The PUD has begun deploying the first of 403,000 latest-generation electric meters, which give people an instant glimpse of power usage and the utility instant alerts of outages.
The PUD began installing these meters in August.
As of late last week, 800 have been installed.
The PUD is working outward from the Bothell- Mill Creek area, deployment project manager Travis Olson said. Broadly, they're going from urban to rural, and south to north, for their meter replacement plan.
Monroe should get them in 2024, Snohomish in early 2025, and across Everett between 2024 and 2025, Olson said.
Both water and electricity meters are being supplanted by these new smart meters. Because nobody has to go read the meter, customers will no longer be billed on estimated usage on months a meter reader doesn't visit.
The PUD's 30 roving meter reader employees won't be laid off, PUD spokesman Aaron Swaney said. They'll be moved to other jobs within the utility, and those who want it could be set up for apprenticeships to do electrical work.
The meters use two-way radio frequency, not Wi-Fi. The utility says the data is securely encrypted for privacy and tamper-proof.
Switching the meters takes about five minutes. You don't even have to be home.
You'll get ample time to know in advance by letters and emails. If you receive a letter, then about 90 days later you're getting a meter.
Michael Whitney photo
PUD program manager Tim Epp holds his phone with a PUD app on. The meters link to a smartphone app which you can see exactly where usage is. The Tribune has altered the image to cover up personal account information.
A handful of people have already declined smart meters by opting out. Privacy concerns is the most frequent issue raised.
If you opt-out, the PUD has two options: You can take a $25 per month fee to continue sending someone to come read your meter. (That's to cover the cost of the meter reader employees, Swaney said.) Or, you can self-read your meter by sending a picture of your meter to the PUD each month for a monthly processing fee of $5 per meter.
Demonstration homeowner Scott Harder of Mill Creek, who had a meter put in during a PUD field trip for reporters Sept. 21, said he'll appreciate seeing how charging his electric car affects his power bill.
Tim Epp, the PUD's program manager for the readers, was an early recipient of a smart meter, too. He said the power use data informs him when his home's power use is high. Seeing the charts has made him consider buying a more energy-efficient water heater, he said, because his family taking daily showers creates a peak power-use time.
The PUD is investing $93 million for the project, and it should take three more years to deploy everything.
Each meter costs the utility $76. They're made in Mexico by the a company called Sensus.
The technicians tasked with the meter replacements are not costing the PUD any overtime costs, Swaney said.
Because it's two-way, the utility can instantly spot power outages, which it says could mean faster response times. It also can use the meters to remotely disconnect and connect a building's power without dispatching a lineman.
And because it's logging constantly, people can use a smartphone app to analyze their power usage in 15-minute chunks.
Solar power users also can get instant looks at what their systems are putting back into the grid.
The PUD considered these smart meters in 2008, but it didn't pencil out, Epp said. They looked again in 2015 before really ramping up in 2019.
Smart meter units have come down in price since.
Elsewhere, Swaney said Seattle City Light recently finished installing smart meters at all its customers, and Tacoma Power is almost complete doing the same.
The PUD let other utilities go ahead so it can see how they work, Swaney said. The old meters that get removed, some 60-plus years old, will be scrapped for recycling.
