LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) is continuing its roll out of smart meters in Western New York. At an open house on Wednesday, customers in the Lockport area had the chance to learn more about the new technology.
According to NYSEG, over one million smart meters have already been installed across New York state. The company said the new technology will help customers better understand their energy use and improve bill accuracy.
“It’s a meter that records the actual use in your home,” said Patricia Nilsen, President and CEO of NYSEG. “It provides a bill every month that’s based on actual use rather than an estimate like customers get today.”
Nilsen said there are a few key differences from the old meters, such as smart meters recording energy in real time.
“It also gives them things like the energy manager tool where they can look at their energy use going back maybe two days beforehand,” Nilsen said. “They can see exactly what they’ve used by the hour.”
Smart meters in Western New York have already caused concerns.
WIVB News 4 has heard from numerous customers who say their energy bills have skyrocketed, but Nilsen said there’s an explanation for that.
“If we’re installing a smart meter and the customer has seen a number of estimated readings beforehand, sometimes that first read with the smart meter is catching up on usage that they’ve already had in the past,” Nilsen said. “When you install smart meters during the winter and the summer when energy use can be higher, sometimes it’s a matter of timing there.”
Nilsen said on top of providing accurate usage reports, it also gives NYSEG the ability to ping a meter, so the company knows when there is a power outage at a home or business. This can lead to faster restoration and emergency response.
“We actually can send a signal out to see if that customer’s service is back on,” Nilsen said. “We can look at all of those homes and businesses on a circuit, find out where the last house is that has power, and send the crew right there.”
News 4 spoke with numerous customers who attended Wednesday’s open house. They said after getting their questions answered, they’re feeling more confident in the new technology.
“The people that they have in there know their stuff,” said Lockport resident Kathy Galus. “It was very comforting. I feel 100 percent better.”
“They calmed us down quite a bit and gave us a lot of information,” said Lockport resident Reggie Rosati. “The people that work here for NYSEG were very helpful.”
NYSEG employees said they will continue to have more open houses throughout the spring and summer. For more information on smart meters, click here.
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Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
