The short version
- Primera Hora reported that Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz filed Petition 2026-0151 on Friday requiring LUMA to provide details on the installation and accuracy of new smart meters
- Metro Puerto Rico reported the petition seeks certifications, calibrations, error logs and other evidence that the meters measure consumption correctly
- Both outlets reported that roughly 200,000 meters have been installed since the program began in April 2025 and that LUMA has 10 business days to respond if the petition is approved
- Metro Puerto Rico reported that the Autoridad para las Alianzas Público-Privadas asked LUMA on Oct. 24 to investigate possible links between the new meters and higher bills
Oversight request follows bill complaints
Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz filed a petition on Friday, Oct. 30, directing LUMA Energy to turn over extensive documentation on the smart meters it has been installing across Puerto Rico, Primera Hora reported. The petition, numbered 2026-0151, is addressed to LUMA Energy LLC and LUMA Energy ServCo LLC through CEO Janisse Quiñones, Metro Puerto Rico reported.
Rivera Schatz stated that “lecturas de consumo erradas y perjudiciales al cliente son lo mismo que el robo de energía” and that such errors cannot be allowed. He added that the Senate has a duty to ensure customers pay only for energy actually consumed. The petition notes an increase in complaints from residential and commercial customers about substantial and unexplained bill increases in recent weeks.
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What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Lecturas de consumo erradas y perjudiciales al cliente son lo mismo que el robo de energía. No pueden permitirse bajo ninguna circunstancia
Our translation: Erroneous and harmful consumption readings for the customer are the same as energy theft. They cannot be allowed under any circumstances.
The source's own statement, as quoted by Primera Hora. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Details requested and timeline
If approved by the full Senate, the petition would give LUMA 10 business days to deliver the requested information, which includes an inventory of installed meters by region and municipality, manufacturer, model, accuracy class, firmware version, installer identities and training records, Metro Puerto Rico reported. It also seeks proof of compliance with American National Standards Institute standards, test reports for humidity, fog and rain conditions, records of final and initial readings when meters are replaced, and logs of any corrected or estimated readings.
Additional requests cover error and failure records since the program began, the number of meters replaced for defects, warranty claims filed with manufacturer Itron, the number of complaints about unusual bills since Jan. 1, 2026, and interim measures to protect affected customers, including suspension of service disconnections while complaints are investigated. LUMA must also provide copies of communications with the Autoridad para las Alianzas Público-Privadas and any related reports.
Program background and prior review
The replacement of approximately 1.5 million meters is part of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure project funded with federal money. Installation began in April 2025 in public housing developments. The meters, produced by Itron and installed by Puerto Rican subcontractors, are intended to enable real-time communication between LUMA’s operations and customers, Primera Hora reported. According to LUMA’s own public information cited in the petition, more than 200,000 meters had been installed by September with a goal of 500,000 by the end of the year, Metro Puerto Rico reported.
On Oct. 24 the Autoridad para las Alianzas Público-Privadas asked LUMA to investigate whether meter installation, programming or integration with billing systems contributed to the reported bill increases and to submit a certified report within five days. LUMA has publicly maintained that it has not identified irregularities in its billing processes.
Where the sources differ
Both Primera Hora and Metro Puerto Rico agree that Rivera Schatz filed Petition 2026-0151 on Friday, Oct. 30, that it requires detailed information on the new smart meters, that roughly 200,000 meters have been installed, and that LUMA would have 10 days to respond if the petition is approved. Metro Puerto Rico provides a more extensive list of the 18 specific items requested and notes the Oct. 24 request from the Autoridad para las Alianzas Público-Privadas; Primera Hora focuses more on Rivera Schatz’s social-media statement comparing inaccurate readings to energy theft and gives the April 2025 start date for installations in public housing.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state whether the Senate has yet approved the petition, whether LUMA has already responded to the Autoridad para las Alianzas Público-Privadas request, the exact number or nature of customer complaints received, or what actions if any will be taken if inaccuracies are later confirmed. No information is given on the total value of disputed charges or on any timeline for completing the full 1.5-million-meter replacement program beyond the 500,000 target by year-end.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official Rivera Schatz exige a LUMA respuestas sobre contadores inteligentes y alza en la factura
- Reporting Rivera Schatz investigará “lecturas erradas y perjudiciales” de los nuevos contadores de LUMA
- Reporting Rivera Schatz exige a LUMA respuestas sobre contadores inteligentes y alza en la factura
How we checked this
Primera Hora and Metro Puerto Rico both covered Rivera Schatz’s filing of the oversight petition and the context of rising complaints about electricity bills. Most details on the specific data demanded and the prior request from the Autoridad para las Alianzas Público-Privadas rest on the Metro Puerto Rico account, while the direct quote from Rivera Schatz appears in Primera Hora.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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