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--- Document: JCPL Meter Exchange Brochure Document ---
Jersey Central Power & Light, a FirstEnergy utility, is starting to install
smart meters on customers’ homes throughout our service area.
The company’s plan, as approved by the New Jersey Board of Public
Utilities, will modernize the electric distribution system in New Jersey
with the installation of 1.15 million smart meters.
This step toward a more modernized electric system will enable
automated meter readings and may enhance our ability to respond
to outages more quickly and efficiently.
Plus, in the future, you will have access to more detailed energy
information through our online Home Energy Analyzer tool that will
help you better understand your electricity use – which means you
can then make informed decisions on how to manage and control
your electricity consumption.
Please take a look at some of these Frequently Asked Questions for
more information about our Smart Meter Program:
Be assured that the smart meter technology being implemented has been
rigorously tested and proven by manufacturers to be accurate, safe and secure in
systems throughout the country.
Q. What is a smart meter?
A. A smart meter is a digital electric meter that collects electricity usage information and
sends that data to the local utility through a secure telecommunications connection.
For more information, please visit our website at
www.firstenergycorp.com/NJsmartmeter, call us
at 855-344-3400 or scan the QR code here.
COMM10016-02-23-JG Produced by FirstEnergy’s Communications & Branding Department.
Q. What if I don’t want a smart meter?
A. Please call us at 855-344-3400 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) to
discuss your options. We would like to answer any questions you have regarding our
smart meter program and address any concerns about the installation of the new meter.
If you decide you don’t want a smart meter after one is installed, there is a $44.46 charge
to replace the smart meter for a digital non-communicating meter, and a $15 monthly
meter reading fee. Customers may also choose to have the communications card in
the smart meter disabled and avoid the meter replacement fee of $44.46, though the
monthly meter reading charge still applies. If you change your mind and decide to have
a smart meter reinstalled, an additional meter replacement fee of $44.46 would be
charged. Customers who take service under a time-differentiated rate or who have net
metered generation are unable to opt out.
Q. When will a smart meter be installed on my home?
A. In the next few weeks, you will receive a letter with more details, including when our
workers will be in your area to exchange your meter. We will follow all appropriate social
distancing guidelines when we arrive at your residence to install the new meter.
Q. I’m concerned about privacy. Are you able to track when my family is
home?
A. No. The meter does not provide us with information regarding the occupancy of your
home or the activities of those in your home. Also, while the meter can track your hourly
usage, it cannot measure the usage of individual appliances or other electrical devices
within your home.
Q. Will you limit the amount of electricity I am allowed to use?
A. No. The utility will not limit the amount of power you can use.
Q. Will this smart meter affect my health?
A. No. Numerous studies have shown that smart meters using radio frequency (RF)
technologies pose no health risk. While smart meters emit a low level of RF, RF exposure
from smart meters is a fraction of what comes from other commonly used household
devices, including cell phones, garage door openers, televisions, microwaves, wireless
internet and baby monitors.
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