With a number of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) customers complaining that the installation of SmartMeters has led to an increase in their electricity billing, the company clarified that the higher bills have nothing to do the new meters – and that the increased in bill-amounts had resulted from a rate hike introduced in March.

Nonetheless, the PG&E officials also acknowledged the fact that they had not properly prepared the customers for the rate hikes and the expected billing using SmartMeters – meters that track precise gas and electricity use by relaying their data to the utility via wireless, sans a meter reader.

The officials said: “We should have done a much better job in explaining to customers that this rate increase is taking place and when you get into these summer months and start using more energy that could have a dramatic impact on your bills.”

Meanwhile, though most of the energy experts opine that the installation of SmartMeters is a noteworthy step towards building a “smart grid” – a comparatively more flexible and dependable electrical transmission system than the one currently in use, one of the foremost critics of these meters is South Valley state senator Dean Florez.

Florez has called upon the public utilities commission to direct the PG&E to hire a third party to check the precision of the SmartMeters.