Posted on 08/29/2010 2:59:28 PM PDT by TMD
We just received notice that PGE will be installing a "smart meter" at our house. I guess since California is so flush with extra money, they can afford another gigantic expense to further regulate our lives and determine our comfort level.
Anyone have any experience with the new and improved "smart meters"? Doing a quick google on smart meters lists all kinds of problems people are having with them. Even ultra-liberal Santa Cruz is considering a moratorium as of Aug 25th, on them until problems get straightened out.
Can I tell them not to install it?
We have had smart meters installed on two homes, one in the Sacramento area and one in the mountains. Haven’t had any complaints but am watching. In the mountain home it seems we might have benefitted probably because it seemed the meter reader was too lazy to go to the meter and guessed what it shold be from neighbors. PG&E had to make adjustments on several bills.
People who object are going to lose, eventually.
The meter readers are going to be reduced and will be reading way more infrequently, and they will be getting estimated bills due to infrequent reads.
BTW - manual meter reading is very inaccurate, as were many of the old meters, which were very infrequently tested and overhauled. People could easily go 20 years without a meter test. You probably were lucky to have a “slow” meter.
I have a smart meter at my house installed by Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and I haven't seen any significant changes in my bill. Of course, SMUD, unlike PG&E, has vastly superior customer service and are actually more responsive to things like power outages....
Tape a note next to your meter that says “Do not install smart meter.” Take a picture of it.. They should not install it without your permission, and certainly not when you explicitly say not to. For instance, if there were a critical piece of medical equipment there, that sign would be reason enough to warn them, and disconnecting you could land them in serious legal hot water.
ping
It’s highly doubtful that your electric meter has anything to do with your thermostat.
I think the whole key here is whether the smart meters are capable of only one-way communication, or are capable of bidirectional communication.
If it is one way (my house to FPL here in Florida) I don’t have a problem, since if they want to help me lower my electricity bill I would be foolish to complain.
If however they can send commands to the meter, that’s a whole different ball game.
We got a notice a week ago that FPL would be around to install one of these.
There was no mention about the form of communication. It is a question I intend to ask them. My answer will be much more positive if it is the former rather than the latter.
“. I guess since California is so flush with extra money, they can afford “
Just a quick note, PG&E is not state owned.
No, they are probably not controlling your AC. If you do not have these two boxes then they can not be controlling your AC.
http://www.pge.com/mybusiness/energysavingsrebates/demandresponse/sac/doihavesmartac/
The Sheriff will not be around to back you up when PG&E stops selling your electricity.
Back in the 1980’s, a standard mechanical watthour meter costed the utility about $31. They were made to last decades, and indeed, we were changing out meters installed in the 1930’s that still worked (usually). These things are/were nearly maintenance-free. Unfortunately, they probably didn’t make much money for GE any more. So, in order to gain a new cash cow, the new “smart meter” is developed and marketed.
It helps, of course, to have a government mandate to aid in your marketing effort.
Yes, you are right. After reading this thread, I realized that I misinterpreted it. What I have installed is a remotely controlled thermostat, controlled by the electric company, not a smart meter.
How did they gain access to your house to tamper with your thermostat? If they installed wires in the house, disconnect them. If they put some type of controller on your outside air conditioning unit, bypass it. I don't know what the laws are in your jurisdiction, but there are limits in most places as to where a utility can gain access. In general, they can access THEIR equipment, and can obtain access to yours only for reasons of public safety (for example, if you had a generator miswired and feeding into a line on which they wanted to work).
I got a job offer in Maryland that I couldn’t resist, so I left my house in Virginia and rented an apartment in Maryland. The rental office gave us no choice.
25 years ago, I read meters and tested them. Going 20 years on any meter manufactured from the 1950's on is not a big deal. They hold their accuracy very well, and usually don't require any readjustment after 15-20 years of service. The older stuff, before magnetic-suspension bearings, yes, there were more mechanical issues with those. But we scrapped all pre-1950 meters in the mid 1980's.
As for meter reading, it's no more difficult than reading a watch. Errors do occur, but any small error is erased on the next month's reading, and any large error (typically, around 1 in 200 back in my day, probably less today with electronic reading recorders that they use today since they provide instant feedback to the reader) is/was kicked out for a re-read automatically.
Demand-type meters, which we did not use for residential customers, required that the demand hand be reset each month so the reader had to record the demand and then reset it physically. But us residential folks didn't need to touch the meter to read it, and usually could get an accurate reading from 15 feet away (couldn't do that any more with my eyes these days though).
Oh, OK. I was under the impression that they installed something in your own house which would involve trespassing.
It would be good to find out how it's wired and possibly devise a way to override it or fool it in a manner that allows you to remain comfortable. If they're not giving you a discount for presumably controlling your demand at peak times, then they shouldn't be controlling it.
They actually set your temperature? You tell the temp to be “72,” and it doesn’t go that low because the utility has taken control of your thermostat and set the temp at “79.”?
If so, that is outrageous.
Ed
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.