Gloria, this change is big. San Diego Gas and Electric is going to spend more than $570 million to replace the old-fashioned electric meters now attached to most homes, with new computerized smart meters. These new meters can tell homeowners, and SDG&E, exactly how much electricity you're using, hour by hour. And that will have consequences down the road.
Beginning in September of 2008, SDG&E will send someone to your home to replace your outdated meter with one like this. This smart meter will register exactly how much electricity you're using every hour. And it will send that information back to the utility company.
That means you won't be seeing your meter reader every month any more. And there's another big change on its way.
Ted Reguly, SDG&E Customer Service Director : The biggest reason that is driving this is the way we interface with our customers and sell our electricity to them.
On a hot summer day, the utility may decide to charge customers more for electricity during peak hours. With smart meters it has a way to track who's using the power and when. And customers will be able to go online into their own accounts and track their own power use. You'll decide whether running your air conditioner is worth the higher price.
Reguly : We want to give our customers in real time feedback as possible on how they're using their energy what its costing then also give them the ability to look at ways that they can either conserve.
Or not conserve, and pay more.
Research shows people conserve more energy when they see in real time, how much power they're using. SDG&E estimates homeowners could save as much as $50 a summer in air conditioning bills if they keep track of their energy use with a smart meter.
It will take four years to replace all 1.4 million meters in the county. Gas meters will also be retrofitted.
In 2008, the California Energy Commission wants every new home being built to be equipped with a programmable communicating thermostat. And ultimately, the thermostat in your home could be controlled by the electric company.
So on a really hot day, when the power grid is over-loaded, could SDG&E decide to turn my air conditioning down a few degrees?
It could, but it says it won't unless you ask it to. In other words, they may have programs available where the customer chooses to have the electric company cycle its air conditioner use during peak times.
