The North Dakota Public Service Commission has approved a rider on Otter Tail Power Company’s North Dakota electric customers’ bills, as the company installs new “smart meters” in homes and businesses.
The new meters will not need “meter readers” to come to the locations. Rather, the meters will be read remotely.
Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart said Otter Tail plans to spend just over $3 million to install the new meters.
"The proposed monthly charge would be $1.71, for a standard residential meter, and up to $71.76 for a large general service transmission meter," Haugen-Hoffart said. "Due to the fixed nature of the change, I want to emphasize that all standard residential customers will see an increase of $1.71 per meter."
That charge will be on the bills for calendar year 2023.