Entergy customers getting upgrades
Contributed Photo ◼︎ Entergy began installing new “smart meters” recently in the Lumberton area and is working its way east. The first of their new meters will come to Liberty County in August.
Beginning in late August, folks living in Hull, Daisetta and Ames will be the first Entergy customers in Liberty County to receive Entergy’s new “smart meters.”
The power company will start installing its new meters Aug. 26, and Entergy says the meters will provide better service and give customers a little more control over their energy expenses.
The meters will be capable of sending data directly to Entergy, which will eliminate the need for monthly visits by a meter reader, although the physical reading of meters might continue for a couple of months after the new meters are installed to double check that the new system is working.
Data from the meters will be sent to Entergy every 15 minutes. This will allow Entergy to be made aware of power outages automatically and give the company a more accurate picture of where power is out and why, says Entergy Customer Service Manager Pam Williams, who stopped in Liberty Tuesday to visit with the local media.
The meters will also allow customers to monitor their electricity use much in the way they track the data use on their cell phones. This, Entergy believes, will help customers avoid unhappy surprises on their electricity bills.
Entergy customers in Dayton, Hardin, Devers and outside the city limits of Liberty can expect to have the new meters installed in February 2020.
Entergy is anxious to get the word out about the new meter installations in part because of recent attempts in this area by scam artists to gain entrance to homes or extract money from residents by posing as utility workers.
Williams says no one working for Entergy will ever arrive at your door demanding money.
The contractors who arrive to install Entergy’s new meters will have identification, Entergy patches on their clothing, and the Entergy logo on their trucks. They will not need to enter a customer’s home, but they will knock on the front door to let the customer know they are on the property and what they are doing there. If no one is home when they arrive, the installers will leave a card on the front doorknob.
Williams says there is nothing for the customers to do, no action they need to take, but she does encourage Entergy customers to visit the company’s website and set up an online account with Entergy. Customers can use their accounts to monitor their power use, which will be updated online every 4 to 5 hours.
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