Over the next two years, Rochester Gas and Electric will replace its existing electric and natural gas meters with about 700,000 smart meters in homes and businesses across Greater Rochester.
The installation is scheduled to begin in parts of Monroe, Orleans, Wayne, Livingston, and Genesee counties in April.
Smart meters, which are designed to measure a customer's actual energy usage, can be tracked online by both the customer and the utility.
In recent years, RG&E has been flooded with customer complaints about inaccurate and inconsistent billing based, in part, on estimates. The use of smart meters is expected to significantly reduce estimated readings, according to company spokesperson Shelby Cohen.
"Smart meters measure detailed, hourly energy use, so those monthly bills are based on your actually energy use each month," she said, "Whereas now, our meter readers are only coming every other month, so there will be far fewer estimates than there are today."
Residential customers may opt out of the installation, but if they do, RG&E will charge a monthly fee of $11.56.
Cohen said postcards will be mailed to customers before upgrades begin in their neighborhood, followed by an automated phone call one to two days before installation is scheduled. If existing meters can be accessed by the installers, no one has to be home at the time of the installation.
RG&E is hosting open houses throughout the region to provide details about smart meters and the installation timeline.
Information is also available at rge.com/smartmeters.
