February 21, 2014
By SmartGridAwareness.org
Northeast Utilities (NU) operates New England’s largest utility system serving more than 3.6 million electric and natural gas customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
In a written submittal filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Northeast Utilities was highly critical of a proposed state plan that would require utilization of “advanced metering” or smart meters within the state of Massachusetts as part of an electrical grid modernization plan. In fact, the comments are quite remarkable in that they appear to reflect reality without undue political spin or bias.
Let us hope that other utilities, public utility commissions, and politicians everywhere can soon come to similar unbiased conclusions that are based upon economic realities and reflect consumers’ and societal best interests.
What is presented below is a summary of key points made by Northeast Utilities in its filing of January 17, 2014, with only slight editorial changes, for example, replacing the term “advanced metering infrastructure” with the term “smart meters.”
· Overall Perspective – No Rational Basis for Smart Meter Mandate.
· Smart Meters Are Not a Good Choice for Consumers
· Smart Meter Costs Can Not Be Justified
· Smart Meters Are Not an Appropriate Technology Platform for Grid Modernization
· Cyber-Security Issues Prevent Development of a Suitable Implementation Plan
· Smart Meter Technology May Soon Be Rendered Obsolete
Read the entire submittal: