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A4519
ASSEMBLY, No. 4519
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 9, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman� ALEX SAUICKIE
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires electric public utilities to obtain written
consent and provide written disclosure prior to installing smart meters.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning the installation of smart meters and
supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� An electric public
utility shall not install an advanced or smart energy meter unless the electric
public utility has obtained the customer�s written consent, as determined by
the board, and has provided the customer with a written disclosure detailing
the type of data that will be transmitted from a customer�s advanced or smart
energy meter to the electric public utility, how the data will be used, and any
potential disclosure of the data to a third-party.
���� b.��� As used in this section:�
���� �Advanced or smart energy
meter� means an electrical meter that identifies a customer�s electric power
consumption in greater detail than a conventional meter in order to provide a
customer with real-time usage information and pricing data on at least an
hourly basis, to record and store hourly usage data, to report the status of
the electric power supply to an electric public utility for the customer�s
premises, and to turn the electric power to the customer�s premises on or off
through remote disconnection or connection of service.
���� �Board� and �electric public
utility� shall have the same meaning as prescribed for those terms under
section 3 of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-51).
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect on the 90th day after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill prohibits an
electric public utility (utility) from installing a smart meter unless the
utility obtains the customer�s written consent and provides the customer with a
written disclosure detailing the type of data that will be transmitted from the
customer�s smart meter to the utility, how the data will be used, and any
potential disclosure of the data to a third-party.
���� Under the bill, a smart meter
means an electrical meter that identifies a customer�s electric power
consumption in greater detail than a conventional meter. �A smart meter
provides a customer with real-time usage information and pricing data on at
least an hourly basis, records and stores hourly usage data, reports the status
of the electric power supply for a customer�s premises to a utility, and turns
electric power to a customer�s premises on or off through remote disconnection
or connection of service.
���� Across the country, utilities
are installing smart meter technology. �This technology has raised privacy
concerns because the information gathered from smart meters includes
unencrypted data that can reveal when a homeowner is away from their residence
for long periods of time. �The information gathered from smart meters can also decipher
what type of activities a customer is engaged in, such as watching television,
using a computer, or how long someone spends cooking.
���� In response to privacy
concerns, Oklahoma has enacted legislation concerning smart meters and customer
privacy which limits the sharing of smart meter data. �In addition, the Vermont
affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union has proposed certain guidelines
regarding smart meters, including requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant
prior to accessing smart meter data.
���� The purpose of this bill is
for customers to be informed of the privacy issues that may arise from smart
meter technology. �Since the use of smart meters raises a number of privacy
concerns, electric utilities should inform customers of privacy issues prior to
installing a smart meter.