I have been asked this question at least ten times a day for the past year and a half.  The first thing I ask is what plan did you choose?  TOU or the standard tiered to consumption rate?  Several customers accidentally selected the TOU.  I also ask how old is your home and do you live in the city or a rural area?  Depending on the age of your old electromechanical or legacy meter, you have been getting a 5% to 15% free ride.  Why is this?  The old electromechanical meters lose about 1% per year in efficiency (see reports on Smart Meter problems and a national study by Navigant Consulting)  You will have a higher bill until you reduce it proactively.  I do not think that we can fault the utilities for switching to a new, more economical metering technology.  They are a for-profit business.  We all understand automation.  Once the true cost of power is ascertained and the adjustments made, I believe Smart Meters and the data they will provide us will be a great bridge to making homes more energy efficient and being able to tell in real time what is going on inside our homes and businesses.  If you are having a problem with your smart meter, contact your local utility.  They are very interested in seeing that your Smart Meter is working properly and that there were no technical problems created when your new meter was installed.  The next question explains about some of the technical issues involved in the National Rollout and the San Diego / Southern California region in general.

            John, I understand from your email that you have been experiencing flickering lights since your meter was installed.  Have you contacted SDG&E and asked them to have a troubleman come out to check it?
            John followed my recommendation and a troubleman found that a meter clip had been accidentally damaged.  We received a call from SDG&E Claims who we subcontract for, and the meter clip was repaired by one of our servicemen and the flicker has been resolved.

            Jim, Thanks for calling, Jim.  Have you had an SDG&E troubleman out to see if there is a meter problem or voltage issue?  Xantrex 5548 inverters are set up to disconnect on low voltage below 108 or high voltage over 135.  The range is adjustable.  Be sure your settings are at this factory default.
            Jim, I understand SDG&E was out and they said your power was in spec.  When they checked it, the troubleman installed a monitor.  Please email the results to us.
            Jim, thanks for the results, you have a very significant power surges inside your residence.  I understand that they switched the smart meter out to a legacy meter to be sure there was no smart meter problem.  I will schedule an electrician.
            Jim, my electrician said that he checked your Xantrex system and a battery started smoking.  You have a battery issue.  He did see a voltage differential at the line side of your service that is over five volts.  We should have SDG&E check their transformer.
            You scheduled an SDG&E engineer out.  We met SDG&E, the transformer is showing some variance from phase to phase which may be AC loading or some heavy phase loads at your neighbors’ or it could be a failing transformer.  Regardless, the transformer is in spec.  Your Rolls batteries are 10 years old.  It appears that one or more are failing.  They are 1200 amp/hr on the 100 hr basis.  I recommend replacing them with a smaller 400 amp/hour crown battery that we can obtain locally.  We can salvage your Rolls batteries or you can charge up the good ones and may be able to sell them on eBay.  Let me know what you would like to do so you can get your 12KW system back on line.  I think we can rule out the utility or Smart meter as being the cause of the problem.
            Jim called again after we met with SDG&E and his new batteries were installed.  The inverter was OK, but he was still experiencing severe flicker.  We recalled SDG&E to see if their transformer was failing.  They reinstalled the monitor and kept the monitor on longer, for 5 days, and discovered that there was a 200 amp power surge every 20 minutes over an 8 hour period during all five days.  We traced the problem to Jim’s AC.  The air conditioner compressor starting windings were going out.  It was not an SDG&E problem, and we put the case to rest.  The AC was fixed and the problem is now gone.

            Jane, thanks for emailing.  Have you contacted SDG&E trouble?  Please contact them first and have them confirm whether the problem occurred during the Smart Meter install.
            Jane:  Rick the troubleman called and said the meter socket was clean; no sign of arcing or damage.  Rick said he could hear some arcing on the electric service side.  That is not their responsibility. Rick gave me a make and model for the service.
            Jane responded to my call to her cell phone and said go ahead and see if the problem is in the electrical service.  My electrician checked in and the main breaker is burned out and is arcing at the bussing.  Jane, you returned my call and asked if this could be SDG&E’s fault.  I explained that the electrician indicates from the arcing this has been going on for at least a year or so.  My electrician has a breaker on the truck; he cleaned up the bussing and replaced the breaker.  This should resolve your flicker problem.  Please call us should you have any further difficulty.

If your home was built between 1970 and 1980, you may have some aluminum wiring in your home.  Aluminum and copper clad aluminum building wire was used in small wire gauges #12 - #10 for receptacles and lighting and then it was discontinued due to fires and safety issues.  The wiring installed was not recalled.  It still exists today.  If you have a home with aluminum wiring or are considering purchasing one in this age range, be certain that you replace the aluminum wiring.  Aluminum wiring is a recognized fire and safety issue and many insurance companies now exclude damage from aluminum wiring including fires, bodily injury and power surges to electrical and electronic equipment.  If you are not certain whether or not you have aluminum or copper clad aluminum wiring, give a call and we can provide an aluminum survey to certify whether or not you do.

Due to the topography and canyons in San Diego County, we have an abundance of wildlife.  Homes prior to 2000 have not been as vermin tight as they should be.  Every year, we have hundreds of calls that are directly attributable to rats, mice, raccoons, opossum, fox, bobcat, coyote, horse, bird, deer and havelina damage.  The most prevalent is mice and rat damage in residential attics and crawlspaces.  The standard of care in sealing off paths of entry for vermin has been very lax.  Electrical phone, computer, data and CATV lines must be replaced constantly indoors and outdoors.  Electrical fires in attics and equipment are very prevalent and are completely preventable.  If you have mice and rat activity in your home and attic and crawlspace below, traps and bait are not sufficient.  You must remove them and seal up any entrance paths.  You must also inspect and determine and repair damage.  Mice and rats chew on anything in their way, often damaging wiring that may be in their path, creating fire and safety hazards.  Prevention is very important for life and property damage.  Please feel free to call for a safety inspection.  It is normally less than $200.00 for a standard average 2500-3500 square foot home.  Please call if you have any questions.