HOUSTON -- Note: The following story is a verbatim transcript of an Investigators story that aired on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2007, on KPRC Local 2 at 10 p.m.

Local 2 Investigates is looking into changes on your electric bill. We know state regulators are listening, but what they're saying about the problems thousands of you are facing may surprise you.

Investigative reporter Amy Davis discovered the agency that's supposed to look out for you is looking confused about the issues we brought to light in our series.

At an Oct. 2 Public Utilities Commission meeting, commissioner Barry Smitherman told his fellow commissioners and the CEOs of several electric companies, “The press we're getting right now is terrible.” Smitherman told them there has been a series of stories running in Houston. He’s referring to our investigation that showed you how a new state rule that was designed to protect consumers from unfair over-billing is now costing many of you more money.

We introduced you to Paul Pinell. For more than a decade, meter readers never told Pinell they had any problems getting in to read his electric meter. But like thousands of others, this summer CenterPoint Energy told him if he didn't keep his gate unlocked or pay $69 to install a meter that meter readers could read from the street, he'd be in the dark.

“I think it is confusing,” said Smitherman at the meeting.

Not only did PUC commissioners not know the details of the options CenterPoint has laid out for you, commissioners can't seem to understand why its rule change is causing customers so many headaches.

Smitherman said, "You wouldn't know it by the e-mails and stories they're running that we're trying to do folks a favor."

But Houston resident B.J. Townsend says, “The job they're doing hasn't helped the consumer at all that I can see."

And Townsend, who’s lived in the same house for 38 years, could use some help. She says for as long as she can remember, meter readers have always knocked on her front door so she could let them in her back yard to read her meter. But without notice, CenterPoint meter readers began estimating her readings to the tune of $500. CenterPoint now claims her dogs in the back yard suddenly prevented them from getting access to her meter.

“No one seems to be taking all of these customer complaints seriously,” said consumer advocate Carol Biedrzycki, noting that the PUC seems to be looking out for the industry, not consumers.

“They should be the ones that are responsible for making a decision that might make the industry unhappy,” said Biedrzycki.

We also told you about CenterPoint's plan to roll out 2 million digital or advanced meters beginning in 2008. The new meters will beam your reading back to CenterPoint, eliminating the need for meter readers.

Some east Texas cities are suing electric companies there for what they claim are inflated readings by the new meters.

This is how your commissioners reacted to those concerns at that Oct. 2 meeting. Commissioner Paul Hudson said, “I, too, am excited about them (the digital meters) and if there's anything we can do to help talk up the potential benefits, I think we should take that opportunity.”

Smitherman seemed just as enthusiastic when he said, ” We've all got to be on the same page about the value of these digital meters.”

That's right. PUC Commissioners spent much of the meeting advocating, not for you the consumer, but for the rollout of the new advanced digital meters.

The discussion covered several facets of our story except how they can help you with your electric bill.

The head of PUC’s customer service department said, “Some folks are looking for sensationalism.”

Townsend doesn’t call her $530 electric bill sensationalism but rather an unfortunate reality.

At one point in the meeting, a PUC commissioner did seem concerned about charging consumers the full $69 for a remote-read meter on one bill.

Instead of telling CenterPoint it couldn't do that, the commissioner asked the company if it would consider spreading the charge out over several months.

We sent a DVD of our investigation along with copies of your hundreds of your complaints to PUC commissioners. We asked them for a response to the problems we've pointed out. So far, we haven't heard from them.