‘Smart’ meters causing problems, state senator says
NEW CITY, N.Y. » State Sen. David Carlucci said Friday that new, electric “smart” meters being installed on homes in Rockland County area are causing some problems for homeowners.
Carlucci, D-Nanuet, said he has received calls from residents who have reported meters smoking and others who said appliances malfunctioned after the meters were installed.
“We want to make sure that they have recourse against Orange & Rockland (Utilities) when an appliance isn’t working or when they do have burn marks on their house,” he said.
Those meters are a “proven safe, secure and reliable device,” responded Orange & Rockland spokesman Michel Donovan.
“None of the O&R smart meter installations has resulted in fire. There have been four instances of flashovers during installation. Two of those were the result of installer error and two were the result of faulty equipment,” he said. “No fire resulted from the flashovers
State Sen. David Carlucci said he has received calls from residents who have reported meters smoking and others who said appliances malfunctioned after the meters were installed.
and no one was injured.”
Donovan said the utility received six claims for what customers believe has been damage to their household appliances as a result of smart meter installation. Of those claims investigated so far, there has been no correlation found between the appliance damage and the smart meters operation, he said.
The claims were for two stoves, one light fixture, one power strip, one computer and one printer, he said.
O&R has installed more than 53,000 electric smart meters in Rockland County since mid-June.