Reno, NV - It's out with the old and in with the new. By the end of the year, NV Energy's new smart digital meters will be on just about every building in Northern Nevada. That's why NV Energy hosted an event in Reno on Friday - to teach people about the meters.

"It is making everybody have more information about their energy use," says Michael Yackira, President and CEO of NV Energy.

The new digital meters collect data on energy usage 96 times a day. That information is transmitted back to NV Energy and the customer can also access that information a day later online.

"So this will provide the opportunity to get that information to our customers on as frequent a basis as they want so they can take action. So at the end of the month, they know what their bill is and they can reduce it," says Yackira.

"Our customers are saying when it gets into the peak season, whether it's in the winter time or summer time, we're afraid to open our bills," says Gary Smith, customer energy solutions director at NV Energy. "And if we can help them with understanding their energy..."

While the smart meters are new to folks in Northern Nevada, they've already been installed in most of Southern Nevada. NV Energy hopes to have all of the state using the smart meters by the end of the year.

The meters have been controversial. Some people are concerned the radio frequencies involved could affect their health. That's why the state's Public Utilities Commission held a public workshop in Las Vegas last month, which was shown live in Carson City. About 50 people showed up in Carson City for that.

The CEO of NV Energy says people should not be concerned about their health.

"We have data that suggest that the health effect is nothing," says Yackira. "It's much more of a question if you carry around a cell phone in your pocket than the kind of emissions that these meters have."

While some customers are still skeptical, no one is allowed to opt out. However, NV Energy says concerned customers can put their names on a Postponement List. They just have to contact the company.

NV Energy crews will start installing the smart meters in homes in Spanish Springs starting on January 17. The company says it alerts people about 30 days prior when it plans to come out and make the swap.