If you live in the Orlando Utilities Commission service area, congratulations… you are a stakeholder and citizen owner of OUC.
Established as a municipality through a special act of the Florida legislature in 1923, OUC is owned by the citizens of the city, is self-governed by a voluntary board of commissioners and claims no involvement from public investors.
According to Erica Hodges, Communication Manager for OUC, the utility is not regulated by the Florida Public Service Commission as other state utilities are because of this special designation. “We work closely with the FPSC on rate structure and energy issues but we are not regulated by the public commission. Our rates and fees are submitted for review and approval. OUC is also not required to publicly post monthly meetings to the media as other utilities are because we are a municipality. Our board is made up of citizens who volunteer for the positions. All are residents of the city and county areas that OUC serves,” Hodges said. Members of the OUC board include Mayor Buddy Dyer.
Recently, OUC disappointed its citizen owners and most important stakeholder group when it chose not to hold public hearings to inform customers that new digital Elster Smart Meters were going to be installed service wide beginning January, 2013 in Orlando, and parts of Orange and Osceola counties. Like Orlando City Council and Orange County Commission meetings, OUC chooses to hold monthly board meetings at 2:00 PM, a time when it is unlikely that many citizens can attend. Because OUC is designated as a municipality, the utility is not required to publicly post monthly meetings or system wide changes in the media and instead chooses to connect with their customers through their website, customer communications and lobby signs in the OUC building at 100 West Anderson St.
In the Orlando Sentinel’s online archive of OUC related stories dating back to 1989, the digital Smart Meter changeover is mentioned once in 2012. OUC also chooses to refer to the new devices as digital meters and does not identify the meters by their common name, Smart Meters. The meters replace analog systems and operate on radio frequency waves but with lower emissions than cell phones, wireless routers and baby monitors, according to OUC spokesperson Wardell Peterson.
But Smart Meters are not as harmless as utility companies report them to be.
Residents within the OUC service area also are not aware that these meters, operating on radio frequency with output levels requiring approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), are an “add on” of yet another dosage of radio waves.
In fact, until Wednesday, March 5th 2013, OUC REQUIRED A DOCTOR’S LETTER stating that a ‘medical condition or implanted device could be compromised by installation of a digital meter,” for a customer to ‘Opt Out’ of the Smart Meter. I was the one person who questioned OUC about the digital meters and found this out. Because of medical conditions that might be worsened by the add-on radio frequency emissions, I chose to opt out but was told that “I would pay an extra monthly fee for doing so.” At press time, OUC does not know how much that fee will be and won’t be able to tell me until all meters are installed service wide.
Replacement of analog meters started in California several years ago and moved eastward. Backlash from concerns for health, safety and increased energy bills are mounting and evidence is clear that Smart Meters can cause problems as well as provide “smart” energy. Now, Pacific Gas and Electric in California is faced with groups of protestors who want the meters pulled. In Philadelphia, as well in Texas and Oregon, reports of fires, and explosions of meters on buildings have been reported. Philadelphia’s PECO Energy reports that two of its customer’s houses caught fire due to overheating of the Smart Meter. PECO reports “that 15 of the digital devices overheated, including several that exploded into flames.”
Who knew?
Now, you’ve been duly warned. However, kudos go to OUC Commissioner and 2nd Vice President Dan Kirby. In the June, 2010 agenda minutes of The Reliable One’s monthly meeting, Mr. Kirby expresses concern for the OUC customers with regards to the Smart Meter installation. Commissioner Kirby stated “that it is paramount to provide information to customers so that they can make informed decisions about their electric consumption.”
Questions about the digital meters? There’s plenty of pros and cons out there. But, for answers from OUC’s mouth to your ear, plan to attend the next monthly board meeting, Tuesday, March 12 at the OUC Bldg., 100 West Anderson St., 7th Floor, Orlando 32801. Or, call OUC customer service at 407-423-9018.
WFTV, ABC-Orlando, covered this story last Tuesday from my house. I went to great lengths to get a doctor’s letter documenting my health issues so that it would be on file with OUC at OUC’s REQUEST AS A CONDITION FOR OPTING OUT OF THE METER….I knew that Utilities Partnership of America (UPA) the third part installer for the smart meter nationwide, was in my neighborhood installing the meters, so I checked with OUC at 5:15PM Monday afternoon to make sure that they had my doctor’s letter on file and that UPA would pass my house by. They verified that the letter was in my customer profile and that I would not have the meter put on my house. HOWEVER….at 8:30 AM the next morning, UPA was knocking on my door informing me that they were there to install the meter. I called WFTV and they were quick to come and cover this story from my house. They did a great job of putting this info on their site with the News video and the next day this story was looped on WDBO’s drive time news from 6-9AM…it ran a minimum of five times there. NOW, OUC HAS CHANGED IT’S POLICY REGARDING THE SMART METER INSTALLATION…YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO HAVE A DOCTOR’S LETTER TO OPT OUT OF THE METER….OUC has my doctor’s letter on file and their communications letter was lax by telling me that they actually changed their policy due to the media coverage that they received on Tuesday. Not GOOD FOR OUC….
CONGRATULATIONS! and thank you very much for this civic and public’s safety service you have provided on behalf of “unsuspecting victims”!
God knows in which other unsafe ways the unsuspecting and poorly informed public is besieged and don’t ever know about it
You have my THANKS and my vote to be awarded “The Public’s Advocate”!
Best Regards!
Trini Quiroz
We all can agree that we had a lot of rain in central Florida lately, so I do not have to put my sprinkler on however every month there is up to a twenty dollar difference in my bill although usage patterns do not vary much. I go from $42 one month to $60.00 to 62.00 then back to $43. OUC meters are padding consumers bill. I will also like to know when a home owner purchase a home and has turned on no utilities but has water who’s paying for it.
Hi, Ann….I have now left Orange County and moved north. However, I know that there are still some issues surrounding OUC and the Smart Meters. High fluctuations in bills are not uncommon with these meters, and it is important that you and others who are experiencing this continue to bring this and other issues to OUC’s attention. There is an OUC board meeting every month and I highly suggest that citizens attend these meetings and let your concerns be heard. NO citizen attends these meetings. On the occasions that I did go, I found myself in a very small room with many “suits” in attendance….certainly not the average citizen like you and me. PLEASE…let OUC know you are not happy with your bill fluctuations and remind them that the Smart Meters were supposed to “level” out the monthly bills. If we don’t stand up and speak, we can never expect change. Bring your friends and neighbors who may have the same issues. Also google smart meters, OUC and smart meters, etc. to see what is being published. Just remember, with Google, companies can pay to keep their names “in good order” and their bad business buried…good luck and NEVER give up!