City Council Approves Smart Electric Meter Opt-Out Program
Beginning in January 2016, the City of Smithville will be upgrading its utility meter infrastructure and billing system. All water meters and analog electric meters will be replaced with digital Smart Meters that transmit usage/consumption data to a local server (area receiver) once a day. Given citizens concerns, the City decided to offer a Smart Electric Meter Opt-Out program. SEE FORMS BELOW.
Residential utility customers may choose between a Smart Meter and an analog electric meter. There is a one-time analog meter test fee and a set-up charge ($75) to transfer/create an analog billing account. All analog meters must be tested. Analog meters that are found to be inaccurate must be replaced and/or refurbished. In addition, a monthly fee ($10) will be charged to each opt-out customer to cover the additional operational and administrative cost of manually reading analog meters and inputting data.
Only City of Smithville residential utility customers of record (i.e., the person whose name is on the bill) are eligible to participate in the Smart Meter electric meter opt-out program. Change of home ownership, failure to maintain current bill, or termination of lease agreement will negate the Smart Meter opt-out option. There is no opt-out option available for smart water meters.
Residential customers who wish to participate in the Smart Electric Meter opt-out program must meet eligibility requirements above and enroll in the program. Smart Electric Meter opt-out forms are available at City Hall (317 Main Street/Smithville, TX) or on the City website. Customers will need to provide their name, service address, and account number. Customers who make two (2) late payments in any 12-month period after enrolling in the opt-out will become ineligible for the program. A customer’s participation in the opt-out program will be revoked if there is evidence that the customer has tampered or interfered with the operation of the analog meter. The deadline to enroll in the opt-out program will coincide with meter installation by Zone (see schedule). All opt-out requests must be submitted by June 1, 2016. Residential utility customers can switch from analog back to a smart electric meter at no charge by calling 512-237-3282.
Click on links below for additional information (e.g., fees, installation zones, opt-out deadlines, and opt-out application form).
Electric Meter Installation Zones, Schedule, and Opt-Out Deadlines
Smart Electric Meter Opt-Out Application
