PG&E wants to give customers concerned about radio wave emissions from its new SmartMeters the choice of retaining conventional meters — for a fee. The utility’s action comes in response to objections to SmartMeters, the devices that monitor customers’ electricity and natural gas consumption and transmit the data to PG&E.

The California Public Utilities Commission meets in Santa Rosa Monday as part of its effort to revamp safety rules following a deadly PG&E explosion September in San Bruno. Regulators are considering tougher standards for inspections, record-keeping, shut-off valves and maintenance among many other measures.

UPDATE 6:45 PM: Mendocino County supervisors have adopted a moratorium on SmartMeter installations, paving the way for residents to file criminal complaints against PG&E when workers install meters without their consent. But don’t expect a deputy to respond. See how the county plans to enforce the ban.

Activists who want the California Public Utilities Commission to investigate health concerns raised about PG&E’s SmartMeters received support this week from the commission’s own consumer advocacy division. If left unaddressed, such health concerns could pose “a very great risk that PG&E’s SmartMeter deployment will turn out to be a $2.2 billion mistake that ratepayers can ill afford,” the Division of Ratepayer Advocates says.

A much-anticipated study of PG&E’s SmartMeters concluded that the devices are accurate and not to blame for higher energy bills that were the source of thousands of customer complaints. But that assessment likely won’t dampen criticism on the North Coast, where concerns about the new meters have mainly centered on the perceived health risks related to the electromagnetic frequencies that the devices emit.

Bowing to pressure from upset Windsor residents, PG&E has agreed to look at a number of potential sites — away from homes — for a proposed high-power electrical facility. The Town Council wants the substation placed in a heavy industrial zone, away from homes and sports fields.

A chastened PG&E now admits that more than 43,000 of its so-called SmartMeters have malfunctioned, prompting the giant utility to announce new customer service initiatives to address growing concerns about the accuracy of the high-tech devices.

Sonoma County officials have some harsh words for PG&E for the utility’s last-minute decision to pull out of a public forum concerning its controversial SmartMeters. “I was not only disappointed, I was insulted,” says Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo. And Sebastopol Vice Mayor Guy Wilson says “they chickened out.”

PG&E was booed and hissed last night after the utility abruptly backed out of a public forum organized by Supervisor Efren Carrillo to discuss the safety and accuracy of its wireless SmartMeters. The utility said it did not like the format of the forum, which was altered to include an open exchange with the audience.