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?
Actually, the "smart grid" encompasses a lot more than that - it involves offering greater remote control over line switches and breakers, and even including automatic sectionalizing schemes that isolate sections of a line that might be faulted (wires down, tree limb across conductors, etc.) while bringing power back on to the rest of the customers on that particular distribution circuit.
Something worth noting - many of the features being touted as benefits of the smart grid are things that utilities have been developing and expanding for decades. Power substations were the first to gain remote control so that dispatchers and operators could operate circuit breakers remotely and read station loads and alarms.
Line circuit breakers were the next logical step along with logically-designed automatic sectionalizing schemes. In 1989, when I became a substation dispatcher/operator, we had a few remote-controlled line switches and many stations had automatic throwovers that would swap to a live source if the normal source lost power.
It's already out there and has been for several decades. But it will be done on a larger scale, and with more computerized logic, under the new name of "smart grid".
Yes, if I want the apartment to be cooler and I try to adjust the thermostat, it will not move (digital thermostat) until the electric company allows it. They call it a “Smart Sentry” thermostat.
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15309857?source=most_emailed
And for every "smart" problem lies a simple solution. As mentioned before, a simple light bulb near the thermostat will resolve the issue by raising the temperature near the thermostat, causing it to "think" that it is warmer than it really is. I think that a small floor lamp or table lamp where you can get the bulb right under the thermostat should do the trick. I think you should be able to get away with a 25 watt bulb (incandescent), as long as you can get it within 4 or 5 inches from the thermostat.
Experiment. Make sure that you have another thermometer around the house to see how cool the house really is. If 25 doesn't allow you to get cool enough, try a 40 watt.
Do they control this thing during the night, or only during the peak hours? If it's only during the peak, you can put a timer on the lamp to only have it operate during those hours. The key is to use the smallest bulb you can get away with while still allowing the apartment to be as cool as you want it. You're probably just wanting to lower the temperature a little during the heat of the day.
The problem with meter reading is personnel. Well trained, experienced and motivated readers can give you accurate results. When you have weaknesses in your personnel and management then things may not work well at all.
We can try to work processes and systems around that, but I have seen enough data on the back end to doubt that these can overcome the human factor.
A “smartmeter” system eliminates most of the human issues after installation - you still have install problems of course. But these can be progressively cleaned up.
Actually, it appears our electricity bill has gone down since the new meter was installed.
“Wireless meter reading was the previous generation.”
Not if your house never had one in the first place. My house got one a couple of years ago and my GF’s house got one last month. Saves a ton of money for the power company and the damn meter reader isn’t leaving the gate open anymore.
You've got a point there. Back in the day, we were permanent employees of the power company, with the ability to grow into different positions. The job had a future, and we had a little pride in our work. My present local supplier uses contractors for all the meter reading, and I doubt that the readers care much about accuracy since they don't expect to be employed there for more than a year or two.
Wow, that’s SPOOKY!
Can you get out of it, or are you forced by your landlord to have that?
What difference of degree are you talking about? Does it go up to 78,79, 80 degrees?
Yikes, that’s really troubling, to lose control over such a basic aspect of everyday life.
Thanks,
Ed
Thanks, that wasn’t too encouraging to read.
The most troubling thing that I read in the 8 page, glossy booklet they sent was when it talked about your increased costs per kWh when your usage moves above your ‘baseline quantity’. It goes on to say that ‘a baseline quantity is intended to satisfy a substantial portion of the energy needs of the average customer in your area - for things like heating, water heating, lighting, refrigeration and cooking.’
To me, ‘substantial portion’ means that ‘most’ of our usage will be covered which means we will always be over the allocated usage.
Most of them support bidirectional mesh networking. They can log into your meter remotely and shut off electrical service.
Who makes the Smart Meter? Itron or Elster? Every smart meter has had issues, but both of these companies’ offerings work well.
It has always been this way. This is not something new. Go get some of your old bills and take a look at them. There's baseline rate and the rate over baseline. We ALWAYS go over baseline. My hubby is very numbers oriented and has always checked the meter every day and writes it on a calendar. He's been doing this for years. (I would never do it but it makes him happy.) He loves the new meter, it's much easier to read, and our electricity usage has dropped.
We typically use 20 kw a day, except weekends and holidays when, because of cooking and washing it can get up close to 30 kwH. Note our house is almost all electric so if you have more gas appliances your usage should be much less. The house is 1300 sq ft but he has televisions in every single room including the garage and all sorts of other electrical stuff.
I hope your experience with the new meter goes as well for you as it has for us.
The booklet lists either a GE or Landis+Gyr electric meter.
GE is out of the single-phase business. My company, Elster [was Westinghouse/ABB], was one of their competitors.
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