A07349 Summary:

BILL NO    A07349 

SAME AS    Same as S 5380

SPONSOR    Galef (MS)

COSPNSR    Koon, Gabryszak, Rosenthal, Gunther, Jaffee, Dinowitz, Fields,
           DelMonte, Maisel, Colton, Gordon, Castro, Barron, Spano

MLTSPNSR   Boyland, Brodsky, Brook-Krasny, Corwin, Destito, Finch, Gottfried,
           John, Lopez P, Lopez V, Magnarelli, Millman, Molinaro,
           Peoples-Stokes, Schimel, Sweeney, Thiele, Townsend, Weisenberg

Add S39-a, Pub Serv L

Provides residential electric customers with an option for greater control of
the cost of such service by the installation of real time smart meters;
establishes sales, rental and service providers to be certified by the public
service commission.

A07349 Actions:

BILL NO    A07349 

03/31/2009 referred to energy
01/06/2010 referred to energy

A07349 Votes:

A07349 Memo:

BILL NUMBER:A7349

TITLE  OF BILL:   An act to amend the public service law, in relation to
providing real time smart metering technology to residential electricity
customers

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To facilitate the use of "smart  meter-
ing"  of  electricity by residential users so that households can reduce
the cost of electrical services by utilizing electricity during off-peak
times, which is cheaper than using electricity during high  peak  demand
times.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 states the legislative intent.

Section  2  adds  a new section to the Public Service Law, Section 39-a,
which encourages the use of real time pricing smart metering  for  resi-
dential consumers. Larger commercial and industrial users of electricity
already  have  access  to  this  new  metering  technology. This section
provides:
  * definitions for what the new "smart meters" must be able  to  do  so
that  residential  consumers  can easily compare on a 1/2 hour basis the
amount of electricity the consumer uses and the price of such  electric-
ity at the time of use;
  *  authorization  for  the  Public Service Commission (PSC) to certify
companies that can sell, maintain, or repair such smart meters;
  * permission for electric utility companies and independent vendors to
sell, maintain, or repair such smart meters; and
  * the ability for the Public Service  Commission  to  establish  pilot
projects  to  counties  that  wish  to  establish  such  smart  metering
projects.

JUSTIFICATION: Smart metering programs already exist for  large  commer-
cial  and  industrial users of electricity, which have proven successful
in New York and throughout the Untied  States  as  a  means  to  control
costs, conserve energy, and prevent service disruptions.  Smart metering
and  demand  response  programs  could  provide  residential electricity
consumers with electricity rate price signals  so  that  such  consumers
would  have  accurate  knowledge  to  properly  alter their behavior and
utilize electricity during cheaper off-peak times of the day.

This would have two benefits. First, the cost of  electricity  could  be
reduced  for residential customers because it would be utilized when the
price of electricity was low. Second, shifting the demand for  electric-
ity from peak times would reduce the stress that is placed on electrical
generating  plants, transmission lines, and the national electrical grid
to provide more power during peak usage  times.  This,  in  turn,  would
reduce  the  likelihood  of blackouts and other service disruptions that
can happen when power  plants  and  transmission  lines  are  forced  to
produce large amounts of electricity at or above their normal generating
capacity.

PRIOR  LEGISLATIVE  HISTORY:    A.  8111-A and S. 4969-A of 2007/2008 A.
11647 and S. 8143 of 2005/2006 (similar to)

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect on the 180th day after it has
become law.