[Truth29]

"Wow! The operative word is “meter”. The smart meters allow large staff reductions at the utility company. You complain about your bill but tie the hands of engineers trying to make the system more efficient and cheaper. The smart meters themselves cannot disconnect electric power to your home. Disconnecting power needs a properly rated breaker — there is a manual disconnect in your house switch box. The next one back is at the transformer serving you and your neighbors. The smart meter would need to have a relay to trip an expensive replacement of your manual disconnect molded case circuit breaker and another relay to re-engage the breaker. The liability associated with such a device controlling all power to your house would be uninsurable at a reasonable cost."

What about those gadgets the utility companies are pushing that allow them to remotely turn off your heating, AC and hot water heater?

[sefarkas]

When the utility is able to set up interrupt-able service to your AC (or hot water heater), that circuit is separate from the main circuit feeding current to your house. That circuit will have a remotely re-closeable breaker in the substation, or an extra gadget at your house. We had such service in Sacramento in 1986-1987. The utility company only needs to engage the interrupt-able service provision during peak loads on that part of the distribution system — peaks last only a few hours at most. The tactic is only useful when a bunch of folks opt for the alternate circuit to the AC (or hot water). The governing PUC forces utilities to have installed available capacity for well over 100% of estimated peak load. Thus, there is no incentive for the utility to shut off service except in extreme circumstances. Responses to extreme circumstances would otherwise require amperage reduction (brownout — damaging equipment by overheating) or selective blackouts.