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HB 25-1175

Smart Meter Opt-In Program

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jennifer Bacon and 5 co-sponsors

Establishes an opt-in program allowing customers to choose a non-smart meter, protecting privacy while utilities face extra costs and operational changes.

Governor Signed
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 25-1175

Summary — HB 25-1175: "Smart Meter Opt‑In Program"

Overview

HB 25‑1175, titled the "Smart Meter Opt‑In Program," was introduced February 10, 2025, and was signed by the Governor on May 20, 2025. The bill passed both chambers (with amendments in the Senate) and was signed by the presiding officers before being sent to the Governor. Primary sponsors include Rep. Junie Joseph, Rep. Robert Rodriguez, and Rep. Sheila Lieder, with several cosponsors.

Note: The bill text itself was not provided. The summary below states the procedural facts and then outlines the bill’s likely purpose, common provisions, and impacts based on the bill title and typical legislative approaches to "smart meter opt‑in" laws. For precise legal requirements, consult the enacted statute or the bill’s full text.

Legislative status & timeline (selected actions)

  • Introduced in House (Energy & Environment): 2025‑02‑10
  • Referred, amended, passed House and Senate (committees and readings): Feb–Apr 2025
  • Sent to Governor: 2025‑05‑06
  • Governor signed into law: 2025‑05‑20

Purpose / Intent (as implied by the title)

The bill is intended to create a program that gives utility customers the option to choose whether they receive an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) "smart" meter, or instead to retain/receive a non‑communicating (analog or less connected) meter. The aim is to address customer concerns about privacy, data collection, wireless emissions, and remote control functions associated with smart meters.

Key provisions likely included (based on typical opt‑in statutes)

Because the full bill text is not provided, these represent common elements found in smart‑meter opt‑in legislation and are likely components of HB 25‑1175:
- Establishment of an opt‑in process allowing retail electric customers to request a non‑smart meter or to decline installation of a smart meter.
- Application procedures, required customer acknowledgements, and timelines for utility response/installation.
- Fee structure: possible one‑time or ongoing opt‑out charges to cover additional manual meter reading, service visits, or equipment costs (or direction that utilities cannot charge or must justify fees).
- Data privacy and security standards restricting how meter data is collected, stored, used, and shared; possibly requiring express customer consent for certain uses.
- Exceptions for public safety, grid reliability, remote connect/disconnect needs, or where smart meters are required by federal/state programs.
- Reporting requirements for utilities to the public utility commission (PUC) on opt‑out enrollments, costs, and operational impacts.
- Effective date and transition provisions for meters already installed.

Who would be affected

  • Residential and small commercial electric customers who are eligible to opt out.
  • Electric utilities and third‑party meter providers — operational, billing, and cost‑recovery impacts.
  • Regulators (state PUC or equivalent) — oversight, rulemaking, and reporting obligations.
  • Potential indirect impacts on grid operations, demand response, and utility programs that rely on interval data.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Customer choice and privacy protections for those objecting to smart meters.
  • Increased operational costs for utilities (manual reading, truck rolls), which may be recovered through rates or opt‑out fees depending on statute language.
  • Possible effects on utility programs that depend on AMI data (time‑of‑use rates, demand response, outage management).
  • Regulatory implementation burden (rulemaking, enforcement, reporting).
  • Public health and privacy debates may continue; details of data protections and fee rules will shape outcomes.

Next steps / Where to get the enacted text

For an authoritative and detailed summary, review the final bill text and enacted statute on the state legislature’s website or the Governor’s bill summary. If you’d like, I can retrieve and summarize the exact statutory language and any fiscal notes or regulatory directives.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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