Meters to spin faster

Meters to spin faster

Sep 27, 2007 - Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
Author(s): Dawndee Bostwick

Sep. 27--DUNCAN -- Editor's note: This is the second in a series that examines the increasing cost of electric utilities and how it affects area residents and Oklahomans.

When electric meter readers stop by a house to read the meter, they might encounter some obstacles along the way. Plants, fences and animals all pose potential problems, but Duncan Power is working on replacing meters with new radio-read meters that can be read from a distance. What that means for meter readers is an easier time collecting the data they need. What it potentially means for Duncan residents is higher electric bills. "What we're doing on all of our residential meters is installing radio-read meters," said David Yeager, Duncan Power electric utility director. "We can actually read the meter without being right next to the meter." And the answer is yes -- new meters do run faster than the older ones.

But they are more reflective of how much electricity is actually being consumed. "A new meter, whether it be an electric meter, water meter, gas meter, any meter that registers utilities, will become slower over time," Yeager said. "They get dust in them, they get moisture in them, oxidation, they gum up. It's just a natural progression of things. You put a new meter in, it's going to be installed to manufacturer specifications. "So, in the sense that is a new meter faster than an old meter, probably the answer will always be yes. Simply because they're clean, they've just been calibrated and they haven't been subject to the elements," he continued.

This process of replacing meters isn't something new. The city makes an effort to cycle out old meters about every 10 years. Funding for new meters comes from the normal operating budget for the utility company. "After about 10 years, there's an obvious reduction in accuracy," Yeager said. And accuracy does matter. The city saves money when meters are registering the correct amount of energy used. While the cost of electricity seems to always be on the rise, there are some practical and cheap things people can do around their homes to reduce their energy bill. "People are using more energy," said Stan Whiteford, Public Service of Oklahoma spokesman.

One of the first things everyone can do is change the light bulbs in their house to compact fluorescent. While the associated cost of the bulbs is higher than traditional ones, the savings in energy used will be even more. Yeager notes that purchasing c mpact fluorescents in a six-pack or more will produce savings on initial cost. Reduction in heating and cooling can also produce big savings for the pocketbook. Raising the thermostat a few degrees in the summer and lowering a few degrees in the winter can make a big difference, Whiteford said. While there's no set standard for thermostat settings, it's recommended that summer cooling not exceed 72 degrees.

And, if occupants can stand it being a little hotter, a temperature setting between 76 and 78 degrees will produce even greater savings. "It's what you can comfortably stand," Whiteford said. Cleaning out filters on air-conditioning units as well as making sure the area around the unit is free from debris can help, too. And residents might be surprised to see the savings add up when they unplug and turn off electronic devices that aren't in use. "We have certainly seen the impact of additional home computers and television sets," Whiteford said. Some devices still pull energy even when they're turned off, so unplugging the item ensures that it won't be wasting energy and money.

Landscaping, replacing older appliances with new ones that are Energy Star certified and keeping water heater temperatures down will also lead to more savings -- and help the environment. For additional information on what you can do to conserve energy at home, visit the PSO Web site at www.psoklahoma.com. The site also features an online energy calculator which will give a better idea of how much energy a home is really using. "It's really some pretty easy things," Whiteford said. "The least-cost energy is the energy you never use."

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