Electric and gas energy meters on the Peninsula are about to smarten up. San Diego Gas& Electric (SDG&E) Co. is installing digital smart meters in Point Loma and Ocean Beach this October and November — part of its plan to replace all meters in the region by the end of 2011. “Smart meters are really foundational technology for the smart grid that’s being implemented across the country,” said SDG&E spokeswoman April Bolduc. A representative from SDG&E gave a presentation about the smart meters at the July 15 Peninsula Community Planning Board meeting. According to Bolduc, all of the investor-owned utility companies in California are installing smart meters as part of the state’s Energy Action Plan. The new two-way communicating meters will move San Diego into the next age of utilities. But Bolduc said the green meters also serve a green function. “The San Diego region continues to grow, but what we want to be able to do is prevent from building more power plants,” Bolduc said. “The only way we can do that is by having our customers save energy.” About three months after smart meters are installed, residents will be able to monitor their hourly energy usage the next day online with Google Power Meter. Bolduc said she believes this online resource will reduce average energy usage by 5 to 10 percent. “Right now, you have to wait for a month to get your bill to know how much energy you’re using,” Bolduc said. “But with smart meters, customers will be able to find out in real time how much energy they’re using and be able to make those changes.” Bolduc said with their usage broken down into hourly increments, SDG&E customers will eventually have the chance to sign up for optional rebates if they conserve energy during peak usage times. Customers will also be able to control their appliances with a smart phone in the future and will not have to call in the event of a blackout. “We want our customers to save more energy,” Bolduc said. “One way they can do that is by having the information to know how much energy they are using.” Starting next month, SDG&E will send letters out to customers in advance of the replacement. They will also call customers with a more specific date and time closer to the date of the installation, and anyone interested can schedule an appointment by calling SDG&E. According to Bolduc, installation of the smart meters typically takes between five and 15 minutes. During that time, the customer’s electricity will be out but the gas will not be shut off. SDG&E will be rolling out a program in the next month to provide customers a side-by-side comparison of their new and old meters. For more information, call (800) 411-7343, or visit www.-sdge.com/smartmeter.