San Francisco, CA, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- September 1, 2010 - Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has announced the formation of a SmartMeter™ Technical Advisory Panel comprising experts, regulators, business stakeholders and customers to help guide the project rollout and ensure it follows best practices for customers.

The panel will be moderated by Bill Devereaux, senior director of PG&E's SmartMeter™ program. Members include a customer from one of PG&E's regional Customer Advisory Panels, PG&E's Customer Outreach team, Chris Danforth of the Division of Ratepayer Advocates, David Hungerford of the California Energy Commission, Aloke Gupta of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Energy Division, and Erich Gunther of Enernex.

“As we continue to expand the customer benefits of our SmartMeter™ program and participate in the state's evolution toward a smart grid for all Californians, we want to make sure our technology rollout empowers our customers to take charge of their energy use, follows the best practices available, and helps California achieve a low carbon, clean energy economy,” said Devereaux. “The Technical Advisory Panel will ensure that PG&E hears a wide range of opinions on the meter program and the future of the smart grid. They will have our customers first and foremost on their minds.”

In a statement PG&E said the Technical Advisory Panel is the latest step taken to enhance customers' experience of the SmartMeter™ program. Other measures adopted by the utility over the past few months include increasing the number of customer answer centers throughout new deployment areas, creating a dedicated SmartMeter™ customer call center, and adding more dedicated and trained SmartMeter™ customer service representatives.

The company also is posting online the results of its side-by-side meter demonstrations, and continues to make public monthly reports on SmartMeter™ program milestones and key developments that it has been providing to the CPUC and its Division of Ratepayer Advocates.