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resulted in an early satisfaction rate of 85 percent in its initial smart meter installation
process (SGCC
2013
).
Despite these innovative communication approaches by the utilities, the level and extent
of opposition to smart meters in California has been, and continues to be, strong. Local
government responses to these concerns have included attempts to make smart meters
illegal in four counties, nine cities, and one tribal community, and resolutions to stop
meter installation in more than thirty-two other cities (Hess and Coley
2012
). These
local attempts have been largely symbolic, because these government entities have no
jurisdiction to implement or enforce a ban on smart meters. These local actions did,
however, motivate the state's Public Utility Commission to mandate that utilities had to
provide an opt-out option; utilities had to offer customers the choice of an analog meter,
which had an additional cost to the customer to cover the expenses of not installing a smart
meter.
As we seek to understand the controversies surrounding California's smart meter
programs, it is important to point out that PG&E was among the first of the utilities in the
United States to take on a massive and ambitious rollout of its smart meter program. Unlike
other more recent smart meter deployment programs (including National Grid's currently
evolving program in Worcester, Massachusetts, described later in the chapter), where
a carefully planned pilot strategy has been developed and implemented, PG&E's early
attempt included minimal recognition of the potential for public concern, mistrust, and
opposition. Reflecting on PG&E's early experience, Jim Meadows, the Director of PG&E's
Smart Meter Program, has noted that “originally, people viewed the implementation of the
smart grid and the deployment of smart meters as a purely technical change… In actuality,
moving toward a smart grid [is] a very substantial transition that requires dialogue and
education between the utility and customer base” (Mitchell
2012
).
5.5.2 A Smart Meter Pilot Program in Massachusetts
Outside of California, smart meter rollout programs have faced similar types of opposition.
But utilities in some other states have also learned from PG&E's difficulties, and have
designed carefully planned smart meter pilot programs. Rather than attempting rapid
and widespread smart meter deployment throughout entire cities or regions, these pilot
projects are slower and have integrated mechanisms for learning. Utilities have previously
implemented pilot programs for energy efficiency programs, and now many utilities have
ongoing smart grid pilot programs. The details of these smart meter programs demonstrate
both the opportunities and the challenges of deploying smart meters, and highlight new
types of utility initiatives that take time, resources, and community engagement and that
require new and innovative activities for utilities.
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