Posted on 10/11/2009 6:16:47 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Allowing social workers and health authorities to monitor households, adding to concern at Britain's surveillance society.
The devices, which the government plans to install in every home by 2020, will also tell energy firms what sort of appliances are being used, allowing companies to target customers who do not reduce their energy consumption.
Privacy campaigners have expressed horror at the proposals, which come as two million homes have 'spy' devices fitted to their rubbish bins by councils who record how much residents are recycling.
The government wants every home in Britain to have smart meters, which give users information on how to save energy and send real-time data direct to utility companies, eliminating the need for customers to stay at home for meter readings or to receive estimated bills.
The devices also pave the way for a national 'smart grid', backed by David Cameron's Conservatives, which would use the data to manage national demand more efficiently and advise households when it is cheapest to switch on appliances.
In its impact assessment, however, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says there "is theoretically scope... for using the smart metering communications infrastructure to enable a variety of other services, such as monitoring of vulnerable householders by health authorities or social services departments."
It adds: "Information from smart meters could also make it possible for a supplier to determine when electricity or gas was being used in a property and, to a degree, the types of technology that were being used within the property. This could be used to target energy efficiency advice and offers of measures, social programmes etc to householders."
Doretta Cocks, founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said: "This is Orwellian. We're already under surveillance for what we put outside the home in
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
“Smart Grid” may be code for power rationing and big-brother monitoring of what you do in your home.
I’m really surprised that Great Britain hasn’t had a coup by now. Hard to believe that a citizen of that country wrote ‘1984’. It must not be required reading. Maybe it’s not even in the library anymore for some reason...
This will be coming soon to your city, mark my words!
Freedom is dead.
There is a crack in everything.
Not 'til we've had our say, FRiend.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Another point: Telecommuting changes everything. While we may not be on the roads during rush hour, we are in our homes during the middle of the day, so we are not going to have the power company remotely adjust our thermostats.
The Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection? That caught my eye.
The group has a website: The Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection (CWWC). Their purpose is simple: To counter the trend toward alternate week waste collection.
Perhaps we need a campaign for effective toilets. Ever since Congress decreed that we must use low-flow toilets, I have had no end of trouble with my plumbing.
I propose to call the new group Hands Off Our Toilets (HOOT). The group will have two goals: (1) Eliminate government meddling in our plumbing; and (2) Flush the meddlesome crooks from Congress.
If my neighbor wants to turn her AC down to 64F, at 6:00PM on the hottest day of the year, and the rest of us want to reliably have the electricity to cool our houses down to 74F, we have to pay for the peak generation and transmission capacity to serve her "needs".
So it makes sense to me that the electric utility should be to collect that data needed to bill her for the additional marginal costs she is imposing on the rest of us, as well as what's needed to identify usage patterns and equipment that imposes such costs.
“Ever since Congress decreed that we must use low-flow toilets, I have had no end of trouble with my plumbing.”
Screw Congress and their decree!
I’ll keep my 3.5 gallon per flush ones until I die!!
It’s just not fair, is it?
You amaze me. What the hell do you think an electricity bill monitors?
Scary. Am I misreading something?
It’s called ‘peak usage’ because it’s not just your neighbor. Do you propose an extra business tax on electricity? Most operate during peak usage hours.
Alas, we moved into a new house that already had 1.6 gpf toilets. I am not sure where to find 3.5 gpf toilets these days.
May I come to your house to use your toilets?
Jeez...does freedom mean nothing to these people? It’s sickening, disheartening, disgusting and scary as hell that (UK) citizens allow this to happen. They must be products of new education.
Your proposals, when viewed in context of your freep handle, are doubly hilarious.
You might try replacing them with American standard Cadet toilets, they are about $110 and flush as good as any 1.3 gallon ones as i’ve found.
I’ve replaced at least a dozen Kohler expensive ones with them for people that couldn’t get their toilets to flush anything but pee!
Anything you get, make sure they have a 2” or 2 1/8” trap and that it’s fully glazed.
Cheap mexican ones aren’t glzed clear theough the trap and shortly wouldn’t let a golf ball through.
” If my neighbor wants to turn her AC down to 64F, at 6:00PM on the hottest day of the year, and the rest of us want to reliably have the electricity to cool our houses down to 74F, we have to pay for the peak generation and transmission capacity to serve her “needs”.
So it makes sense to me that the electric utility should be to collect that data needed to bill her for the additional marginal costs she is imposing on the rest of us, as well as what’s needed to identify usage patterns and equipment that imposes such costs. “
No one has said that privacy is FREE. It is somewhat expense. Yes, we do have to generate expensive power for peak demands, and that does increase the cost to everyone. Yet it means that I can use electricity as I like.
The same with driving...I can drive where I want, when I want, without being tracked and tolled based on my trip. Yes, it would be cheaper to have road pricing - where you are tolled the moment you leave the driveway, and your per-mile cost is based on where you and when you go. Ideally, with the right level of tolling, you could have exactly the same traffic level at 4AM as 4PM. But do you REALLY want to be forced to run your errands at that hour, or drive your kids to school at those hours (after all, they’re talking $2.00 per mile in England...not everyone can afford that here)? Laugh, but that is the CHEAPEST way to operate the roads...the question is whether we want to live under those conditions. I do not - but others may have different opinions.
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.