ELECTRIC AND GAS METERS GETTING SMARTER

New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) have more than 540,000 smart meters that have been upgraded for electric and gas customers statewide. “With every meter upgrade we are empowering our customers to make smart decisions about their energy usage,” said Patricia Nilsen, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “I commend our crews for the safe and successful work on this important investment and thank our customers for their cooperation during this transition. Whether we’re accessing their homes for inside meters or their property for outside meters, their support is enabling us to serve them for years to come.”

Smart meters are electric or natural gas meter modules with two-way wireless communications between the meter and the company’s systems. They securely transmit usage and meter status data automatically, enabling monthly bills to be based on actual use versus manual meter reading or estimates, allowing customers better understanding of and control over their energy bills. Smart meters also help the companies pinpoint and respond to outages more quickly.

NYSEG and RG&E have committed to installing more than 1.3 million electric smart meters and adding 600,000 natural gas modules for customers in 17 NYSEG and RG&E divisions statewide. Smart meter upgrades will continue throughout the companies’ service areas over the next few years. Customers will receive communications ahead of their scheduled installation.