Penn Power is going to begin installing “smart meters” on homes and businesses in Cranberry Township in July.

CRANBERRY TWP — Local utility companies are in the process of installing new digital electric meters on homes in accordance with state law, and the township will be one of the first places in Western Pennsylvania to receive them.

Diane Francis, a spokesman with Penn Power, said crews will start installing the “smart meter” in July and residents and businesses here can expect an informational pamphlet in the next few weeks.

That pamphlet will include detailed information about the smart meters and will also include the times and days when crews will be in the area for installation.

Francis said Cranberry Township customers will be some of the first out of 2.1 million electric customers in this part of the state to get the new meters, which became necessary after legislators in Harrisburg passed a law in 2008.

Certain efficiencies tied to the new meters, such as requiring fewer estimated bills and fewer mailed statements, will lead to lower operating costs.

The smart meters also could eventually help electric companies better respond to outages, Francis said.

Under the state law, customers are responsible for paying for the development and installation of the new smart meters.

Eventually every electric customer in the state will get a new meter, even if they don’t want one.

“We’ve received very few complaints from customers that they don’t want one,” Francis said. “Unfortunately this is not an opt-out program. Eventually all of our customers will receive one.”

Francis said Penn Power hopes to replace all of their customers’ meters by December of 2015. She added that nearly all of the company’s Pennsylvania customers will receive the new meters by 2019.

Jennifer Kocher, a spokesman with the state Public Utility Commission, said her organization oversaw all the plans and designs for the new smart meters.

She said Wednesday there are multiple benefits of having the meters installed, adding that they could even save homeowners money in the future.

They could do so by enrolling in something called “dynamic pricing,” Kocher said, meaning they could save money on electric rates based on the time of day they use the most electricity.

That’s because electric rates fluctuate “by the hour and sometimes even by the minute,” Kocher said. The smart meters would allow homeowners to use their electricity at a time when there are lower rates.

“People who might not be home during the day can save money on their bill by signing up for a time during the evening when they can choose to do things that use the most electricity, things like using the washing machine or dryer,” she said.

She also touted the smart meters as new technology that will help companies better react and respond to widespread outages.

Duane McKee, the assistant manager for Cranberry Township, said on Wednesday he, along with many other local officials, went to a presentation held by Penn Power on the meter replacements.

McKee said local officials don’t have any say in the entire process, but added it was good to know of the power company’s plans.

“We have no regulations to control them by,” McKee said. “They are governed by the state, and that trumps us.”

He said Penn Power plans on installing at least 50,000 smart meters by the end of this year.