Coming soon to the San Gabriel Valley - gas meters that communicate, reduce operating costs, improve billing accuracy, make fewer errors, take 1,000 vehicles off the road every day and substantially reduce the frequency of dog bites!
To what am I referring? The Southern California Gas Company's Advanced Meters Project. SoCalGas employees will soon be adding a battery powered communication module to your existing residential or business meter. The installation will take about 15 minutes and be completed during normal business hours.
After the communication network in your area is fully operational, the meter will read and transmit encrypted natural gas usage information to SoCalGas four times per day. The total time the communication device is actually operating during each transmission is just a fraction of a second, all together about two minutes per year.
The transmission is one way. SoCalGas can't send a remote signal back to the meter, either to turn it on or shut it off, or change the usage data.
The health effects of the radio frequency transmissions from the advanced meters have been studied by the Electric Power Institute and the World Health Organization. Both have found "no adverse short or long-term effects." In fact the emissions are much less than many other devices we use in our homes and businesses. For example, using a cell phone causes a million times more exposure than standing next to an advanced meter while it is transmitting.
The advanced meter system will save SoCalGas $3.5 billion over the next 25 years which they have committed to pass on to customers in the form of lower overall rates. The advanced meters will allow customers to access detailed information about how much natural gas they are using hourly. This information will be available on a next-day basis allowing customers to make quick adjustments in usage and save money as well as compare usage over time.
If today you have to have someone available to unlock a gate, provide keys or confine your dog on meter reading day, your life is about to get easier. Access to your meter will only be necessary for infrequent maintenance visits.
If you are wondering about the jobs that will be lost, yes, meter reading jobs will be lost. But new jobs building, installing and maintaining the advance meter system will be created and SoCalGas is offering education, re-training and career planning for employees who will be affected by this change.
This $1.05 billion upgrade began in October 2012 and will be completed in 2017. Southern California Gas Company plans to upgrade six million meters. The San Gabriel Valley project will begin in mid to late 2013. You'll know your meter has been upgraded when you find a notice on your door confirming the installation has occurred.
Investments in technology and system improvements like the advanced meter project are important to guarantee a safe, reliable, clean supply of energy to our homes and business.
