New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) will begin installing new “smart” meters to all residential and commercial electric user in the village beginning this summer, a representative told the Stillwater Board of Trustees at the May 20 meeting.

The smart meter upgrades should begin locally in July or August at no cost to the customers. Smart meters use digital technology to measure detailed energy use from each electric consumer and sends that information back to NYSEG.

NYSEG’s authorized contract partner, Grid One Solutions, will be installing the meters in the Stillwater-Mechanicville area. Installers will be carrying a photo ID and their vehicle will have a NYSEG logo. Meter replacements or upgrades will take just a matter of minutes, the representative explained, and electric service will be briefly interrupted during the process. Here’s how it works:

Benefits of the new smart meters include fewer billing estimates so monthly bills are based on actual energy use, no more customer meter readings, fewer onsite visits and faster outage responses.

The New York Public Service Commission approved the NYSEG meter upgrades in 2020 but the replacement process was originally slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The process began in earnest about three years ago at a rate of more than 3,000 meter installs a week all across New York State. Installation began in Saratoga County this spring and NYSEG hopes to have all meters installed statewide by the end of the year.

Click here to view a video overview on the smart meter installation process

In other business May 20, the Board of Trustees awarded for the following contracts:

• $349,100 to Kubricky Construction Corp to make emergency repairs to the village waste water treatment plant on Rundel Lane. The wastewater treatment plant is having issues with its secondary clarifiers, with many of the parts in the clarifying tanks rotted or heavily corroded.
• $3,410 to purchase audio equipment including various microphones and a speaker system from Parkway Music of Clifton Park for the new Village Hall meeting room.
• $6,100 to Capital District Services Asphalt Paving of Mechanicville to pave the parking area at the new Revolution “pocket” Park on Hudson Avenue.