SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - The utility company Eversource started their roll out of smart meters to install for all of its customers. Last week, Eversource told us that it was waiving the $42 opt-out fee for those new meters. However, some customers told Western Mass News that this hasn’t been the case. There has been some confusion and miscommunication regarding these new smart meters, as some across our area are trying to avoid that opt-out fee.

Every single Eversource customer is getting this new kind of meter, as the current meters are being retired. The opt-out fee would go towards the communication function of the smart meter.

By keeping the communication function, you would save a monthly $34 fee, which is what it would cost to get a vehicle and utility worker to your home, to check the meter reading. However, if you wanted to opt out of that function “after” the new meter is installed, it would cost $42.

Eversource will be giving residents 90-days’ notice about their smart meter install. Back on October 27th, the company gave us this statement, “We are waiving the $42 fee for customers who opt out within this 90-day period. We notify our customers several times prior to their meter exchange through a variety of channels.”

Now just days after our story aired, we received multiple complaints from Eversource customers both in Longmeadow and in Turners Falls. Customer told us that they called Eversource customer service or were visited by a technician, and they were told either it was too late for them to opt out or that there was no waiver to begin with.

We forwarded those complaints to Eversource on Friday, we were told those particular customers have not been charged since their new meters were not installed yet.

Eversource also sending another statement to us this afternoon in response to all of this confusion, “Customers who opt out will receive a smart meter with the communications function disabled. Keeping the current meter is not an option because the current generation of meters is approaching the end of its useful life and is being retired. We are waiving the one-time $42 fee for most customers who opt as long as certain conditions are met, such as they do so within this 90-day period before their smart meter is installed and it does not require a special trip to their residence to conduct the necessary work.”

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