PG&E reports discuss SmartMeter problems: raising the possibility of billing errors

[The Straight Story]

PG&E reports discuss SmartMeter problems

The newly released PG&E reports can be found online at www.pge.com/smartmetercpucreports

Reports made public Monday by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. outline previously undisclosed SmartMeter problems -- most of them unresolved -- raising the possibility of billing errors, added costs and delays in the technology's promised benefits.

Meanwhile, PG&E's admission Monday that tens of thousands of the remote devices have malfunctioned for one reason or another led to renewed calls Tuesday for a moratorium on the meters' installation.

"How much worse does it have to get before the (state Public Utilities Commission) will do something?" asked Mindy Spatt, a spokeswoman for the consumer advocacy organization TURN.

Both developments pointed to continuing public relations trouble for PG&E, which before releasing four years and 667 pages worth of reports Monday issued a sweeping apology for the way it handled customer questions and complaints about its SmartMeters, designed to help people better manage their energy usage.

Various challenges

The problems outlined in the previously confidential reports range from an ongoing inability to recover real-time readings data, to hardware problems originating with PG&E vendors, to questions about how much time and money it will cost the company to defend itself against a lawsuit and other accusations that its SmartMeters are flawed.

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x173373797/PG-E-reports-discuss-SmartMeter-problems