Was it mandatory to install??
We all know the real reason behind “smart meters”.
It’s so the govt will one day be able to ration your electricity.
Rolling blackouts make large numbers of people very angry simultaneously.
But under the new, improved “smart meters” the gummint will be able to switch off your juice on an individual basis.
“Smart meters”
Can they do my math homework?
Seize the language and you seize the debate, to me just one more reason to leave grid power if at all possible.
It’s time to get a natural gas fired electric generator for the home.
Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system. Unlike home energy monitors, smart meters can gather data for remote reporting. en.wikipedia.org
Example of a smart meter in use in Europe that has the ability to reduce load, disconnect-reconnect remotely, and interface to gas & water meters
Bottom line, I liked that particular system a lot and it saved me a boat load of money. For example, the high energy cost in my climate was in the winter. Before the smart meter, electricity cost was about $300/month and with the system, the cost was reduced to about $90/month.
A “black box” was mounted next to the breaker box in the garage and had a telephone line to it for the communications modem. The modem dialed the power company several times an hour and uploaded my KWH usage and downloaded a variable rate update. The concept was simplicity itself. I had the same variable rate industrial electricity users commonly have. Depending on the load rate the utility was at, my power cost in 4 tiers ranged from 0.5 cents at the low rate and 10 cents per hour at the emergency rate (like a major load on the utility combined with a power plant dropping offline). It was my choice via the controller (a real fancy programmable thermostat) on what temperature settings to use on the HVAC based on both time of day and on the cost of power to me. For example, if I was at the low rate, I would set the heat to a greater temperature and if it was more expensive power I would set the heat to a lower temperature. The hot water heater was enabled/disabled only by the controller and when enabled, would operate normally off of the hot water heater's water temperature thermostat. For example, on weekdays when everyone was at work, I set the controller to enable the hot water heater from 5AM to 8AM and 6PM to 11PM.
The components of that system were very simple in concept and could not in them damage the HVAC or hot water heater. Interfaces were to the HVAC and hot water heater only and consisted of a double pole, single throw relay at the hot water heater that would require a permissive signal from the smart meter system in addition to the water heater thermostat. The system's controller for both the HVAC and the hot water heater were built into the programmable thermostat that hung in the hallway so no extra components were needed for the HVAC.
As I mentioned, this very simple system saved me a boatload of money on electricity cost. When I moved from Virginia to Texas, I contacted my TX power company to request the Honeywell system. Once I finally found someone that was familiar with it the person told me 1) that they were not set up with the infrastructure (computer communications) to support the system so it was not available and 2) probably never would because it would cost them too much revenue because of lower electricity demand.
This makes me wonder if these people had something 'rigged-up' that was exposed by the smart meter.
bump
In other electrical news:
Power-grid experiment could confuse electric clocks
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2739718/posts
What if "they" decide I'm getting some A/C and no more and base their decision on special meters, I have Multiple Sclerosis and live in the Great Hot State of Texas. If I get overheated, (which doesn't' take much) my MS throws me all kinds of exacerbations (some of them I never "recover" from - mentally "cognitively" - and physical (a period of time I lost right eye total blindness for several weeks) - exacerbations can be a bitch.
I'm guessing a note from my neurologist will be useless. I have to get a note from neurologist if I have to fly because I need daily injections and airlines get a little jumpy when one carries syringes.
The only thing “smart” about these new meters is how the wire companies in ERCOT conned the PUCT to have the homeowners pay for them.
The wire companies save enough by getting rid of their meter readers to pay the cost of the meter.