Con Ed ‘smart meters’ coming to Bensonhurst

Residents of Bensonhurst and Bath Beach may have noticed letters from Consolidated Edison popping up in their mailboxes in recent weeks. But not to worry, the electric company isn’t writing to customers about a rate hike.

Con Ed, which has been in the process of installing new “smart meters” in residential and commercial buildings throughout the five boroughs since 2017, will be coming to the Community Board 11 area soon.

The letters residents have been receiving are a signal that the installations are close, according to Terence Kelly, corporate affairs manager for Con Ed.

Speaking at a recent CB 11 meeting, Kelly said Con Ed sent postcards to homeowners when the installations were three months away. The letters were mailed to notify building owners to expect the installers in approximately 45 days.

“We are now approaching South Brooklyn,” Kelly told the community board.

The new digital meters, which operate through a secure wireless communications network, are valuable because they are capable of giving exact readings of electricity usage in a building and as a result, billing will be more accurate, Kelly said.

Under the current system, Con Ed reads the meter once a month. By contrast, the new meters will be sending readings to Con Ed every day.

“This drastically changes everything,” said Kelly. In addition to offering readings every 15 minutes, the new meters will enable customers to have their electricity restored faster in the event of a loss of power, he said.

Customers “will have better information on your house’s energy usage” and will be able to adjust accordingly, Kelly said. “You’re going to get way more information,” he added.

If the current meter is located on the outside of the building, the property owner does not have to be present when the contractor comes to put in the new meter. The installation usually takes less than 15 minutes to complete. In cases where the meter is inside the building, Con Ed will notify the owner to set up an appointment to come and install the new device.

Customers might see a short interruption in electrical service during the installation. There is no cost for the installation, Kelly said.

All of Brooklyn is expected to have the smart meters by the end of 2022.

For more information, call 1-800-576-2005.