New electric meters

[grsthegreat]

I'll never see 5G. I only get 3G at my house.

you should be happy. I dont want or need 5g. My current phone is just fine

Then again I still have my old 1980s radio shack mobile phone out in the shop somewheres. Analog, 3 watts.... fills an entire 5 gallon bucket with parts. But I could make phone calls anywheres, I even made calls while dune bugging out in the red rock desert... way before digital towers existed.. 3 watts could cook a turkey

 

[k0ua]

you should be happy. I dont want or need 5g. My current phone is just fine

Then again I still have my old 1980s radio shack mobile phone out in the shop somewheres. Analog, 3 watts.... fills an entire 5 gallon bucket with parts. But I could make phone calls anywheres, I even made calls while dune bugging out in the red rock desert... way before digital towers existed.. 3 watts could cook a turkey

Don't forget the antennas we all put on our vehicles had from 3 to 5 dB of gain. All except the little 1/4 waves. So the ERP (Effective Radiated Power) could have been from about 6 to 9 watts. Plus they were "in the clear" for the most part on our vehicles. Not inside a glass and metal box (automobile cabin)

 

[coobie]

I've seen this problem many times. the electronic meters give a higher bill for some reason, and it has not been properly explained!.. the new meters can measure power factor, but, it has been said that is ignored for residential use.. perhaps time of use is being accounted for?. the bill would vary because of that!..

BS,explain how you have seen this MANY TIMES.I was a electric lineman trouble shooter for many years. The only time I seen bills increase when we had a customer complaint. When the customer had a electric water heater, well pump or such starting to go bad.Their monthly bills would almost double.

 

[coobie]

my bills never changed after digital meters installed 5 years back. if your real worried, get yourself a emon-dmon meter and track your actual usage and compare it to the bill. Products | E-Mon

Agree, my bills have not changed since the new digital meters have been installed.

 

[lman]

I never noticed a change after new meter was installed. My dogs miss the meter reader though.

 

[mike48130]

Where I am at, the local power company has an app so you can monitor your daily usage if you have the smart meter. Won't tell you why your last bill is high, but you can at least see if your current usage seems accurate. The days you are not in the shop should be very low.

 

[coobie]

I never noticed a change after new meter was installed. My dogs miss the meter reader though.

Laffin,my dogs do to..

 

[5030]

Laffin,my dogs do to..

+1.... The meter reader always had a biscuit for my pup. He's a sucker for a Milkbone.... Give him a Milkbone and he will follow you anywhere, looking for another treat.

 

[Dwellonroof]

I have newer meters at all 3 of my places but they are plastic and the sun fogs them up after a couple years an now you cannot even read them manually.
Why would you think the electric company would place something like that on someone property is beyond me.

 

[5030]

because they read them remotely. I bet their philosophy is... you don't have to.

 

[Grumpycat]

Those new smart meters are scary.
While they can take readings for billing they also can be programmed to read consumption at peek hours etc.
I suspect they will soon start charging based demand during peak times.
Already the want us to do washing at night and cooking at mid day with timers.

The alternative is that they will charge peak rate 24 hours/day.

The meter has its own clock and knows to count kWh separately for different times of the day.

What disturbs me is that they made us pay for that meter with a special rate increase.
Any other enterprise would invest their own money to increase their profitability.

Hey, will Esso buy me a new car in order to sell more gas?

Dumb electronic meters are about $15 each. A smart meter with cell data radio can be $100 but few are cellular, most use unlicensed low power bands similar to WiFi, Bluetooth, cordless phones, and garage door openers. Some can use each other to relay data to a central collection point. Some rely on a mobile reader possibly at the street.

If you had a rate hike to support "smart metering" then you were ripped off by ignorant public service commission government bureaucrats who were fooled by the utility.

 

[jaydee325]

To those of you who deride the rate electric making process of your public service commission, have you ever followed a rate case from beginning to end and provided comment through the public comment process?

Just wondering.