EWEB announces power shutoffs for customers who refused smart meters
The Eugene Water & Electric Board announced Monday it will be disconnecting power to customers "who intentionally violate policies," alluding to customers blocking smart meter installation.
According to its press release, EWEB has been replacing traditional analog meters with digital "smart meters" since 2018. The utility offers an opt-out option, but this involves a digital meter that is read manually rather than sending data to EWEB. Critics of the program have argued there should be an option to retain analog meters.
Critics of smart meters have alleged that they allow for an invasion of privacy and produce harmful health effects. EWEB called this "hazardous misinformation."
"The technology is mature and meets stringent safety and security standards set by regulatory bodies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Electric Safety Code (NESC)," the utility said in the press release. EWEB also said smart readers improve service delivery and are the industry standard, and that staff have received violent threats over their installation.
“EWEB will disconnect electricity service if these customers continue to willfully refuse conditions of service," General Manager Frank Lawson said in the press release.
EWEB spokesperson Jen Connors told the Register-Guard that the utility's Operations Team is planning disconnections into their regularly scheduled work and that "customers who do not respond to EWEB's notifications and confirm safe access for installation of a smart meter will be scheduled for disconnection as resources permit."
Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: EWEB announces power disconnection for smart meter holdouts
