ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Monday, January 29, 1996               TAG: 9601290010
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER 

CHEATING METERS REPLACED AEP CUSTOMERS IN 7 STATES AFFECTED

American Electric Power Co. has begun replacing 792 defective residential electric meters the company had installed in the Roanoke Valley since November 1994. The meters have a tendency to slow or stop measuring a customer's power usage, the company said, cheating AEP out of revenue.

Across its seven-state service area, AEP - formerly Appalachian Power Co. in Virginia and West Virginia - will replace about 19,000 meters in the next few weeks, company spokeswoman Victoria Ratcliff said. About 3,900 customers, or 1 percent of those in Virginia, were affected, she said. That figure includes a few customers in West Virginia around Bluefield.

The meters, made by General Electric Co., contained working parts made from metal that lacks a critical alloy that gives it strength, Ratcliff said. When the meters heat up, they tend to slow down or stop. None have been known to speed up, she said.

The meters, which cost about $50 each, take about a minute to replace once an AEP service person arrives at a residence. The company is not mailing notices to affected customers but may tell people what they're doing if customers are at home when the change is made, Terry McMahan, AEP's Roanoke District manager, said.

The meters were sold all over the country and utilities other than AEP have bought them, Ratcliff said. The Southeast and Southwest, where the climate is warmer, have seen more problems with the meters, she said.

Ratcliff said that AEP and GE haven't reached a settlement yet over the problem meters, which may not only have cost the company revenue but are requiring extra expense to pull and replace.

GE officials could not be reached over the weekend for comment.

LENGTH: Short :   39 lines