Did you get your smart meter from Xcel yet? That’s the meter that lets Xcel do time of use pricing (and, if you ask me for my conspiratorial opinion, will let them have tighter control over demand management–i.e. controlling your energy consumption).
This smart meter lets Xcel charge different rates at different times of day. When I say different here, I mean much higher. Electricity between 1 and 3 PM on weekdays goes at about twice the regular rate, and between 3 and 7 PM the price jumps to about three times the usual rate. Like to run your AC between 1 PM and 7 PM on weekdays? Like to do your laundry after work on a Thursday so your weekend is free from that chore? Have the oven and stovetop going for a weeknight dinner? Be ready to pay.
Opting out…for a price
After hearing stories from readers about bills tripling, and not wanting to eat cold cuts in the sweltering dark Monday to Friday, I was not too jazzed about getting a smart meter. In reading up, I learned that you can opt out of it–for a cost of course. If you opt out you pay an extra $12 or so a month and your unit price on electricity is slightly higher (though constant). Oh, and when you move, you’ll get to pay Xcel to come out and install a smart meter, apparently regardless of whether the next occupant wants one or not.
You just have to catch Xcel before they install the new meter. For months now, I’ve been watching. I’ve even called Xcel two or three times to see when they’d planned on being out on the Eastern Plains (and to try and opt out ahead of time). Nothing doing. The reps told me not to worry, there will be cards and flyers and plenty of warning.
Notification actually came while I was in the shower. My wife popped her head in to tell me that someone from Xcel was at the neighbor’s installing a new meter. Figures. There was time enough to not run out with a towel around my waist and shampoo in my hair, but I guess plenty of warning didn’t happen after all.
I caught the tech, told him I did not want a smart meter. He said he wouldn’t install one that day, but that one can only officially opt out by calling. I told him I was going to write a big NO on masking tape and affix it to my meter, half expecting a laugh. Instead, he told me I ought to consider putting a padlock on the meterbox! This wasn’t just oneupmanship. According to him, some of the techs have been popping in without permission to change meters. He said to lock it and then watch my bill. When that $12 fee appears, I’m good. Their system recognizes my choice and I can remove the padlock (according to the tech keeping one on there all the time isn’t wise because sometimes fire crews try to pull the meter during a fire).
Are there rogue employees or subcontractors out there who would do this? The only thing that made sense to me as to why one would is if they’re paid by the meter, otherwise, why on earth? Nonetheless, I’m not willing to stand there explaining this story to the fire marshal or my homeowners insurance. Nor am I willing to sit out back nights in a rocking chair to surprise the tech leaping over the fence at 2 AM. I’ll stick with tape and roll the dice.
The joke is on me
After this, my first stop was to call Xcel and do an official opt out. They asked me to formally acknowledge over the phone that I was okay with the terms above. Yep. Funny thing was that I had to also say I was okay with a tech coming into my yard to read my meter by hand. Whatever, but has that always been the case? Far as I knew, they were reading it from a slow moving truck before. Not sure what changed, but done.
Then two days later, I got an email from Xcel. They’re coming in 30 days to switch out my meter for a smart meter.
After getting this email, I wrote Xcel’s media office to get some sort of official idea as to what their process is and whether or not there is any credence to what the install tech told me (e.g. are techs really popping in without permission to change meters? Are they paid by the meter?). If I’m going to tell others, I like to make sure I fully understand myself.
About all I’ve heard of note officially from Xcel is the customer service rep telling me that they mailed a letter 30 and 60 days out from when I saw the tech (quite possible–officially innocuous letters have a habit of getting tossed and my wife is not as attuned to this as I am), and the media person saying that mistakes happen.
They do, but when regular businesses pile absurdity upon absurdity like triple prices or one of their workers telling you to lock out other workers, you as a customer can respond by finding another company. But being a monopoly, Xcel has the benefit of not worrying overmuch about what you think, or even apparently getting things right. Their main interest seems to be making sure that they can keep selling you new equipment, or charging you more if you don’t buy it.
Cory Gaines is a regular contributor to Complete Colorado. He lives in Sterling on Colorado’s Eastern Plains and also writes at the Colorado Accountability Project substack.
