SDG&E received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on its Smart Meter proposal.

Smart Meter

Creating a foundation for the future

The "Smart Meter" Program Receives
Final Approval
On April 12, 2007, SDG&E received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on its Smart Meter proposal. This is the final decision after two years of Regulatory proceedings.

Smart Metering Overview


SDG&E’s® Smart Metering system forms the foundation for the future of new services for customers by automatically communicating energy use and pricing information.

With smart meters, you will be able to:

Get rebates for reducing electricity use during peak times
Access information about your energy use 24 hours a day
The new smart meter system also provides enhanced service to customers by:

Improving outage detection and faster restoration
More flexible services when you want them
Reducing the need to access your property
What smart meters do
Put simply, smart meters transmit and distribute energy use information. Using a secure network that allows for two-way communication between SDG&E and its customers, smart meters can virtually eliminate the need for reading meters in person, while providing more accurate energy use information for billing and customer service.

Why smart meters
On extremely hot summer days, the electric grid can get very congested, much like a traffic jam. Demand grows quickly, especially from air conditioning use, so supplies shrink fast. On these high demand days, called peak days, SDG&E must pay a premium to ensure customers have the power they need.

In fact, 20% of our power generation resources are needed only about 1% of the time. Reducing this peak demand will produce savings for everyone and improve electric reliability. Smart meters are a solution which benefit the entire community by reducing the need to buy higher priced power, saving natural resources and lessening the potential for blackouts.
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