Replacing a meter is one thing. Like I posted, nothing wrong with that to save labor costs in data collection.
I also know what they cost.
Installing fiber optics in parallel conduit, controllers, and rewiring distribution panels to accommodate remote monitoring of power consumption and controlling HVAC and motors loads is my point, and it has been actively been pursued in federal properties for the last 5 years.
Why would one spend $2k to save maybe $20/yr on a structure with a 70yr life expectancy?
One can avoid the notion of conspiracy by ignoring these stupid ‘smart’ installations (and I’m not just refering to the meter-only swap-out).
Finding a plausible explanation at least points to low level corruption known several tiers of authority above it.
Those promoting it have an agenda, such that the high construction and installation costs are inconsequential compared to the value they give them. Go figure.
PS. Study up on relational databases. These devices don’t need much memory to provide the functionality some with ulterior motives may seek.
Follow the money. Follow who is implementing all these programs, not just the innocuous ones. The paths converge.
They brought out the fiber network here late last year, but it serves other purposes - I get internet (very FAST internet), cable TV, and telephone service if I want them. The meter is tied into the fiber. The distribution panel, no way. They will not tresspass into my home to touch that.
But yes, that is a trend. Florida power had, several years ago, a rate scheme whereby they could turn off your pool pump, water heater, and/or the AC for a short period of time during peak demand periods to reduce load. In exchange, they gave a small monthly discount. This was before so-called "smart meters" were being used. They used a controlling contactor separate from the meter that turned off selected circuits remotely by radio command.
The concept is to avoid having to build power plants. The greens have the big floppy ears of the commie in the White Hut right now, and he believes that we are living our lives way too luxuriously. So, he wants to knock our lifestyle down a few notches to match the lifestyles of some third-world countries. That can only be done by reducing the availability of energy. And the way to do that is to sell "green". The remote load controlling is a means to sell green.
It would be far better for the country overall if we'd just remove the greens, and build a few dozen stinky coal-fired power plants every year for the next decade or so rather than chase this pie-in-the-sky BS solution to the myth of global warming.