Staff of the Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday asked Commonwealth Edison Co. for more information on the fires and overheating incidents involving smart meters installed over the past three years.
Executive Director Jonathan Feipel requested the additional information after learning of the three “small fires” at area homes and 15 other overheating incidents in a Crain’s report Thursday morning, said spokeswoman Beth Bosch.
The ICC, which regulates utilities, had been told in September 2010 of one fire in River Forest, which occurred in June of that year while ComEd was required to report on progress in what then was a smart-meter pilot program, Ms. Bosch said.
Since then, two other small fires involving smart meters occurred in homes in River Forest and Berwyn, ComEd said. Investigations have shown that the cause of the fires were faulty connections inside the homes rather than malfunctions in the meters themselves.
Fires or overheating incidents involving smart meters have also been reported in suburban Philadelphia by Peco Energy Co. and in Maryland by Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. All three utilities are owned by Chicago-based Exelon Corp.
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