We Support Customer Choice
If you do not want an Advanced Meter installed, you can choose to continue to have the natural gas meter read manually and in person by enrolling in the Opt-Out Program. If you choose to opt out, you agree to pay the fees mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to cover the costs of the Opt-Out Program. Please note that without an Advanced Meter, you will not have access to a range of benefits enabled by the Advanced Meter technology.
Comparing Your Meter Options
SoCalGas customers may choose to opt out of Advanced Meter upgrade
Advanced Meter | Opt-Out | ||
---|---|---|---|
Initial Opt-Out fees*** | Advanced Meter $0 | Opt-Out $75 | |
Monthly Opt-Out charge*** | Advanced Meter $0 | Opt-Out $10 | |
Bill-to-date information via socalgas.com and alerts | Advanced Meter Available | Opt-Out X | |
Ability to view your daily and hourly usage via My Account at socalgas.com | Advanced Meter Available | Opt-Out X | |
Access to 13 months of daily and hourly gas usage and cost data | Advanced Meter Available | Opt-Out X |
***Fees are for NON-CARE customers. See "How to Opt-Out" below for details.
Don't Miss Out!
You still have access to My Account, but without the Advanced Meter upgrade, you will not have access to additional tools that can help you proactively manage your gas usage and costs.
The tools are accessible via the Ways to Save and Manage My Account sections of My Account.
How to Opt Out
- Requests to enroll in the Advanced Meter Opt-Out Program must be made by the customer of record.
- Call our Customer Contact Center at 1-800-427-2200.
- Ask to be enrolled in our Advanced Meter Opt-Out Program.
- The Opt-Out Program is only available to residential customers.
Opt-Out Fees
If you opt out, you agree to pay the opt-out fees, mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission:
Opt-Out Program Customers:
Initial Fee***: $75 Monthly Charge***: $10/month
CARE** Opt-Out Program Customers:
Initial Fee***: $10 Monthly Charge***: $5/month
** California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) provides a 20% bill discount for income-qualified residential customers as well as for customers participating in public assistance programs.
*** Initial fee and monthly charges will be subject to applicable taxes. The billing of the monthly charge will be limited to the first three years of program enrollment.
What to Expect
Opt-Out Billing
Both the initial fee and monthly charges will appear on your SoCalGas bill within 60 days after enrollment in the Opt-Out Program, under the section "Other Charges and Credits." Once billed, both the initial fee and monthly charges are non-refundable.
Manual Reads
We will manually read the natural gas meter every other month. For the months in between, the meter read will be estimated, thereby resulting in an estimated gas bill. In the months in which we do manually read the natural gas meter, the resulting bill will reflect any gas usage differences that have occurred from the last time the natural gas meter was manually read.
We Still Need Access to Natural Gas Meter for Periodic Maintenance
Enrollment in the Opt-Out Program does not impact the company's policy on requesting continuous access to the natural gas meter for maintenance purposes.
The Fees and Charges Don't Transfer
The initial fee and monthly charges are specific to the natural gas meter at each residence and do not transfer if you move. If you move and want to opt out at your new location, a new initial fee and monthly charges will apply. The billing of the monthly charge will be limited to the first three years of program enrollment.
Advanced Meter Introduction
See how installing new Advanced Meter technology to your existing meter would allow you to monitor your usage online throughout the month.
Opt-Out
If you do not want an Advanced Meter installed, please call our Customer Contact Center and request to be added to the Advanced Meter Opt-Out:
Opt-Out option is applicable to residential customers only.