Dive Brief:

• Duke Energy has proposed a hefty fee on customers who want to opt out of smart meter installation, floating a $150 annual cost that would work out to a monthly fee of almost $12 for customers uninterested in lowering their energy bills and helping the utility integrate more clean energy and advaced options, the Raleigh News and Observer reported. 
• So far, customers opposed to the new meters have simply been bypassed by the utility.
• The Raleigh News & Observer reports almost 700,000 customers on Duke's North Carolina system have smart meters; the new metering saves money, and the utility says fees on non-AMI enabled homes will simply help recover lost savings.

Dive Insight:

There are always holdouts, and Duke wants to make it an expensive proposition for them. Installing smart meters will help the utility roll out renewables, reduce peak usage and allow customers to take control over their usage. A few, however, believe the the new meters will cause memory loss, brain fog and a ringing sound in their ears.

It's a familiar, high-profile objection that has made headlines in other parts of the country but which also has done little to slow the rollout of advanced metering infrastructure. Duke said it has so far deployed advanced meters to 25% of its customers across in North Carolina and South Carolina.

"Smart meters not only give customers more information on how they use energy but also provide increased convenience for customers as service connections and disconnections can be performed remotely without the need for a technician to visit their home or business," the provider said in a July 29 filing with the North Carolina Utilities Commission.

Combined, Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas are planning to install AMI at 3.2 million customer sites. Customers who opt out of the smart meter installation program would be assessed a $11.75/month fee under Duke's proposal.