Smart meters coming to PNM customers

The Public Service Company of New Mexico has the OK from state regulators to install smart meters for its customers. The utility also must offer a $10 opt-out option for people who don’t want the smart meters.

The approval came despite repeated attempts to convince the Public Regulation Commission otherwise from individuals who fear that radio frequency emissions from the smart meters will harm human health.

PNM filed its grid modernization application with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission in October 2022. It’s an effort to help modernize and strengthen an antiquated power grid.

One of the utility’s requests in the application drew in some controversy: the installation of advanced metering infrastructure, also known as AMI or smart meters.

Smart meters automatically transmit energy usage data to PNM, so the utility doesn’t have to dispatch workers to manually read meters. It also allows the company to start and stop service remotely.

AMI will collect energy usage data daily and allow customers to get information on their hourly, daily, monthly and annual energy usage, according to PNM.

More than half the cost of the $344 million six-year grid modernization plan from PNM comes from its smart meter deployment proposal.

About a dozen people showed up, both in person and online, at the PRC’s open meeting on Thursday to protest smart meters.

The individuals all voiced concerns about the negative health and environmental impacts of radioactive frequency emissions that come from AMI. Their stances reflected that of New Mexicans for Utility Safety, an organization that formally intervened in the grid modernization case with the PRC.

“All of these devices, all of this technology is literally killing people,” public commenter Kevin Lorenzen said.

Lorenzen’s wife hasn’t left the house in years and was diagnosed by a natural doctor in Santa Fe with electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or EHS, feeling pain when exposed to radiation.

The World Health Organization hasn’t found a scientific basis linking EHS symptoms to electromagnetic field exposure. Lorenzen and other public commenters said large governmental entities like that aren’t telling the truth and are instead swayed by multi-trillion dollar technology industries. He said there are tens of thousands of peer-reviewed papers verifying EHS.

Lorenzen, after the meeting, told the Journal this was the third time he’s spoken before the PRC on the dangers of smart meters.

“In every single case, they’ve failed to give a voice to the people,” he said.

Lorenzen said he and his wife will definitely opt out of the AMI program.

Commissioner Pat O’Connell said this was a long case and respects all the parties that participated in the case.

“I know this isn’t the outcome that some folks want to see, but I heard you, and I respect your opinion,” he said.

In its final ruling, the commission said smart meters are an essential technology for grid modernization. PNM argued in its application that smart meters will enhance the overall reliability and resilience of the power grid.

Opting out of AMI

PNM in its application proposed monthly opt-out fees for customers who don’t want to switch over to smart meters to avoid all customers taking on the costs of PNM workers manually reading old meters every month.

The utility estimated the monthly fee would be $28.31 but requested to update the fee amount closer to the completion of smart meter deployment and based on the actual number of customers choosing to opt out.

However, the New Mexico Department of Justice in the hearing on the case recommended the PRC make the opt-out fee the same as the fixed customer charge in PNM’s ongoing rate change request.

The commission, persuaded by the DOJ, set the monthly opt-out fee at $9.95 — the cost of PNM’s current residential customer charge.

The cap ensures the cost isn’t “overly-burdensome to those customers who do not wish to install AMI on their property,” according to the final order.

“It makes it accessible for those who want to opt out,” Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera said.

The commissioners weren’t all on board with making the cost the same as the customer charge. O’Connell said he thinks the best thing to do is set an opt-out fee that’s “reflective of the cost of the system, which means the cost to other customers.” He voted against changing the opt-out fee to a flat rate of $9.95.

The PRC also ordered PNM to revisit the monthly opt-out fee in its next rate case, to determine if any changes should be made in the future.

It’ll take about three and a half years for PNM to get all the smart meters installed, according to the utility’s grid mod application.

Editor's note 10/22: This story has been updated to change the language "radioactive frequency emissions" to "radio frequency emissions."