Rochester Gas & Electric will be installing thousands of so-called ‘smart meters’ in the region over the next few years, and the utility has some informational sessions coming up for customers.
A spokesman for RG&E, Julio Saenz, said that those meters use cellular technology to report a customer’s meter readings back to the utility.
He said that makes it a lot easier to take accurate readings.
“W don’t have to try to get access into people’s homes to go inside, so in Rochester, that’s going to be huge, a lot of homes do have the meters inside so it’s going to make things a lot easier, and we won’t have to do any estimated bills anymore, it will all be actual,” said Saenz.
The utility will be installing more than 570,000 electric and natural gas meters in Monroe County and parts of neighboring counties over the next three years.
The open houses where customers can get information will take place next Wednesday, and at three other occasions later this month.
Saenz said there will be RG&E staffers on hand to answer questions about the new meters.
“We’ll have actual smart meters, if people want to take a look at them. And it won’t have a structured agenda where you have to be there at a certain time or you’ll miss the show. You can just come in and our folks will be there to answer questions the whole time,” Saenz said.
Registration is not required to attend the open house sessions.
The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, September 14, 5-7 p.m. at the Riverside Convention Center, 123 Main St. in Rochester.
Wednesday, September 28, 5-7 p.m. at St. Anne Church, 1600 Mt. Hope Blvd.
Thursday, September 29, 5-7 p.m., at Henrietta Town Hall, 451 Calkins Rd.
Thursday, November 3, 5-7 p.m., at Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave.
Additional open houses will be held over the next several years. New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) is also working on a plan to install smart meters. Both companies are subsidiaries of AVANGRID.
