Smart Meters’ Oversight

Folks with solar panel installations who get a smart meter installed should be sure that they are getting credit for surplus energy generated during the daytime.

I have had solar panels on my roof for about six years. My electric bill runs from $0 to about $30. When Southern California Edison installed a “smart meter” in December, my electric bill jumped to about $70. I called the solar panel company (REC) that installed my system and they told me that they were getting other calls from customers whose bills jumped up to three times when the smart meter was installed.

After spending a lot of effort to track down any large power consumers in my house, I suspected that SCE wasn’t giving me credit for electricity that I generated, which would normally have been running the meter backwards with the old “dumb meter.” I called the Net Metering line of SCE and they confirmed that I was correct; they had not been giving me credit for power my solar system generated and promised to refigure my bill and give me the proper credit. It’s been two months now, but they assure me that they will eventually get to it, as their bookkeeper is very busy.

So, if you are a solar panel user and get a new “smart meter”, be aware that SCE may not be giving you credit for energy you generate during the daytime. –