Anyone else seeing major issues with Georgia Power's new smart meters? I've got three clients who saw their bills jump 30-40% right after meter swaps with no usage changes. The old mechanical Schlumberger meters were reading consistently for years. Now we're getting readings that don't match historical patterns at all. One warehouse went from 2,800 kWh monthly average to 3,900 kWh overnight. Georgia Power claims the old meters were "running slow" but I call BS. Has anyone successfully challenged these swap adjustments?
Georgia Power AMI rollout - billing discrepancies everywhere
Derek, I'm seeing the same thing with TVA territory here in East Tennessee. Just had a manufacturing client get hit with a $4,200 "catch-up" bill after their Landis+Gyr AMI went in. TVA is claiming their old GE I-70S was under-registering by 18%. Problem is, we had that meter tested just two years ago and it was within 1% accuracy. These utilities are using smart meter installs to justify phantom revenue recovery. Document everything and demand meter accuracy records for both old and new meters.
Ohio's FirstEnergy did this same scam back in 2011. They swapped out perfectly good Westinghouse watthour meters and then billed "true-up" amounts claiming 15-20% under-registration. I fought them on twelve commercial accounts and won eight appeals. Key is getting the removal test data on your old meter - they're required to test within 10 days of removal per PUCO regs. Most of the time they can't produce credible test results because the meters tested fine. Don't let them steamroll you with blanket "your meter was slow" claims.
This is becoming epidemic. Duke Energy Carolinas pulled similar stunts during their AMI deployment. I had one retail client go from $890/month average to $1,340/month after smart meter install. Duke claimed 28% under-registration on a 15-year-old GE I-210+. When I demanded the test bench results, suddenly they "couldn't locate" the removed meter. Convenient. File formal complaints immediately - waiting gives them time to destroy evidence. These utilities know exactly what they're doing.
Update on my Georgia Power cases - got test results back on two of the removed meters. Both tested within 2% accuracy at the certified lab. GP is now claiming "field conditions" caused the discrepancies but can't explain why bills immediately normalized after smart meter calibration adjustments. They're clearly using AMI rollout as revenue enhancement. One client is considering switching to a municipal utility. This whole thing stinks.
Connecticut Light & Power tried this garbage too. Had a small manufacturer see a 45% bill increase post-AMI swap. CL&P claimed their 20-year-old ABB meter was "significantly slow" but couldn't produce removal test documentation. Took it to PURA and got the whole true-up reversed plus interest. These utilities are banking on customers not fighting back. Always demand written test protocols and certified lab results.
Final update - won two out of three Georgia Power appeals. The key was proving historical usage patterns were consistent and demanding independent meter testing. Third case is still pending but looking good. Total recovery so far: $8,400 in bogus charges plus penalties. Don't let these utilities use AMI deployment to pad their revenue. Fight every suspicious post-swap billing increase.