Springfield, Eversource agree steps to avoid placing smart meters on historic facades

Councilor Brown convened a meeting with Eversource representatives, city preservation advocates and city planning staff to discuss the utility's smart meter rollout and recent cases of meters appearing on the fronts of buildings in Springfield's historic districts. Preservation advocates said the installations were occurring without homeowners being informed or the projects being routed to the Springfield Historical Commission for review. Eversource staff described the meter replacement process and agreed to review its internal guidance and work orders to reduce future problems.

The meeting matters because historic-district rules require review of exterior changes, and residents and preservation groups said visible meter placements can alter the appearance of protected properties. "We do want to make sure that the integrity of the historic properties are maintained and that homeowners of historic properties have a right to discuss what's where they're being placed," said Erica Swallow, president of the Springfield Preservation Trust.

Eversource officials described the technical scope of the smart meter program and how meter changes are handled. "What we're doing is we are exchanging the meter, but it's just the meter. It's not the meter socket," said Jason Blente, who represents Eversource's electric smart meter…