Dive Summary:

• Opposition to smart meters in Sebastopol, California has sent PG&E back to the drawing board to figure a way to make residents feel comfortable about the company’s smart meter roll-out.
• California is one of the first markets to use advanced smart meters, but the state continues to be a turf-war between utilities and some rate payers who staunchly resist smart meters citing health and privacy concerns.
• As a result, PG&E postponed its Sebastopol rollout and will only provide standard or emergency utility maintenance to the town of 7,400.

From the article:
“The utility last year received CPUC approval to develop an opt-out program across its service territory and now offers customers several choices of electric meters, including the option of retaining an analog meter. McKannay estimated that about 8 percent of Sebastopol customers have opted out of smart meters, compared to the system wide average of less than 5 percent.”