National Grid representatives told the Select Board on Oct. 22 that the utility began installing next‑generation advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters on Nantucket in early October and expects to finish residential work by spring 2026, then begin commercial installs.

The company said installers had replaced just over 1,800 residential meters as of the presentation, about 15% of the island’s homes. Installations require a brief, safety‑test power interruption at each location; National Grid described the outage as typically under 10 minutes and said crews leave door hangers when work is complete.

National Grid said AMI meters report usage roughly every 15 minutes and provide benefits including more detailed customer usage information, faster outage detection and remote alarms for equipment problems. Lisa Morguerra, National Grid’s community engagement lead for the Massachusetts AMI project, said customers will be able to view 15‑minute usage on the utility’s MyAccount portal and that the meters can help the company find isolated outages and “onesies or twosies” that are hard to locate during storms.

The company addressed safety and privacy concerns. Mark (National Grid representative) said the meters transmit at very low radio frequencies comparable to other common devices, and Morguerra said National Grid uses an encrypted network and does not transmit personal identifying information — only usage data tied to an encrypted customer identifier.

National Grid described an opt‑out option for customers who do not want a communicating AMI meter. Morguerra said customers may request a non‑communicating (manually read) meter; when that option is scheduled there is a monthly fee for manual reads. The company’s materials cited a $26 monthly fee for opt‑outs and a $33 one‑time reinstallation fee if a manually read meter must be replaced with an AMI meter later. Morguerra said landlords cannot opt out on behalf of tenants; the account holder must request enrollment.

The presentation also covered operational details raised by residents in questions: in most installs the meter is outdoors and no appointment is required; for interior meters National Grid schedules an appointment. Generators with automatic transfer switches will typically start when the meter is removed and should return to utility power automatically after the change is complete, the company said. Customers with sensitive electronics or medical equipment can schedule a timed appointment and make arrangements to avoid disruption.

National Grid said it has a materials‑recycling contract for the old meters. The company will also maintain a 60‑/30‑/10‑day customer communications cadence and leave a door hanger the day of installation. Morguerra invited residents to a public drop‑in on Monday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., at the Family Resource Center in Freedom Square for one‑on‑one questions and bill‑help.

Select Board members asked about opt‑outs, risks to electronics and how solar customers will be affected during meter swaps; National Grid staff said solar inverters generally detect loss of utility power and go offline during the swap and that some configurations vary. The company recommended that customers with microgrids or medical equipment make an appointment so crews can coordinate.

Despite some resident concerns, National Grid said the rollout has proceeded as planned and that the company drew lessons from other state deployments. The utility will maintain online FAQs and translation support for non‑English speakers, and staff said in‑person translation will be available at the Nov. 3 event.

Looking ahead, National Grid said it expects residential deployment to continue through scheduled breaks in winter and to conclude in spring 2026, with commercial customer installs to follow.