Sedona AZ (September 12, 2017) – Sedona Smart Meter Awareness (SSMA) today announced a program to reimburse residents of Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek for their $5.00 per month smart meter opt-out fees. The monthly fee, which the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has authorized Arizona Public Service Company (APS) to begin charging on October 1, 2017, is expected to be assessed on APS customers who refuse to accept an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meter, commonly known as a Smart Meter.

APS has been allowing customers who are concerned about AMI meters for health, safety, security, or other reasons, to “opt-out” of the company’s system-wide AMI meter replacements, thereby retaining their mechanical or non-transmitting meters. But until the September 12, 2017 ruling by the ACC, APS was not authorized to charge customers for refusing AMI meters.

In a statement being distributed to greater Sedona area residents through email and social media, SSMA is encouraging APS’s opted-out customers to keep their non-transmitting meters, offering to reimburse them for the $5.00 per month fee from APS if they do so and request such reimbursement from SSMA. According to the statement, the reimbursement program is “confidential and no-questions-asked. Our goal at SSMA is to make sure that no one in the greater Sedona area feels forced to accept a smart meter for economic reasons.”

The ACC is tasked with the responsibility to protect AZ ratepayers by weighing the costs and benefits of all state utility requests.

The reimbursement program is being administered for SSMA by Sedona citizen Jon Thompson at sedonajon@me.com or by calling 928-821-5142. Residents of the city of Sedona or the Village of Oak Creek are being encouraged to contact Thompson to be kept informed of the program or to consider making a donation to help sustain it.

Sedona Smart Meter Awareness is a private organization of concerned citizens, with online presence on Facebook @SedonaSmartMeterAwareness.

On September 12, 2017, the Arizona Corporate Commission (ACC) voted to grant APS the right to charge residential customers a $5.00/month fee to opt-out of receiving an AMI (“smart”) meter. This ruling is scheduled to take effect October 1, but Sedona Smart Meter Awareness urges anyone who is currently opted-out to KEEP YOUR CURRENT METER and will HELP YOU DO SO.

SSMA offers these two reasons for keeping your current opt-out meter:

1. Although the ACC ruling allows APS to impose the monthly opt-out fee as soon as October 1, it is not clear how or when they will start charging that fee. However, it’s reasonable to assume that APS will give opted-out customers advance notice of a choice of paying the $5.00/month or agreeing to let APS replace their current meters with smart meters. So, AT MINIMUM, we urge you to wait for official notice from APS and evaluate the choices offered before you consider giving up your non-transmitting meter.

2. If and when the opt-out charges begin, Sedona Smart Meter Awareness will be implementing a program to PAY THE $5.00/MONTH OPT-OUT FEE for Sedona and VOC APS customers who request reimbursement. This program will be confidential and no-questions-asked. Our goal at SSMA is to make sure that no one in the greater Sedona area feels forced to accept a smart meter for economic reasons.

SSMA asks “…that all please share this information however you can, with whomever you can.” Contact Jon Thompson at sedonajon@me.com or call 928-821-5142 to learn more about the refund program.

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