Crain's reports on problems developing in Philadelphia which led to suspending smart-meter installations that state lawmakers okayed for Illinois' Com Ed last year during a heated - and finger-pointing - debate on the Illinois Senate floor. Now the topic's getting hotter as smart meters were found to be involved in three suburban Chicago home fires.
Two weeks after Commonwealth Edison Co.'s sister utility in Philadelphia suspended smart-meter installations after a fire and more than a dozen incidents of overheating, ComEd says there have been three “small fires” involving smart meters it installed in suburban Chicago homes.
“ComEd has experienced three smart meter events that resulted in damage to metering equipment and to the immediate area around the meter due to small fires," the utility said in a statement responding to questions from Crain's. Two of the incidents were at homes in River Forest and the third was at a home in Berwyn.
In addition, 15 other smart meters have exhibited “higher than normal heat conditions causing damage to the smart meter,” ComEd said. While the cause of the overheating appeared to be due to connections in the houses, ComEd as a precaution replaced the meters, it said.
The meters were installed as part of a pilot program that led to state passage last year of the controversial “smart grid” law.
Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120830/NEWS11/120829748/comed-smart-meters-associated-with-three-fires-in-suburban-chicago-homes#ixzz252E7HjUaStay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters
