Anyone else dealing with FirstEnergy's AMI deployment in Ohio? We're seeing some strange billing anomalies where the smart meters are applying the wrong multipliers on industrial accounts. Had a client get hit with a $47,000 bill that should have been around $12,000 due to a CT ratio error that wasn't caught for three months. The old mechanical Westinghouse meter never had this problem - it was hardwired with the correct multiplier. These Landis+Gyr meters seem to have the multiplier stored in software and somehow it got corrupted or reset. Anyone have experience challenging these types of errors with FirstEnergy?
FirstEnergy AMI rollout - seeing weird multiplier issues
Jim, I've seen similar issues with Duquesne Light here in Pittsburgh during their smart meter rollout. The problem seems to be during the meter swap process - sometimes the technician enters the wrong CT or PT ratios into the new meter's configuration. With mechanical meters, those ratios were physically built into the meter gearing. Now it's all software configuration and human error creeps in. I've had good luck getting adjustments by providing the old meter's nameplate photos and historical usage patterns to prove the error.
This is exactly why I document everything during meter changeouts. Georgia Power has been pretty good about their AMI installations, but I always take photos of the old meter nameplate, CT cabinet wiring, and get the final reading before they remove it. Had one case where they claimed the customer was stealing power for months because the new smart meter was reading 10x higher than historical usage. Turned out they forgot to program in the 10:1 CT ratio. $23,000 adjustment in the customer's favor.
Connecticut Light & Power (now Eversource) had massive problems with their smart meter deployment. They were using Elster meters and the configuration software had bugs that would sometimes default CT ratios to 1:1 even when you entered the correct values. Took them over a year to fix the software and they had to manually review thousands of commercial accounts. The mechanical meters may have been old, but at least they were reliable once properly installed.
Update on my FirstEnergy case - they finally agreed to the adjustment after I provided detailed analysis comparing the account's load profile to similar facilities. The key was showing that the meter readings were physically impossible given the facility's connected load. They credited back $35,000 and are supposedly reviewing their meter installation procedures. Still waiting on the final $12,000 but making progress.
PECO has been rolling out smart meters in Philadelphia and we're seeing similar configuration errors. The difference is their new Itron meters have better validation routines that flag unusual consumption spikes. Still not perfect, but better than the early Landis+Gyr units. I think the key is having proper commissioning procedures and maybe a 30-day review period for all meter swaps on accounts over 100 kW.
Alabama Power just started their AMI rollout in Birmingham and I'm dreading it based on all these stories. The mechanical meters may be 30+ years old but they're bulletproof once calibrated. These smart meters have so many more failure modes - communication issues, software bugs, configuration errors, firmware updates that break things. Progress isn't always better.
Val, just make sure you're present for any large commercial meter swaps and document everything. The technology will improve but right now we're in the growing pains phase. At least with smart meters we can catch errors faster since they report usage daily instead of monthly. The trick is knowing what to look for and having the data to prove your case when something goes wrong.