LUMA Energy’s smart meters in Puerto Rico, which automatically transmit each customer’s electricity use, are under scrutiny from the island’s energy czar, the Senate and the House of Representatives over complaints of unusual increases in electric bills. LUMA is replacing about 1.5 million meters islandwide under an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
According to LUMA, the new meters communicate with the company throughout the day, which would let it detect outages faster, restore service more efficiently and reduce estimated bills. They are also bidirectional, measuring power drawn from the grid and power returned by solar panels. LUMA says about 30% of current meters are over 20 years old.
Installation is free, but customers must pay for repairs to their own equipment, such as the meter base or conduit. The program began in San Juan; by September LUMA had installed more than 200,000 meters, aiming for 500,000 by year’s end. LUMA says most customers will see the same consumption, though some may see changes if they previously got estimated bills or had a faulty meter.
On October 24, Josué Colón Ortiz, executive director of the Public-Private Partnerships Authority and energy czar, gave LUMA five days to report whether the meters contributed to unexplained increases, identify affected accounts and present a corrective plan; LUMA replied that its billing systems are reliable and it had found no irregularities. Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz filed information request 2026-0151, which, if approved, would give LUMA 10 days to deliver calibration records, accuracy tests and error logs.
House Government Committee chair Víctor Parés Otero said he will summon LUMA to a public hearing.