"[T]he costs of AMI implementation [at Nstar and WMECO] will approach, if not exceed, $1 billion, while the benefits of AMI are largely offset, if not negated, by the Companies' current automated meter reading ('AMR') systems and Massachusetts' consumer protections," the Northeast Utilities EDCs said in comments to the Massachusetts DPU.

EnergyChoiceMatters.com today takes a look at the NU companies' criticism of the proposed time-varying default service options proposed by the DPU

In the same comments, the NU companies also said that an economic business case cannot be made for AMI implementation.

We also found the discussion below of note, given the hunger for more data (to further market to and segment customers) from many in this industry.

"Additionally, given that the Department is seeking to collect significantly more customer data via AMI, in part for the implementation of TVR, the Companies will need to hire a significant number of FTEs to review and address any billing exceptions. Currently, NSTAR Electric collects seven pieces of data per customer per month and, of the bills issued per month, experiences billing exceptions of one to two percent per month, which are handled by a team of eight FTEs. D.P.U. 12-76 evidentiary hearing, Tr. at 910-11 (February 27, 2014). If NSTAR Electric were required to collect customer data in one-minute intervals, it would collect 2.16 trillion data points per month and, assuming that the one to two percent billing exceptions per month continued, would need to hire between 200 and 300 FTEs to address the 43.2 billion billing exceptions per month. Id. at 910-12. Although this is an illustrative example, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company needed to hire over 80 FTEs to address the significant increase in billing exceptions, which flowed from its implementation of AMI and the subsequent increase in customer data collected on a monthly basis," the NU companies said