In 2023, our Connect Up program will install innovative new meters on all of our customers’ homes and businesses. These new meters, both electric and water, will deliver an array of new benefits to customers, including detailed energy usage in near real-time, flexible billing options and no more estimated bills.
Advanced meters are the most technologically innovative meters today. They combine two-way communication tools with data management systems, giving the PUD the ability to collect data directly from the meter over a secure network.
Unlike the current PUD meters on homes and businesses, advanced meters transmit data at predetermined intervals and also as a final transmission to alert the PUD of an outage. This additional information will improve the PUD’s ability to respond to outages and decrease outage times. They will also help the PUD meet clean energy goals, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money.
Advanced meters are trusted technology. More than 100 million advanced meters have been installed across the U.S. Here in the Pacific Northwest, utilities like Seattle City Light, Tacoma Power and Puget Sound Energy have all installed advanced meters or are currently installing them. In Snohomish County, PSE has already installed advanced gas meters and the City of Lynnwood has installed advanced water meters.
Until you have an advanced meter, the PUD will continue to send meter readers to your home or business to read your meter. Customers are responsible to provide the PUD unobstructed access to the meter. Here are some tips to help out our meter readers:
Unobstructed access: Make sure to clear debris, equipment and materials away from the meter and base of the meter so that our meter readers have a clear path and unobstructed access to the meter. Meter readers must be able to get close to the meters in order to get an accurate read.
Locked meter rooms/gates: If your meter is behind a locked doors or gates, please ensure our readers have access to these rooms either by providing a key or unlocking the door or gate on the day our meter reader is scheduled to visit. If a meter room needs to be re-keyed or to find out when your meter is scheduled to be read, call the PUD at 425-783-1000.
Trim bushes and trees: This is especially true during the spring and summer. Customers must trim bushes and trees that block either a meter or path to a meter.
Corral pets: Many of our customers have wonderful pet animals, specifically dogs, that can cause issues and create safety concerns for meter readers doing their job. Pet owners can alleviate issue by contacting 425-783-1000 to obtain the schedule of the day your meter will be read and notify the PUD of the dog’s presence.
For more information on the PUD’s Connect Up program, including a project timeline, visit snopud.com/connectup.
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