A Couple’s Utility Smart Meter Suddenly Exploded
They filed a claim with BGE utility company to pay for the smart meter damages, but it was denied. WMAR 2 News’ Mallory Safaste looks into how often this happens and if homeowners can do anything to prevent it.
BGE Smart Meter Explodes and Melts
The exploded and melted smart meter caused around $1,500 in damage to the Cale’s home. So they turned to BGE utility company for reimbursement and answers, but say they aren’t happy with their response. A mystery of sorts involving a smart meter. It happened at night in October.
Homeowner: “It was like 10, 15 at night, and I was down in the family room watching TV. And I heard a softer sound. Then I heard what I thought was a motorcycle or dirt bike backfiring (exploded), and then the lights went out and the generator kicked on.”
Reporter: Susan and Richard Cale didn’t know what happened until the electrician came in the morning.
Homeowner: “He said, you better call BGE. He said that smart meter exploded and there was melted metal on the glass plate of the smart meter and it had melted the siding. You can see a little bit where the soot is on the telephone box.”
Reporter: This isn’t something he’d seen before, so they called BGE utility company.
Homeowner: “The technician didn’t come till 5.15 in the evening. So he said he had never seen anything like that happen. Then the next day, they sent somebody to follow up and look at it, and he said he’d never seen anything like that happen.
Smart Meter Damages – BGE Utility Company Denies Filed Claim
Reporter: In total, they paid around $1,500 for repairs after the smart meter exploded. The Cales filed a claim with BGE, thinking they’d be reimbursed. Several days later, they received this letter.
Homeowner: They were denying our claim because that was normal wear and tear on the smart meter.
Reporter: She estimates the exploded meter is around eight years old. BGE utility company investigated the event and could not find any willful default or neglect on their part that led to the power outage surge. The cause was equipment failure due to normal wear and tear.
Homeowner: We don’t bother this stuff. You know, I don’t even touch it. I just cut grass around here. Don’t even bother with it. You know, just something like that just happened unexpectedly.
Fire Marshal – Reported Smart Meter Fires
Reporter: We checked with the Maryland State Fire Marshal. In the last 10 years, there have been 38 reported fires connected to smart or regular meters.
Fire Marshal: There’s tens of thousands, if not millions of these smart meters located across the state. It’s not something we’re really focused on, but certainly something we want to keep an eye on.
The Maryland Public Service Commission Information
Reporter: The Maryland Public Service Commission, the agency that regulates public utilities, only gets notification from utilities of smart meter events when property damage exceeds $50,000 or results in a hospitalization or fatality. They said they’re only aware of one smart meter related incident in the last few years. BGE utility company was not available for an on-camera interview and said they cannot comment on the Cale’s exploded smart meter claim since it’s a customer issue.
BGE utility company SHOULD be Responsible
Reporter: The Cale’s feel it’s the BGE utility company‘s equipment. They should take responsibility. With no explanation on what exactly caused the exploded failure or what they can do in the future, they worry about it happening again.
BGE utility company told us they inspect residential gas meters once every three years, commercial meters once a year, and provided general safety tips, including never tamper with the meter, keep the area around it clear, don’t build anything that’ll block access to the meter, and in the winter, keep it clear of ice and snow. For WMAR 2 News, I’m Mallory Sifoste.
Mallory also checked with the Office of the People’s Council, who said these matters are generally an issue for homeowners insurance. However, the Cale’s claim theirs was less than their deductible.
