Posted: August 14, 2012
Some Bucks County fire marshals say newly installed “smart” electric meters appear to be the cause of a handful of recent house fires, though PECO Energy says its investigation shows the meters are not faulty.
The Upper Makefield fire marshal determined a recently installed electric meter box was the origin of an accidental fire that moderately damaged a home Sunday morning at Canal Run West and Lookout Lane in Washington Crossing. A failed positive connection on the meter apparently caused the fire, according to an Upper Makefield Police press release.
PECO Energy is aware of fire-related problems in 13 of the 186,000 meters it has replaced so far in Bucks and Northeast Philadelphia since March, PECO spokeswoman Cathy Engle Menendez said. In its completed investigations, the utility has found that existing conditions with equipment on the customer’s side can cause the smart meters to overheat.
Electric meters are considered PECO property while the equipment where the meter attaches is considered the customer’s responsibility, Engle Menendez said.
PECO workers were on site at the Upper Makefield fire Sunday, but that investigation is ongoing, Engle Menendez said. She did not know how many of the 13 investigations are outstanding.
To address the potential fire risk, PECO has trained its meter technicians who are replacing the meters to look for issues that could cause an overheating problem, inspect the meter and the customer’s equipment and make any necessary repairs before completing the meter replacement, Engle Menendez said.
So far, PECO technicians have repaired more than 4,500 pieces of equipment during meter replacements, Engle Menendez said.
PECO is required to replace the meters of its 1.6 million business and residential customers in the Philadelphia region and part of York County as part of a 2008 state energy efficiency law. The law requires all Pennsylvania utilities to update meter technology to encourage energy conservation.
The meter-related fires are on the minds of Bucks County fire marshals, who say they’re aware and monitoring the situation in their towns. Bensalem and Bristol Township have recently reported fires that started in the newly installed electric meters, according to several fire marshals.
Lower Makefield Fire Marshal Kevin Richards said he has seen recent fires that started at or near the electric meters in the township, but he can’t comment on whether the meters were the cause. Richards added that he has talked to PECO about the situation and he was told they’re working on the problem.
“Everybody is concerned,” said Falls Fire Marshal Richard Dippolito, who says his town hasn’t seen any problems yet.
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