Image courtesy of Pepco

D.C. People’s Counsel Sandra Mattavous-Frye asked the D.C. Public Service Commission last week to halt Pepco’s installation of controversial new smart meters that some residents and activists claim pose a risk to their health.

The meters have been a point of contention since Pepco started installing them in September 2010. While Pepco claims that the meters reduce costs for consumers and moves the utility close to its goal of a greener grid, opponents say that they emit electric radiation that is harmful to human health and invade peoples’ privacy.

In her letter to the commission, Mattavous-Frye asked that D.C. follow Maryland’s lead and allow consumers a chance to opt out of having a smart meter installed on their home. In mid-March a group of Maryland residents asked lawmakers to consider a permanent opt-out bill for the smart meters. (Hawaii, Maine and California are among the other states that have dealt with complaints relating to the smart meters.)

Last September the Public Service Commission requested a report on the feasibility of such an opt-out, but Mattavous-Frye claims that it’s taking too long to get done.