Senator Parker Passes Smart Metering Bill for Residential Consumers

Senator Parker Passes Senate Bill No.1642A

Smart Metering for Residential Consumers Headed to the Senate Floor for a Vote

For Immediate Release: May 22, 2013

(Albany, NY) Senator Kevin Parker’s legislation Senate Bill No.1642A passed the Finance Committee and is on the calendar for a vote. This is the Senator’s second bill on the legislative calendar this session (the first bill was S.1615). Senate Bill 1642A encourages the use of real time pricing smart metering for residential consumers. Through the deployment of smart meters, consumers will be able to make informed decisions about their energy use.

“I am very proud to promote the use of smart meters in New York. This bill will allow New York consumers to make informed decisions about their energy usage, possibly reduce costs, improve customer service and power outages among utility service providers, and benefit the environment,” said Senator Parker.

Smart Meters are already implemented in Florida, Texas, California, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Nevada. The legislation will give consumers the options to participate in New York. Smart meters will enable consumers to view home electricity use in easy to read graphs. Armed with a better understanding of energy use, consumers will be able to make informed decisions on how to manage and control their electricity consumption. Smart meters will ensure that energy bills are based on actual, rather than estimated use. The meters will reduce the need for utility meter readers to come to a consumers home and also have capability for wireless meter reading and net metering.

Smart metering is a proven way to make New York more energy efficient and keep rates affordable for consumers,” said David VanLuven, Policy Director of Environmental Advocates of New York. “With carbon pollution in the atmosphere doubling to historic levels, it is critical New York show leadership. We applaud Senator Parker for moving his bill through the legislative process, and look forward to working with the senator and his colleagues to make New York a leader in energy efficiency and modernizing our power grid.”

“As the Energy and Telecommunication Committee Ranking Member it is important for me to make sure New York has the newest and most efficient technologies to reduce our costs and carbon footprints,” continued Parker. “Smart meters have been very successful in other states and I look forward to promoting this technology here in New York” concluded Parker.

About Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse community in the heart of Brooklyn that consists of 318,000 constituents in Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope. He is the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Assistant Democratic Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chair of the Democratic Task Force on New Americans.

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Contact: Ricja Rice ‌‌‌‌‌| rrice@nysenate.gov | 518-455-2580 ph |518-426-6843 fax