PNC previously reported that first green solutions, the company who filed the complaint which prompted the PUC to investigate GPA in the first place, provided PNC with an example showing the difference in the way power factor is calculated.
Guam – Guam power authority general manager John Benavente is disputing reports that GPA has overcharged commercial customers who are trying to become more energy efficient by miscalculating smart meters.
GPA GM John Benavente says PUC findings that GPA appears to be overcharging customers attempting to be more energy efficient are overblown. He says the fact that one smart meter out of 25 sampled is not that big of a deal when you consider there are 50,000 meters on island, however, according to the Lummus Consultant Group, they only sampled 25 smart meters and they were all commercial accounts.
“Today we have the cc and b system and we have the smart meters and all of that come together and confirm the power factor and were not talking about a substantial amount of money really because the power factor adjustment is only a small component of the total bill adjustment,” said Benavente.
PNC previously reported that first green solutions, the company who filed the complaint which prompted the PUC to investigate GPA in the first place, provided PNC with an example showing the difference in the way power factor is calculated. The difference in the power bill was $1,800 in just one month.
One of the arguments first green solutions brought up against GPA was that the utility was not properly reading the smart meters when calculating power factor. There was concern on first green solutions part that GPA ordered the smart meter and installed them using factory calibrations.
“They were calibrated in the factory and we took a sample of about 4000 of the meters and did our testing and they came out with intolerance, “ said Benavente.
Both the Lummus consulting group and the PUC recommended that an independent party test the onward beach resort meter, the one-meter out of the sampled 25 that showed discrepancies. Benavente says that he will have GPA’s report detailing how GPA arrives at its calculations ready by February 25th.
