A home was scorched Thursday morning on Park Avenue in Bensalem, Bucks County and fire officials say the cause was a new PECO smart meter that overheated.
Neighbors who have the same new meters in their homes tell NBC10 they are scared the same thing could happen to them.
"I’m nervous about it, because if one meter was hot and the other one was cold, it makes me wonder. Hey, I don’t want my house to burn down," said Diane Rouse, neighbor.
PECO began replacing older devices with these new digital meters back in March. There are currently more than 200,000 homes with smart meters, according to the power company.
Just a few weeks ago, a mid-August fire at an Upper Makefield home was also blamed on a PECO smart meter, according to fire officials.
PECO spokesperson Cathy Engel Menendez tells NBC10 that there have been 26 incidents of smart meters overheating and says the power company has stopped installing the new meters.
PECO is now replacing the ones that are already installed with a different brand that has safety features.
“One (safety feature) is an early alarm where the meter will tell us if a situation is occurring that's not normal. The second of which is an automatic shutoff,” said Engel Menendez.
Representatives from PECO will appear in Harrisburg on September 13 to explain the problem to the Public Utility Commission and discuss how they are handling the situation.
To have your meter checked, call 855-741-9011.
