In D.97-12-048, the Commission ordered the creation of the PSWG. The PSWG was formed to review the interim meter standards that were approved in that decision, and to recommend what permanent meter standards should be adopted by the Commission. The decision also directed the PSWG to determine whether other standards could be expected in the future, and to recommend a process for reviewing possible future changes to the permanent meter standards. D.97-12-048 ordered that a workshop be held, and that the PSWG file a Workshop Report with its recommendations for permanent meter standards.
The Energy Division convened a workshop on January 29, 1998. In order to address the numerous metering issues, the PSWG established the following four subgroups: (1) meter equipment; (2) meter communications; (3) meter data management (MDM) and meter reading; and (4) meter installation, maintenance, testing and calibration. A separate subcommittee was also formed to investigate national issues that might impact California standards.
The four subgroups met once every two weeks. The full PSWG membership met once a month to monitor overall progress, and to vote on the items recommended by the subgroups for approval.
Many different entities, including MSPs, MDMAs, meter manufacturers, ESPs, UDCs, employee representative groups, consumer representatives, and municipal utilities, actively participated in the PSWG process.
The PSWG filed its "Permanent Standards For Metering And Meter Data Used In Direct Access" (Workshop Report) on July 29, 1998. The recommendations contained in the Workshop Report were voted upon by at least
two-thirds of the eligible voting membership of the PSWG. When the recommendations were not supported by 100% of the voting membership, the Workshop Report included the non-majority positions, if those views were expressed.
Comments to the Workshop Report were filed by the California Energy Commission (CEC), Coalition of California Utility Employees (CCUE), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), and Southern California Edison Company (SCE). Joint comments to the Workshop Report were filed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standards Coordinating Committee 31 (SCC31), and the Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA).2 In addition, the Executive Board of the Southern California Chapter of the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) submitted a September 25, 1997 letter in response to the Workshop Report.
2 These three groups are collectively referred to in this decision as the joint parties.
