Oncor discounts lawsuit alleging

California PUC chooses evaluator of PG&E meters

A second lawsuit, this one in Texas, has been filed over alleged inaccuracies of smart meters. The class action, called Cordts v. Oncor Electric Delivery, was filed Friday in Texas' state trial court. A similar suit, Flores v. PG&E, is pending in California state court (SGT, Mar-17) – and California's PUC has selected an independent investigator of PG&E's smart meters.

The Texas suit aims to "address and rectify the fraudulent, deceptive and discriminatory fleecing of Texas consumers by… Oncor," the unusually vigorous complaint said. The plaintiffs, represented by Jason Berent of Dallas' Berent & Wilson, had predictable electric bills of $400-700/month before Oncor installed a smart meter at their home, according to the suit. After the meters were installed, the same customers received bills totaling about $5,000 over three months.

Oncor has about one month to respond to the suit.

The suit's claims are false, Chris Schein, an Oncor spokesman, told us yesterday. "It's full of hyperbole and misstatements designed to garner media attention as opposed to addressing the facts," he added.

Consumers were “tired of being told that a 200% overnight increase in their electric bill following installation of a 'smart' meter is due to an 'unusually cold winter' or a change in their energy consumption choices," the suit said, asserting that Oncor “sought to bamboozle the public with smoke and mirrors.”

Oncor aimed its installation of smart meters, numbering nearly 829,000 to date, at some of its most economically disadvantaged customers, the suit asserted. Customers living in wealthier service areas are not scheduled to get the meters until 2012, it said.

The suit alleged fraud by non-disclosure and negligence. Berent created a website with the intent of finding more prospective litigants.

California move

The Structure Group, of Houston, will perform a $1.4 million independent evaluation of PG&E's smart meters, California's PUC told the press yesterday.

Allegedly inflated readings by those meters have led to numerous customer complaints, town meetings and a lawsuit.

Two state senators who noticed high energy bills at about the same time PG&E installed smart meters in the San Joaquin Valley led the move to hire an independent investigator.

Structure won the bid because it "demonstrated excellent skills and experience" in dealing with smart metering technologies, designing inquiries and investigations and acting as a prime contractor, the PUC said in a prepared statement. Structure is set to spend about four months on the investigation.

The PUC on Nov 20 voted to approve the expedited hiring of an investigator. It first put out a solicitation Dec 7. Its first choice earlier this month declined to sign on because of a contractual dispute.

PG&E continues "to wholeheartedly support the CPUC's independent third-party evaluation," the utility said yesterday in a prepared statement.

(From SmartGridToday.com)