Our new meters emit slightly less radio frequency (RF) than our current technology, which is also very low.

EMF, or Electro-Magnetic Field, is a measure of the field created by an electric current flowing through a line or device.

These meters produce virtually no EMF because there’s no real current flowing through them. You’ll find more EMF in a lamp plugged into a socket in your home.

PSE is updating our entire electric and natural gas metering system on every home and business in our territory.

This is a six-year project, scheduled to complete in 2023, and will involve swapping out 1.1 million electric meters and 800,000 gas modules, along with the supporting infrastructure across all 10 counties we serve.

PSE’s longstanding commitment to customers extends to using potent tools to keep customer data safe. We maintain a comprehensive cyber-security program based on national standards followed by other companies in the energy and defense industries.

Personal information, such as your name and address, is not stored on the meters nor transmitted through the meter network.

You do not need to be present for the work on your property, unless your meter is inaccessible.

Please leave gates unlocked, pets inside and ensure your meter is clear of any debris prior to installation.

The old AMR (Automated Meter Reading) meters used one-way digital communication, meaning the meters could send data to PSE. The AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) meters use a more robust two-way communication, meaning the meters send data, and PSE can communicate with the meters.

Our current electric and natural gas meters are outdated and in need of replacement. They were installed 15-20 years ago and are nearing the end of their intended life.

The hardware and software are outdated and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to support and maintain the equipment.

If you’re an electric customer, we’ll need to turn off your power for a few minutes while we remove the old meter and install the new meter. Typically, the outage will be 2-3 minutes for a residential meter. If you have a generator, and it was properly set up, there should be no need to turn off it off before your exchange.

There will be no interruption in service for natural gas exchanges.

At least for now, we will continue to ask customers to report their outage. In the future, PSE expects to have the capability, through these meters, to automatically know when your power is out, therefore avoiding the need for our customers to report the outage.

To get started, please contact our customer service center at 1-888-225-5773 or customercare@pse.com. Our customer care agents will determine your eligibility and send you the necessary paperwork.

Customers must be in a single-family dwelling (up to four-plex acceptable) on electric residential Schedule 7 or natural gas residential Schedule 23. Customers must be in good standing with PSE and must not have been disconnected for non-payment two or more times within a 12-month period, and must have no history of meter tampering or impeding PSE access to the meter. Customers must provide clear access to the meter(s) for our meter readers in order to remain eligible for the optional service.

Customers choosing the Non-Communicating Meter Service incur an Additional Bi-Monthly Service Charge of $15 per meter, per bi-monthly bill (e.g., a customer with both electric and natural gas service will incur a $30 charge per bill and will receive a bill every other month).

Customers choosing to participate in this optional service before an AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) meter has been installed will incur no one-time charges; however, customers choosing this optional service when an AMI meter has already been installed will incur a One-Time Charge of $90 per electric meter and $50 for each natural gas meter. Qualifying low-income PSE customers may be eligible to have their NCM charges subsidized.

The Non-Communicating Meter Service is optional, and charges are regulated by the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). The NCM charges are fixed; however, some income eligible customers may qualify to have those charges subsidized. For more information and to see whether you qualify for low-income assistance, please visit our Bill Payment and Weatherization Assistance page or contact our customer service center at 1-888-225-5773.

PSE was one of the first utilities in the country to adopt wireless meter reading more than 20 years ago. Over time, these meters are becoming increasingly obsolete, and so we cannot continue to support this platform. PSE is upgrading to AMI (advanced metering infrastructure), which is the new utility industry standard. For customers who do not wish to receive an AMI meter, the only other option is a non-communicating meter, which will need to be manually read.

The old AMR (Automated Meter Reading) meters used one-way digital communication, meaning the meters could send data to PSE. The AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) meters use a more robust two-way communication, meaning the meters send data, and PSE can communicate with the meters.

Beginning July 1, 2019, Puget Sound Energy will be providing optional Non-Communicating Meter (NCM) service to qualifying residential electric and natural gas customers in the areas where PSE has initiated or finished the Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) meter upgrade.

Per Schedule 171, electric and natural gas customers choosing the NCM service will be responsible for the additional charges associated with a non-communicating meter. There will be a $15 Bi-Monthly Service Charge for each NCM and there may be a One-Time Charge for customers who already have AMI equipment installed ($90 per electric meter and $50 per gas meter).

If you are interested in receiving a non-communicating meter, please contact our customer service center at 1-888-225-5773 or customercare@pse.com.

Customers participating in the Non-Communicating Meter Service may decide to get a standard meter at any time. If you are interested in discontinuing participation in the non-communicating meter program and receiving a standard meter, please contact our customer service center at 1-888-225-5773 or customercare@pse.com.