In D.12-02-014, the Commission modified PG&E’s smart meter program to include an opt-out alternative for residential customers who do not want a wireless smart meter. The Commission issued similar decisions for SCE in D.12-04-018, for SDG&E in D.12-04-019, and for SoCalGas in D.14-02-019. In all of these decisions, the Commission authorized the utilities to impose interim fees and monthly charges to customers who opt-out of smart meter service to cover costs of the program, and establish memorandum accounts to track the revenues and costs associated with providing the opt-out choice. Outstanding issues concerning actual costs and cost allocation associated with smart meter opt-out were subsequently considered and decided in D.14-12-078. The utilities filed advice letters to implement D.14-12-078 directives. In this Resolution, we address those advice letters, and approve them with modifications. Consistent with our determination in D.14-12-078 for SCE, we direct the utilities to exclude all “exit costs” from their smart meter opt-out balancing accounts. Should the utilities determine that costs associated with re-installing a smart meter are significant, cost recovery can be re-evaluated in each utility’s next respective GRC. We authorize the utilities to transfer balances in their smart meter opt-out memorandum accounts (excluding any “exit-fee” costs, “turn off” costs, or “exit costs”) to their smart meter opt-out balancing accounts, and require that the memorandum account balances be retained for review and evaluation in the utilities’ next GRCs. We confirm that electric utilities must use all-analog meters to provide service to residential customers under the smart meter opt-out programs, however, they are allowed to use non-analog meters, as necessary, in limited circumstances to provide TOU service or to address property access issues. Because the timeframe to implement bimonthly meter reading was not D.14-12-078, we grant the specified in utilities a reasonable amount of time to execute this directive.
In D.12-02-014, the Commission modified PG&E’s smart meter program to include an opt-out alternative for residential customers who do not want a wireless smart meter. The Commission issued similar decisions for SCE in D.12-04-018, for SDG&E in D.12-04-019, and for SoCalGas in D.14-02-019. In all of these decisions, the Commission authorized the utilities to impose interim fees and monthly charges to customers who opt-out of smart meter service to cover costs of the program, and establish memorandum accounts to track the revenues and costs associated with providing the opt-out choice. Outstanding issues concerning actual costs and cost allocation associated with smart meter opt-out were subsequently considered and decided in D.14-12-078. The utilities filed advice letters to implement D.14-12-078 directives. In this Resolution, we address those advice letters, and approve them with modifications. Consistent with our determination in D.14-12-078 for SCE, we direct the utilities to exclude all “exit costs” from their smart meter opt-out balancing accounts. Should the utilities determine that costs associated with re-installing a smart meter are significant, cost recovery can be re-evaluated in each utility’s next respective GRC. We authorize the utilities to transfer balances in their smart meter opt-out memorandum accounts (excluding any “exit-fee” costs, “turn off” costs, or “exit costs”) to their smart meter opt-out balancing accounts, and require that the memorandum account balances be retained for review and evaluation in the utilities’ next GRCs. We confirm that electric utilities must use all-analog meters to provide service to residential customers under the smart meter opt-out programs, however, they are allowed to use non-analog meters, as necessary, in limited circumstances to provide TOU service or to address property access issues. Because the timeframe to implement bimonthly meter reading was not specified in D.14-12-078, we grant the utilities a reasonable amount of time to execute this directive.