Who approved the surcharge that shows up on my bill?
In 2005, Texas law allowed utilities to assess a surcharge to recover the costs of Smart Meters. This charge is passed onto to your retail electric provider (REP) and the REP then passes it onto to you. This surcharge will be shared among all electric customers receiving a new meter and will be added to your bill. All utilities regulated by the PUC go through a complete review process with the Commission before their surcharge amount and conditions are approved. Just as you currently pay your share of the current meters, as well as the poles and wires the utility is responsible for maintaining, you must also pay your share of the costs to install and maintain Smart Meters.
