Rochester Gas & Electric is holding informational sessions for people living in Wayne and Cayuga counties in the coming weeks regarding the installation of smart meters.
Those meters provide direct information to the utility from a customer, rather than having to send a meter reader out to a home, or having to use an estimated reading.
Approximately 26,000 RG&E customer in Wayne and Cayuga counties will get the smart meters with installations starting in March.
RG&E spokesperson Alexis Arnold said this will provide better accuracy when customers get their bills.
“The biggest benefit that customers will really see is that…this is drastically reducing estimated billing, and providing our customers with an actual read, Arnold said. “So, no longer will a meter reader need to gain access to someone's home just to read the meter.”
RG&E and its co-owned utility, New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), have been under scrutiny by the state because of a number of complaints about billing in recent months. The utilities said that they have made progress in addressing those complaints by adding customer service representatives.
Arnold adds that the new meters also will help customers learn more about their electricity usage.
“Giving customers more control to help them understand and manage their energy use so that they can make those adjustments and really understand more about the energy use that they're using each month and their households or businesses,” said Arnold.
The first informational session about the smart meters in Wayne and Cayuga counties is on Tuesday, February 21, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sodus Community Library, 17 Maple Ave. in Sodus.
The 2nd session is Thursday, March 2, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Leavenworth Middle School, 5751 New Hartford St. in Wolcott.
Installations of the smart meters in Monroe County are expected to begin this spring. The entire project to install smart meters is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2025.
