I agree with the person concerned about smart meters. I am concerned about the overheating and fire issues I have been reading about this happening all over the country. Some utilities have even stopped installing them. There have also been many reports of power surges damaging electronics and appliances from these meters. What’s even more disturbing is that many of these meters are not UL listed and there is talk they can invalidate your home owners insurance. I tried calling my insurance agency but can’t get a straight answer if this is a real issue to be concerned about. I also read that there is a law that exempts the utility company for any damages the meters may cause. The last smart meter report you did only addressed privacy and health concerns. I also checked all the info on the Westfield Gas and Electric website and only see the same concerns addressed. Health studies are debatable but the fact is, these things are causing real damage. Is it a threat we need to be concerned about with every meter or just some? Who is responsible for any damages? Are Westfield’s meters UL listed or just more dangerous junk from China? Is Westfield going to offer an opt-out option or force them on everyone? I think the residents of Westfield deserve to have these fire and damage issues addressed. However, we all know the utility companies will never admit their smart meters are responsible for any damage. This could become a huge cost to us homeowners here in Westfield as it has to many others around the country. Just search the Internet and you will find many reputable news articles related to this issue with hundreds of comments from people who have them and all the problems they cause. I for one rather pay extra for meter readers then have my house damaged or worse. I don’t care if the percentage of meters burning up is low either. If just one person in Westfield gets damage that’s one too many. We appreciate having the opportunity to respond to this inquiry and to set the record straight. As early as 2009, and before the WG&E took on the automated meter reading initiative, we did our homework and thoroughly researched all the issues associated with the implementation of automated meters. As the writer points out we have addressed the privacy and health concerns with facts and independent research done and conveyed this through newspaper articles, our Power Line newsletter, WG&E website and other social media avenues. To date, we have already changed out close to one third of the electric meters in Westfield and, of those 6,000+ meters, less than one tenth of one percent (in fact only 6 customers) have elected to opt out of having their meters changed. The State of Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities does not mandate any opt out alternative for customers. WG&E does, however, provide customers with the ability to opt out with the understanding that in choosing to do so, they will forgo the benefits of automated meter reading and will be subject to additional costs necessary to support the administrative and labor costs of continuing to manually read their meter. Nationally, for the many utilities that have had automated meter reading in their systems, these opt out costs are typically in the $25/month/meter range. We cannot determine the exact costs until the program is nearing completion sometime in 2014. As a customer-focused utility, the WG&E will accommodate customer choice to the best of our ability taking care not to pass the costs associated with the opt out choice on to those customers that have agreed to, and will realize the benefits and lower associated costs from, the installation of new efficient metering equipment. The caller made reference to potential fire and damage issues and may find it interesting to know that, during the course of the meter changes that have occurred to date, our service technicians have likely prevented damage from occurring by identifying customer-owned equipment that was in need of repair and alerting the homeowner of the potential danger. With regard to the inquiry as to whether the meters are UL certified, the industry standard in the United States for electric meters is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C12.10 standard. This national standard governs all aspects of electric meters and specifies how these devices shall be tested and certified to ensure compliance. This includes testing related to power surges and transients and the overall safety of the product. UL is a voluntary standard traditionally utilized for consumer-grade electrical equipment only; meaning electrical equipment used in the home that consumers have direct interaction with and/or install themselves. All electric meters (including automated meters) do fit the established standard of ANSI. And finally, the components of the new automated meters the WG&E is in the process of installing are manufactured in the United States. Thank you- Dan Howard, General Manager, WG&E
As the Cheerleader, I wish to thank the powers that be for all the holiday and Winter activities that were held over the past few months in our great city! Many Spring things are happening also. The Run Westfield event was truly epic and a spirit lifting day! And speaking of spirit, if you haven’t seen “Godspell” at the Westfield Woman’s Club, there are 6 more shows over the next two weekends. This production showcases some of the best voices to ever appear on the Westfield Theatre Group’s stage! Jesus is played by Jay Torres, the son of the fallen police officer, Jose Torres. Jay has dedicated his performances to his father. This show is just what we need now to remind us of the great messages in the words of Jesus and the cast accomplishes this in an uplifting and entertaining manner! Thanks WTG! Looking forward to more Spring and Summer events in our town!
Good morning. I was calling concerning the school that’s going to be built on Cross Street. And we know that there is a delay due to court actions. And we also realize that there is some court costs, there is some lawyers fees. What is this costing the city on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? I’d like to know. Is there any progress being made on a compromise of some type or a meeting of the minds, so we can get this thing started? Any information that you can give the general public of Westfield certainly would be appreciated, especially costs of delay. Thank you very much.
I am just reading the DISGUSTING, HATEFUL comment in Pulse Line directed at the father of the 8 year old boy, who was recently severely bitten by the family dog. It is so disappointing that Westfield News would even consider printing something so hurtful. There was a time when Pulse Line first appeared years ago these types of sick, inflammatory remarks would NEVER be published. Obviously, your standards have changed for reasons I can’t possibly understand. Allowing this garbage to be printed serves absolutely no purpose other than to inflict pain and provide a platform for these idiotic screwballs to vent their anger. Shame on you. Hopefully, you’ll seriously consider making some positive changes. Thank you. Submissions to the PulseLine will be printed as long as they adhere to our previously noted guidelines. Up until the ownership change in June 2011 all submissions were printed and none were addressed.
