On June 13, 2018, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) issued an order on Duke Energy's request for an "advanced meter opt-out tariff." In the order, the Commission approved a settlement agreement reached by all four of the case's formal parties. The parties included the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana (CAC), Concerned Duke Energy Indiana Customers, and Duke Energy.
The approved charges include:
- A one-time $75.00 set-up charge for opting out of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) use.
- This charge will be waived if you:
- Notify Duke Energy of your intent to opt out of having an AMI meter before it is installed, or
- If you already have an AMI meter, notify Duke Energy of your intent to opt out – in writing – within 60 days.
- By comparison, Duke Energy had proposed a charge of $104.96 in this case, with no option to waive the fee.
- This charge will be waived if you:
- A monthly charge of $17.50 as long as you remain opted out and prefer that the utility manually reads your meter.
- This charge was waived for customers enrolling in Duke Energy’s EZ-Read program by December 31, 2018. Notices of the waiver period were included with the utility's September 2018 bills.
- The monthly charge does not take effect until the latter of two dates: September 10, 2018 or when Duke Energy confirms that your neighborhood’s AMI meters are fully installed and being read remotely.
- Before the settlement, Duke Energy had proposed a monthly charge of $28.59 with no ability to waive the fee.
Full details of the agreement are included in the Commission order. The file for IURC Cause No. 44963 is available by clicking here. It includes all publicly filed documents in the case, including testimony supporting the settlement agreement.
3-20-19