GOSHEN – Orange and Rockland Utilities will begin installing smart electric meters and gas modules on every Orange and Sullivan County O&R electric service and gas service beginning in 2018.
The new devices are designed to provide customers of the utility greater convenience, choice and control over their energy use.
O&R told local officials last week that it plans to install 230,000 electric smart meters in its New York Service area. Pending state Public Service Commission approval, the company hopes to install the communications infrastructure in Orange County beginning in January 2018 and the meters in March, with 112,650 meters over a three-year period.
The smart meters will be able to report the exact location of individual electric service outages to O&R, which currently relies on customer calls to pinpoint the locations of outages.
The smart meters eliminate the need for a monthly meter reader at the customers’ premises. The technology will reduce the number of estimated bills, and reduce the number of meter-reader vehicles, and their accompanying emissions, on the road.
Customers will also be able to see where and why their consumption increases or decreases and can take action to reduce their bills.