcoming system repairs – all through technology.
During our community meetings, some questions and concerns have centered around radio frequency (RF), electro-magnetic fields (EMF), and the potential these energy fields have to cause cancer or other health impacts.
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