Millions of Ohioans are being switched over from old outdated energy meters to new digital smart meters.

The new meters will help both Ohio Edison workers and customers by relaying more information during severe storms. 

“When there are smart meters installed we can see where there are confirmed power restorations and outages. We don't have to send a crew to go investigate and so that speeds up our restoration time significantly,” Hannah Catlett, a spokesperson for First Energy said. 

It will also give customers more information about their personal energy usage through their first energy account and tips on how to be more energy efficient.

“They’ll be able to see different data sets whether it's usage in their own home or they can compare their usage to what people around them are using,” Catlett said.

First Energy will give customers a heads up when they’re about to be switched over. Homes will get letters in the mail six weeks and again two weeks before the install. The day of or one day before crews arrive, homeowners will find a notice on their door. There is no cost to switch and energy representatives will never ask a homeowner to pay a fee for the install.

Crews will make their way to homes in the Youngstown area starting now into the summer. They’ll eventually have every First Energy customer in the state switched over by 2027.

Homeowners can opt out of the smart meter before or after they are installed for a fee.