Duke Energy AMI Smart Meters – The Ripoff Continues

December 4th, 2017

Awake Goy

By Hope S. Good

Duke Energy received $204M in federal stimulus to install AMI gas and electric “smart” meters in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Duke promised these meters would lower utility bills and be more convenient because they eliminated the need for meter readers. They also promoted them as eco-friendly and more energy efficient than original analog meters.

Over 700,000 were installed in Ohio and 400,000+ were installed in other states.

https://www.cga.ct.gov/2012/rpt/2012-R-0392.htm

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/02/06/late-bill-duke-energy-snaps-lights/23003111/

Not long after installation, customers in all 6 states started filing complaints with utility commissions and consumer agencies. There was media coverage of this as well.

Complaints included:

Adverse health effects; health and safety concerns
Appliances malfunctioning and breaking
Inaccurate billing, measurement errors. inflated bills
Privacy and cybersecurity concerns

2011 Consumer Reports article “Why Smart Meters Might Be A Dumb Idea” seems to have predicted some of the issues associated with the Duke Energy AMI “smart” meters – including their short life span.

That’s right – Duke already needs to replace the AMI “smart” meters they installed 2010-2015.

They have also proposed customer rate increases in order to do this.

Adding insult to injury, some customers already had their rates increased between 2010-2015 because of these meters. “By 2014, a total of 700,000 smart electric and 450,000 smart gas meters will be installed. The Ohio PUC approved a rate increase of 49¢ more per month for residential customers to pay for these projects.” (Source)

Worth noting, when some Duke Energy customers have complained about their “smart” meters, they have been told that they have AMI meters, not “smart” meters. Any 2-way transmitting wireless and/or digital meter is considered to be a “smart” meter. AMI meters have 2-way transmission so they are “smart” meters.

Duke Energy AMI “Smart” Meters in the news…

Media coverage can be found through online searches in regard to Duke’s AMI “smart” meters. Here are 2 links that include references to several news stories:

“Unhappy Duke Energy Customers in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Are You One of Them?” http://stopsmartmeters.org/2017/05/04/unhappy-duke-energy-customers-in-ohio-kentucky-and-indiana-are-you-one-of-them/

“5+ Years of Shenanigans with Duke Energy and their AMI ‘Smart’ Meters”: http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5-Years-of-Shenanigans-with-Duke-Energy-and-their-AMI-Smart-Meters-Itron-by-Raleigh-ES-North-Carolina.pdf

References for proposed rate increases for Duke Energy AMI “Smart” Meter Replacement:

Ohio: Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Case Record 17-0032 – http://dis.puc.state.oh.us/CaseRecord.aspx?Caseno=17-0032&link=DIVA.

Testimony by Donald L. Schneider Jr. was submitted on behalf of Duke Energy on March 16, 2017 in regard to need for meter replacement and $143.4M requested from a customer rate increase.

Also in re Ohio: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/top-10-utility-trends-regulation-of-2017-aee

Kentucky – “Rates for some Duke Energy customers could rise by 17.4 percent” http://www.fox19.com/story/36273411/heres-a-look-at-duke-energy-kentuckys-request-to-hike-resident-rates-by-174-percent

Also in re Kentucky: “State PSC OKs Duke Energy Kentucky to deploy smart meters; some customers may opt out” The new meters will replace not only old analog mechanical meters, but also first-generation smart meters deployed in past years by Duke Kentucky as part of a pilot project.

How to “Opt Out” of Duke Energy AMI “Smart” Meters:

There are “opt out” programs available for Duke Energy customers in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana who are willing to pay fees to have analog meters instead of AMI “smart” meters. It is strongly encouraged that customers also file formal complaints with their public utility commissions and state consumer advocacy organizations when requesting their meters being replaced.

Ohio: http://dis.puc.state.oh.us/CaseRecord.aspx?Caseno=14-1160&link=PDC. This was written only for electric meter but request that the transmitter for the gas meter be removed also. If Duke refuses your request, file formal complaints with PUCO until they agree to remove it.

Kentucky: http://www.nkytribune.com/2016/04/kentucky-public-service-commission-allows-utilities-flexibility-in-how-to-deploy-smart-grid-technology/

Indiana: Legal Notice of Duke Energy Indiana, LLC’s Petition for Approval of an Advanced Meter Opt-Out Tariff Standard Contract Rider No 59 http://www.bcdemocrat.com/2017/07/18/duke-energy-petition-for-meter-opt-out-tariff/ available to all qualifying Duke Energy Indiana residential and small commercial customers.

It’s very important that customers request original analog meters because some analog meters can be made “smart” without this being visibly obvious. These are referred to as “stealth” meters. Information on how to identify “stealth” meters may be found at http://www.eiwellspring.org/smartmeter/StealthMeters.htm

State Legislation

In Ohio and Kentucky, legislation has also been submitted to allow all state residents to opt out of any type of “smart” utility meter:

Ohio, 2013: Senate Bill 181 “Smart Meter Consent Bill” was endorsed by the Ohio ACLU: http://www.acluohio.org/legislation/2013-2014-sb-181

Kentucky, 2017: Senate Bill 121 http://www.courier-journal.com/story/tech/science/environment/2017/02/09/bill-would-make-smart-meters-optional/97703094/

For Duke Energy customers who would like more information: