Grayslake receiving ComEd smart meters
Grayslake residents can get ready for ComEd's planned installation of smart meters.
At a presentation before the Grayslake village board Tuesday night, ComEd's director of smart meter development, Craig Creamean, told officials the vast majority of the work will be done for the rest of this month and into June.
"There will be a few that linger on, some specialty meters and some commercial, industrial locations type of thing," Creamean said while holding a smart meter as a podium while he gave a presentation to the board.
Suburbs began receiving the technology in 2015. Proponents say the meters make the electric system more reliable and cost-efficient while ending estimated bills, but opponents have raised health and security questions.
With the new digital devices, electricity-usage information is fed directly to ComEd six times daily and can be tracked by customers. In addition, a meter reader doesn't have to visit a home to calculate electricity usage.
"It also allows the customer the opportunity to save money, so you can get on a real-time residential pricing (option), which allows you to take advantage of the energy cost shifts as they go up and down with the usage load on the system."
About 833,000 smart meters were scheduled for installation by ComEd in the Chicago area in 2015. Anyone who refuses the smart meter will be billed $21.53 per month for an employee to read the electricity usage at a home, according to ComEd.
ComEd plans to have installed about 4 million smart meters in all homes and businesses in its territory by the end of 2018.
Grayslake village board members had few questions concerning the smart meters.
"It seems pretty straightforward from the public policy point of view," Trustee Bruce Bassett said.