PG&E can charge customers to nix SmartMeters

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. can start charging its customers fees of up to $10 per month if they don't want to have wireless "smart meters" installed in their homes, according to a decision Wednesday by California regulators.

Four members of the California Public Utilities Commission approved a proposal that allows PG&E to charge residential customers an initial fee of $75, plus $10 each month, to opt out of the company's controversial SmartMeter program.

Critics contend SmartMeters, which electronically monitor a home's electricity and gas usage, emit harmful levels of radiation. PG&E maintains that the meters are safe and will bring down the utility's meter reading costs.

Dozens of opponents packed the meeting. They erupted into a chorus of chants after the commission's vote before law enforcement officers led them out of the downtown San Francisco building.

"We are allowing an opt-out option. We're not taking a step backwards," said CPUC President Michael Peevey, who drafted the proposal. "We want to empower customers, and we think this a major step to do so."

Under the new plan, PG&E can charge its low-income customers an initial fee of $10, plus an extra $5 each month to avoid installation of the wireless devices. Commissioners say they plan to revisit the fees over time to reassess whether ratepayers are paying an appropriate cost.

Dozens of people and advocacy groups from Fairfax to San Luis Obispo testified at the meeting, saying exposure to radio frequencies and radiation from the wireless meters harms people's health.

Critics say the devices emit radio-frequency microwave radiation similar to a cellphone and have not been proven to be safe. PG&E cites a study showing the radio frequency falls well below the federal threshold.

Sudi Scull said she developed painful headaches and ringing in her ears after PG&E installed a SmartMeter on her house in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood. The utility ultimately gave back her analog meter, but she said the pain returned when SmartMeters were installed on her neighbors' homes.

"My neighbors can ill-afford opt out fees so I can afford to live in my house," Scull testified. "Let PG&E executives and shareholders incur the costs of an opt-out program."