{"id":244,"date":"2018-06-14T06:01:22","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T11:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/?p=244"},"modified":"2023-08-23T12:18:53","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T17:18:53","slug":"smart-meter-rules-ohio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/smart-meter-rules-ohio\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the Electric Utility Smart Meter Rules in Ohio?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_243\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-243\" style=\"width: 384px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-243 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-300x220.png\" alt=\"Learn how the utility smart meter installation process could effect your monthly Ohio electric bills!\" width=\"384\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-768x562.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-1024x749.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-830x607.png 830w, https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-230x168.png 230w, https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-350x256.png 350w, https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters-480x351.png 480w, https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Smart-meters.png 1804w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-243\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><center><em>PUCO\u2019s Power Forward initiative will modernize Ohio\u2019s grid but<br \/>customers will have to pay for part of it. Learn how the utility smart meter installation process could effect you!<\/em><\/center><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Ohio Electric Utilities are already switching to smart meters.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/ohio-apples-to-apples-electricity-rate-comparison\">The Public Utility Commission of Ohio<\/a> has approved smart meter rules for the state\u2019s electric utilities plans. This involves replacing the old analog dial meters with more accurate digital electric meters. The new meters use radio signals to communicate information about your energy usage and eliminate the need for readers. The change comes with some benefits for customers. However, not everybody will be excited about the new smart meter rules. For Ohio customers making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/ohio-apples-to-apples-electricity-rate-comparison\">apple to apples shopping comparisons<\/a>, one major stumbling block has been funding.<\/p>\n<h3>Electric utility smart meter installation rules<\/h3>\n<p><em>When will electric utility smart meter installations occur?<\/em> Smart meter installation is now part of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.occ.ohio.gov\/publications\/electric\/Factsheet_Smart_Grid_Ohios_Progress.pdf\">PUCO\u2019s \u201cPower Forward\u201d initiative<\/a>. The new smart meter rules are designed to modernize the Ohio grid. Installation depends on who is your local Ohio electric utility.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/resources\/understanding-your-duke-energy-ohio-bill\">Duke Energy Ohio<\/a><\/strong> has already completed smart meter installation, having installed about 730,000 smart meters in the Cincinnati area.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/resources\/understanding-your-aep-ohio-bill\">AEP Ohio<\/a><\/strong> is following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aepohio.com\/info\/smartmeters\/InstallationDates.aspx\">this schedule<\/a> for the upgrade. AEP will also notify customers in its service area a few weeks in advance of installations.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/resources\/understanding-your-first-energy-ohio-bill\">FirstEnergy<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s program in Ohio remains voluntary. FirstEnergy \u00a0was\u00a0authorized by PUCO to recoup the cost of meters from customers. However, the company has not yet (as of December, 2017) submitted any plans to implement the new smart meter rules.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/resources\/understanding-your-dayton-power-light-bill\">DP&amp;L<\/a><\/strong> is still in the process of submitting a grid modernization plan and smart meter rules to PUCO.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How to prepare for an electric utility\u00a0smart meter installation<\/h3>\n<p>In most cases, meter technicians shouldn&#8217;t need to enter your house. However, \u00a0you need to provide clear access to your meter. Your power will briefly cut out while technicians swap the meters.<\/p>\n<p><em>Will you be charged for a smart meter?<\/em> Yes. Your local utility will charge you a small amount on your monthly bill. The actual amount will depend on what rate PUCO approves for your local utility.<\/p>\n<h3>What if you don\u2019t want an electric utility\u00a0smart meter?<\/h3>\n<p>You can refuse the upgrade to a smart meter. However, you will still pay the PUCO-approved charge for meter reader to come out and read your old analog meter. That&#8217;s a $24\/month charge. If your meter has already been upgraded, you can have an analog meter re-installed for a one-time fee of $43.<\/p>\n<h3>What&#8217;s in the electric utility smart meter data?<\/h3>\n<p><em>What will the electric utility do with the data collected by your smart meter?<\/em> Electric utilities will use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibmbigdatahub.com\/blog\/smart-metering-systems-use-data-optimize-decision-making\">data from smart meters<\/a> to determine exactly what to charge for electricity during periods of high use. During outages, data from smart meters will help quickly pinpoint and reroute power to reduce the effect on other customers. Ultimately, if your provider offers a web interface, you will be able to view your usage data online. You can then use this to learn about your usage and even save money on electricity.<\/p>\n<h3>Take advantage of the upgrade to electricity smart meters and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/resources\/high-ohio-electricity-bill\">lower your high electric bill<\/a>.<\/h3>\n<p>Ultimately, the new\u00a0smart meter rules should\u00a0help you use energy more efficiently and save money. Getting more detailed information about your energy usage allows you to find which appliances or activities run up your bill. In addition to saving money, being smarter about your electricity use will also lead to becoming a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/resources\/ohio-green-energy-requirements\">greener energy consumer in Ohio<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you are looking for more ways to save money on your electricity, try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/ohio-electricity-rates-by-city\">comparing Ohio electric rates<\/a> and finding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/electricity-rates\">cheapest rate<\/a> in your area. At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/electricity-rates\">Ohio Energy Ratings<\/a>, you can find all the information you need to discover the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/read-reviews\">best electric supplier<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/resources\/ohio-electricity-switching-rules\">switch to a new plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ohio Electric Utilities are already switching to smart meters. The Public Utility [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mbp_gutenberg_autopost":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[21,22,31,29,20,33,24,32,34,30,11,25,35],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3245,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions\/3245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}