Politics & Government

Farmington Hills Smart Meter Installations 97 Percent Complete, DTE Reps Say

DTE representatives tell city officials an opt out program is in the works for residents who have concerns.

Virtually all Farmington Hills homes now have "smart meters" that allow DTE Energy to remotely read and monitor electric meters, company officials said during a study session Monday.

But residents who don't want the new meters will eventually be able to have them removed, DTE regional manager Michael Palchesko said.

The "opt out" plan, which came out of launched in January of this year, is still being developed, he added. 

Find out what's happening in Farmington-Farmington Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

John Jameson, who manages DTE's advanced metering project, said the company had good results when testing them in Grosse Ile and on Harsen's Island about five years ago. The company plans to install 2.6 million meters, he said, with 670,000 already in place around Oakland County and Detroit. 

Why the switch? "Customers do not like estimated bills," Jameson said. "This allows us, if you call in with a billing complaint ... to resolve it right over the phone."

Find out what's happening in Farmington-Farmington Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Meters are read twice a day, which allows the company to provide more accurate bills, he said. A connect/disconnect switch makes it easier to close out one account and open another when someone moves, and the meters, which come equipped with tamper and theft detection, will send out a "last gasp" signal when the power goes off, Jameson added.

Council members were presented with detailed information about the meters, along with answers to frequently asked questions and concerns. Jameson said no meters have caused fires, and the system is encrypted, to protect customer information. 

A few opponents who attended the study session challenged Jameson's assertion that installing the meters did not lead to individual bills going up and responded with disbelief when he said a woman in a blind test said she felt worse when DTE remotely shut off her meter, than when it was on. 

Resolutions in other communities

Richard Meltzer said 12 communities have passed resolutions asking DTE to stop installation of the meters. However, Palchesko said the resolutions only asked the MPSC look into the meters. 

the Shelby Township board of trustees resolution allowed the MPSC "to perform a careful analysis of the potential health and safety effects from the installation of smart meters in the township. The township has also asked that the MPSC demand the delay of the  installation in Shelby Township if they are deemed a hazard to people’s short- and long-term health."

The City of Rochester's resolution, detailed in , urged the MPSC to "initiate a careful review and analysis of the expressed public concerns regarding the DTE Smart Meter project" and asked that the MPSC require DTE to provide residents the ability to "opt out" of installation.

Mayor Barry Brickner asked that a resolution be drafted also urging the ability to "opt out", and Palchesko pointed out that DTE and the MPSC are already working out the details of a program that would allow residents to refuse to have the meters installed or have them removed. 

"I don't think it would hurt to do a resolution that if our residents want to opt out, they can opt out," Brickner said. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Farmington-Farmington Hills