Smart Meters

[Bird]

See post #16 at Smart Meters ....

And of course that post #16 has a link to the "study" and the first paragraph should tell all you need to know. They didn't even have "smart meters" when that study started, but there are plenty of other electric and magnetic fields.

 

[KTurner]

And of course that post #16 has a link to the "study" and the first paragraph should tell all you need to know. They didn't even have "smart meters" when that study started, but there are plenty of other electric and magnetic fields.

Yea. That study made me wonder about something though. They're talking about one milligauss making a significant difference in the likelihood of getting asthma. Well, at the surface, the earth's magnetic field is about 500 milligauss. And that probably hasn't changed very much over our lives. Why don't we all have asthma?

Even if you assume everything stated in the study is the absolute truth, the vast majority of people are probably getting more exposure from their mobile phone in a few days than they'd get from a smart meter in a year. That's just a WAG on my part, but think about it. The transmitters are roughly the same power. And one of them stays at some remote corner of your house while they other one stays probably 1/2" from your body almost all the time.

I really don't have an opinion on the smart meters themselves. But, the govt turning these citizens into criminals instead of just cutting off their power? That just aint right.

Keith

 

[dave1949]

I'm pretty sure the utility has a legal right to access their equipment on your land. When we put power in, there was a required easement agreement stating that. It is simply a condition of having power supplied to your home.

Like most other business transactions, we don't get to tell the business, how to run their business. If we don't like it, we are free to not do business with them. How is the electric utility any different, and why would anyone expect it to be?

It's true that the electric utility has a state PUC-controlled monopoly to supply that service, but it's hard to see the sense or safety of multiple power distribution networks that would allow you to choose one over another. And, there is no guarantee you would have multiple choices even if it were allowed. It really doesn't matter to this meter issue, they would all require the same easement in any case.

 

[Bird]

I really don't have an opinion on the smart meters themselves. But, the govt turning these citizens into criminals instead of just cutting off their power? That just aint right.

We might be in the minority with that opinion:laughing:, but I agree. If you don't want a product a store offers, or you don't want that product in the packaging the store offers, the store (provider) isn't required to change. You can take it or leave it. I think the same should be true for the electric company. If people don't want their electricity delivered, metered, measured in the way the electric company provides it, they can buy their own generator.

Of course I imagine every state has some kind of public utility regulating authority, so if the electric company is actually doing something dangerous or illegal, then the customer has some recourse by contacting that state agency.

 

[Bird]

Dave, apparently you typed faster than I did.:laughing:

 

[houstonscott]

The whole reason for smart meters are so someday down the line the government can know and control your usage. Wake up. It has nothing to do with service or efficient control of the grid. Its to control your service someday. In the end they want control of your thermostat.

HS

 

[dave1949]

Dave, apparently you typed faster than I did.:laughing:

Morning Bird. Not by much

 

[dmccarty]

Here's what I'm wondering. Ok, so they refused the smart meters, for whatever reason. What makes that criminal? That just seems like a very strange part to this story. If I have a standing contract to clean your gutters and one day you decide to stand in your front yard saying don't trespass on my property, our contract is over. I can't arrest you, but I have no way to continue providing service.

Keith

The two had interesting charges:

Malia "Kim" Bendis of the 2200 block of Mercer Court was charged with two misdemeanors attempted eavesdropping and resisting a peace officer.

Jennifer Stahl of the 1400 block of Westglen Drive, received two ordinance violation citations interfering with a police officer and preventing access to customer premises.

I get the resting and interfering charges. The eavesdropping charge is interesting. I assume she was video taping or recording the incident. If that is true, that charge is questionable. The preventing access charge is interesting as well. Sounds like the state has a law that allows Joe to be charged from preventing utility access to Sue. I would like to see those statutes.

If the women had refused the new meters, it seems to me that the city should have just pulled the meters until the woman decided she would rather have power. I don't get the pushing of the new meter onto the home. Seems like the simplest thing to be would have been to cut off power and walk away. I wonder if there is a state rule/law that prevents the cut off if the home was paying the bill. If so, the city had to send in an employee with a meter and an officer for protection.

There is much in the link that is missing but should have been asked.

Interestingly, I surfed into an Orlando news site this morning and saw that there are people down there complaining about the smart meters. No arrests though.

Later,
Dan

 

[doxford jim]

The whole reason for smart meters are so someday down the line the government can know and control your usage. Wake up. It has nothing to do with service or efficient control of the grid. Its to control your service someday. In the end they want control of your thermostat.

HS

What he said and more. Who knows what the utility is monitoring and for what reason ? It is a definite invasion of privacy. I pay to use kWh - how and when I use them is no one elses business.
The crap about efficiency if use is just that cr*p - they have ulterior motives and are not about to divulge them to the public.
Thx

 

[kenmac]

I have these on both, gas meter and power meter. The device on the gas meter is a little different. Gas person drives vehicle down the road. The device on the gas meter sends a signal to the truck

 

[dmccarty]

The whole reason for smart meters are so someday down the line the government can know and control your usage. Wake up. It has nothing to do with service or efficient control of the grid. Its to control your service someday. In the end they want control of your thermostat.

HS

Maybe. However, the smart meter on our house cannot turn off anything in the house. The power company will give me a whopping $25, ONCE, to allow them to place a switch on our HVAC so they can power it off on demand. Not going to happen at that price.

The power company already knows my usage and our meters still require a meter reader to drive by. The reader no longer has to come to the house but they have to be in the neighborhood so the smart reader is not giving them real time information.

Later,
Dan

 

[houstonscott]

On step at a time.


HS

 

[Rainbody]

Maybe. However, the smart meter on our house cannot turn off anything in the house. The power company will give me a whopping $25, ONCE, to allow them to place a switch on our HVAC so they can power it off on demand. Not going to happen at that price.

The power company already knows my usage and our meters still require a meter reader to drive by. The reader no longer has to come to the house but they have to be in the neighborhood so the smart reader is not giving them real time information.

Later,
Dan

What's the reason to control your HVAC? So you're in your home buying power at contract price and the company shuts it off? I just don't understand why they would want to do that or why anyone would agree to that.

 

[300UGUY]

I wouldn't mind the smart meter. Kinda hate to see more folks lose jobs, tho. I know that in this area, the police have busted some guys growing weed indoors. They were running a lot of lights and fans, using more juice than normal for a home that size, so they were suspect. Some were stealing power, and got caught that way.

 

[kevin37b]

We have them here , took two years before they got system figured out . They will also show if you are using a generator without a proper transfer switch , ie ,backfeeding the system .

 

[KTurner]

What's the reason to control your HVAC? So you're in your home buying power at contract price and the company shuts it off? I just don't understand why they would want to do that or why anyone would agree to that.

Yep, just like they use to do with the water heaters. We get about two letters a year from our power company asking us to signup for this. I think they offer our area $40/year. It sounds like they're going to use it to shed load during periods of high usage. Yep - they're going to shutoff your A/C at times when it's probably the hottest (ie, when usage is high because everyone has their A/C cranked). It might be an easy $40 for people that are never home at times when its likely to happen.

I'd say this approach is a better solution than rolling blackouts, assuming they could somehow get enough people to signup for it that it could make an appreciable difference in the load when needed.

Keith

 

[dmccarty]

What's the reason to control your HVAC? So you're in your home buying power at contract price and the company shuts it off? I just don't understand why they would want to do that or why anyone would agree to that.

HVAC uses lots of power so the company wants to be able to turn of the HVAC during periods of high demand. This way they don't have to build more power plants.

I don't know why anyone would sign up either for $25. If they knocked $25 off my monthly bill every month, I MIGHT do it. We don't use the HVAC as our primary source of heat so winter cutoffs would not be bothersome. Turning off the HVAC in the summer would be problematic but we keep our temp in the house pretty high anyway especially if the humidity is low. I would still be concerned that they would turn the AC off when we REALLY needed it and/or there would be a failure that prevented the AC from working.

I might run those risks for saving $25 a month. I sure ain't doing it for $25.

Later,
Dan

 

[Danno1]

I wouldn't mind the smart meter. Kinda hate to see more folks lose jobs, tho. I know that in this area, the police have busted some guys growing weed indoors. They were running a lot of lights and fans, using more juice than normal for a home that size, so they were suspect. Some were stealing power, and got caught that way.

I was worried about that awhile back. Bought an arc welder and wondered if the cops and EC were going to accuse me of growing weed!!!

Didn't happen though.


.

 

[dmccarty]

I don't believe THEY will use smart meters to spy on us per say. I don't think the information is that useful.

However, I do see that real time reporting of our power usage via smart meters could lead to higher rates during certain time periods. THAT is the most likely use of smart meters in a nefarious way.

I see several smart meter companies hiring lots of people so there must be a strong demand for the products.

Later,
Dan

 

[Rainbody]

Yep, just like they use to do with the water heaters. We get about two letters a year from our power company asking us to signup for this. I think they offer our area $40/year. It sounds like they're going to use it to shed load during periods of high usage. Yep - they're going to shutoff your A/C at times when it's probably the hottest (ie, when usage is high because everyone has their A/C cranked). It might be an easy $40 for people that are never home at times when its likely to happen.

I'd say this approach is a better solution than rolling blackouts, assuming they could somehow get enough people to signup for it that it could make an appreciable difference in the load when needed.

Keith

Why not just offer a rebate for a smart thermostat ? We do that at my house. No reason to pay to condition the air when my wife and I are at work. Sucks for the cats but easily took 25% off my summertime bill. I'd skip on the kill switch to my HVAC, IMHO.