Rochester Leaders Will Ask for Opt-Out Option on DTE Smart Meters

Some residents of Rochester don't want DTE Energy to install a new, digital "smart" meter on their home.

They worry about the possible effects of radio frequency emissions — and about privacy. The new meters monitor a customer's usage with precision online.

But right now, residents have no way of opting out of what the public utility refers to as its Advanced Metering Infrastructure: DTE workers are slowly making their way across the city, converting the old manual meters attached to the outside of homes to the newer, high-tech meters.

Concerned that the change is being forced upon residents against their will, Rochester City Council members will consider a resolution that would ask DTE to allow residents to say "no" to a new meter.

The resolution will likely be considered at council's Dec. 12 meeting.

But besides the resolution, the city and its residents are "handcuffed," Rochester's attorney says.

Accuracy and efficiency

DTE is installing 600,000 smart meters in southeast Michigan as part of an $83.8 million grant. The meters are being installed now in Rochester and in parts of Rochester Hills.

The benefits of the meters, according to DTE, are based on their accuracy. Bob Sitkauskas, a DTE manager in charge of the smart meter project, told the City Council on Tuesday night that the new meters will eliminate manual reading and will allow customers to go online for up-to-date access to information about how much energy they are using.

He also noted that the meters will allow DTE to respond faster in a power outage situation such as one that affected downtown Rochester and surrounding neighborhoods during a . The meters will automatically alert DTE when there is a power outage — customers will no longer need to call.

According to a report Sitkauskas submitted to City Council, the radio frequencies emitted by smart meters are safe and fall below recommended limits for those types of emissions. They are about as safe as standing in front of a microwave or using a cellphone, Sitkauskas said.

DTE was not required by any law or federal mandate to convert to the smart meters. But, Sitkauskas said, the new meters make sense for customers.

"We, as a public utility, are mandated to give you the most efficient public utilities we can," he said.

A question of credibility

City leaders expressed concern — mostly with DTE's credibility.

During a meeting with DTE representatives in October, they were led to believe smart meters were not coming to Rochester, said Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Cuthbertson.

"Then, literally the next week, they were being installed," Cuthbertson said.

Mike Palchesko, a regional DTE manager who also attended the council meeting,  said there was never an intention to mislead the city — it was more of a miscommunication with installation workers as to when they would be installed.

"No one ever said there weren't going to be any smart meters in Rochester," Palchesko said.

City Council member Ben Giovanelli asked that DTE overcommunicate in these types of situations in the future.

Safety concerns

Rochester resident Pat Kane said she was insulted by DTE's comparison of the smart meters to a microwave. She said she was mostly concerned that there was no way for herself as a homeowner to opt out of the program.

Kane was a among about a dozen residents who have spoken out with concerns about the meters during City Council meetings over the past two months.

According to city attorney Jeffrey Kragt, there are few options for residents or city leaders to respond to DTE's plans to convert all of the meters.

For those who don't want one on their house, all they can really do is disconnect from the grid, he said, acknowledging that wouldn't be practical.

"This body is handcuffed," said Kragt, referring to City Council.

DTE Energy answers more than 20 frequently asked questions about the meters here on the company's website.

The YouTube video attached to this story was produced by DTE; it shows how  the meters work.