[FrogMom]

I don't know.

This is from FAQ at http://www.sdge.com/smartmeter/faq.shtml

What is Smart Meter?

Smart meters are digital devices that collect energy-use data and – unlike traditional meters – transmit and receive data, too. Electric energy use will be recorded every hour at your home and every 15 minutes at your business.

Natural gas information will be available on a daily basis. Smart meters will enable you to monitor your consumption more precisely so you can make more informed energy choices.

Why is SDG&E installing smart meters?

The state of California has asked all utilities to change out existing electric and natural gas meters with new, digital smart meters as part of its energy action plan.

Smart meters and the information they provide can help save energy on high-use days, keeping the lights on for everyone.

What they don't say is if these can be turned off remotely.

[cva66snipe]

Evidently by reading the meter at various times in the day they can also hit customers with new peak/off peak use rates as well. IOW they dictate you usage by cost. These are not simply remote read meters. I don't think they can be shut off though as it takes a sizable switch to disconnect 200 amps.

Gore's new way to get your money in the name of energy reminds me of the Toll Booth in Blazing Saddles. I think it was Slip Pickens who said "what with that $$$ $$$$ think of next?"

In the mean time rather than people being angry about what the meters are intended for the morons are worried about Radio Frequency Radiation which is all around us.

A simple remote read meter can be read by the utility remotely usually from a system in the substation linked to the dispatchers computer as well. They can read it usually once a month, can see if power is turned on or the line is off, meaning transformer fuse blown on their end, and that's it. Many of them do not use external antennas but rather use the power line itself to transmit and receive on.

[Cvengr]

Of course, if some authority decided to relocate all people from a region, then enforce that decision by martial law, in the past the people could simply vote with their feet and rebel.

The mechanisms are being placed to trace anybody who might rebel from forced relocation.

The reasonable and plausible explanations for these extremely high cost systems do not make economic sense.

They cost at least 1 to 2 orders of magnitude more than the value of any energy conserved in their implementation.

I don’t believe there is a publicly valid explanation for their implementation. It leaves many a pregnant question and too many nefarious possibilities.