In the case of BONNIE MENTH AND VICKY DAVIS, COMPLAINANTS, VS. IDAHO POWER COMPANY, RESPONDENT (Case No. IPC-E-12-04), the Idaho Public Utilities Commission dismissed the complaints finding that the complainants have not provided sufficient demonstrable, credible, factual evidence to support a finding that meters present legitimate safety or potentially inappropriate communication concerns. The Commission’s order found the AMI meters installed by Idaho Power do not have the capability to control appliances or other devices, nor initiate surveillance of electrical usage at individual customer residences. It is important to note the AMI meters installed by Idaho Power are not wireless, yet they still offer many benefits.

In its answer to the complaints, Idaho Power does a great job of explaining the cost of a potential opt-out. It also explains the many benefits of the new meters, including the ability of customers to drill down to understand their energy use. The figure below is one of the examples provided. 

Some of the operating benefits cited by Idaho Power include:

  • Elimination of billing estimations and meter read errors
  • The removal of 75 vehicles from service
  • A reduction in more than a million miles of driving each year
  • Valuable outage scoping and restoration data
  • Voltage monitoring and meter and service failure detection