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LPEA sets new service call rates

Smart-meter opt-out fee is included
La Plata Electric Association formally approved a $20 quarterly fee to read meters of customers who opt out of receiving a smart meter, which transmits the data wirelessly.

La Plata Electric Association has imposed a $20 quarterly fee on the reading of meters of customers who won’t accept a modern meter that takes readings remotely.

The decision Monday followed two public hearings and several LPEA board meetings at which smart-meter opponents vented their wrath at the Advanced Metering Infrastructure system being installed on 40,000 LPEA meters. Opponents attributed a host of evils to the radio frequencies in the smart-meter system.

The $20 meter-reading fee for opt-out LPEA customers was a nod to the opponents. The true cost of reading a few hundred meters individually is $50 a meter, LPEA staff members said.

But under the compromise, an LPEA employee or a contractor will read a customer’s meter quarterly for $20 each visit. The customer will take a reading in the intervening months and report the number to LPEA by email or postcard.

Administrative costs, correction of customer errors or unexpected glitches will push the true yearly cost to $240, Chief Financial Officer Dennis Svanes said.

The $160 difference will be borne by other LPEA customers, Svanes said.

Among other fees approved Wednesday were $25 for establishing a new account; $40 for trips to service a meter for any reason during working hours; $75 to check the accuracy of a meter; and $20 for all checks returned for insufficient funds.

daler@durangoherald.com



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