Snohomish County PUD Cites Supply Chain, Manufacturing Issues In Advanced Meter Project Delay

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 13, 2022

Due to supply chain and manufacturing issues, Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD is delaying the deployment of its Connect Up program until mid-2023. The program is an infrastructure and technology improvement project that will install new electric and water advanced meters on all customers’ homes and businesses. 

The PUD was originally scheduled to begin deployment of new meters at the start of 2023. Depending on when it receives meters from its meter provider, the PUD plans to delay deployment of residential meters until the summer of 2023 and commercial and industrial meters until later in the fall of 2023.

Installation of advanced meters on the homes of PUD water customers should still begin in early 2023.

The new meter upgrade is free of charge for customers, who will receive physical and digital communications from the PUD in the months and days leading up to installation, the PUD said.

Installation of the communication network that will support the new meters started earlier this year and is on schedule to be completed prior to meter deployment. The PUD has installed 43 of the 141 base stations and antennas that will eventually communicate with advanced meters on customers’ homes and businesses.

The PUD’s Board of Commissioners recently approved the Connect Up program’s opt-out policy. Customers who do not want a communicating meter will receive an advanced meter with the communication radio disabled.

PUD customers who live in multi-unit residences with more than four units, water customers and commercial and industrial customers are not eligible to opt out of the PUD’s Connect Up program. 

Connect Up will deliver a variety of new benefits for PUD customers, including the ability to monitor energy usage in 15-minute increments, opportunities to take advantage of new rate designs and conservation programs, and more flexible billing options.