'Smart meters'?

Originally Posted by RazorsEdge
They sent us a letter regarding this and if we wanted one installed. If we decided not to, they were planning to add 5$ to the electric bill.

I'm not trusting this new technology.


That's a bargain. One of the southwest suburbs of Chicago with a city-owned power company forced the conversion on everyone and IIRC, you could opt-out and keep the mechanical meter for $25/month extra.
 
Originally Posted by ctechbob
... We grew up fairly rural and the elec company would actually send out a postcard where you would read your own meter calculate your bill and send it in. (Rural Electric Cooperative, aptly named). ...
Same story where I grew up, except that we only had to send the reading and they did the calculation. It may still be the same there.

One of my friends worked at a meter manufacturer, writing and testing the software (or "firmware") in the meters.

I didn't notice any change in my bills when the ~1990 rotating-disk meter was replaced with an electronic meter ~15 years ago. It was later replaced with a newer model.
 
Originally Posted by CR94
Originally Posted by ctechbob
... We grew up fairly rural and the elec company would actually send out a postcard where you would read your own meter calculate your bill and send it in. (Rural Electric Cooperative, aptly named). ...
Same story where I grew up, except that we only had to send the reading and they did the calculation. It may still be the same there.

One of my friends worked at a meter manufacturer, writing and testing the software (or "firmware") in the meters.

I didn't notice any change in my bills when the ~1990 rotating-disk meter was replaced with an electronic meter ~15 years ago. It was later replaced with a newer model.



I actually texted my Aunt tonight, who still lives in that area. They only recently (within the last 2 years) switched over to smart meters. Up till that point, they were still doing exactly as I'd remembered. She also said she didn't think the whole area had swapped over yet.

There are times I miss being up there(Indiana, PA), pace of life is so much slower. That's about all I miss though, the winters can get bent.
 
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Originally Posted by PowerSurge
Originally Posted by ctechbob
Didn't have a choice. They came and installed them one afternoon. Didn't see any difference afterwards with my bill. Still runs about the same depending on outside temp and if the wife decides to run the oven all afternoon in the summertime.
smirk2.gif



I have Georgia Power. They came out one day about 3 years ago to ask when they could install one. I told them never. They left and never returned.

Same here.
Told them I'll hold out for as long as possible.
I haven't heard from them since....... about 5-6 years now.
 
I just got an email from my utility saying i'll be "upgraded" to a smart meter in a few weeks
smirk2.gif
 
When I lived in NY in a 100 year old house, we used to have meter readers who would come by on a bi-monthly basis.

All the meters were inside the basement of the house, none were placed outside.

On a bi-monthly basis we would send back a postcard with readings for the gas meter, and water meter.

If we did not send in those cards, they would "estimate" the billing usually in their favor.

When I moved to Texas, and worked for a water plant we had "Radio Reads" for the meters. A guy would drive a truck around down each city street, and collect readings via radio signal, using a windows xp computer, that would write the data to a USB stick, that would get uploaded to a server manually for a billing.

This system was gotten rid of about 5 years ago, they went to a LAN based system to submit readings. This allowed the public to get an app on their phone to monitor usage in real time.

There is no difference between smart meters and old meters as terms of you bill. Actually the smart meter may alert you of a usage issue before the monthly bill comes out so you can correct the issue.
 
Originally Posted by pkunk
Well, they came and gave me a new 'smart meter'.. Jury's out.

Begin to watch for physical changes, or changes to your mental status.

Seek a doctor if you sell your 8200 ft elevated Christos place and move into a Valley
Seek a doctor if you sell the Cooper and buy a HumVee
Seek a doctor if you ditch the Mercedes for a mint condition Yugo
Seek a doctor if you do an even-trade on your Cummins for a 1980 VW Rabbit Pickup
Seek a doctor if you if you ditch the 34' motorhome for a Sioux style tipi (teepee), once owned by Sitting Bull.
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en

Begin to watch for physical changes, or changes to your mental status.

Seek a doctor if you sell your 8200 ft elevated Christos place and move into a Valley
Seek a doctor if you sell the Cooper and buy a HumVee
Seek a doctor if you ditch the Mercedes for a mint condition Yugo
Seek a doctor if you do an even-trade on your Cummins for a 1980 VW Rabbit Pickup
Seek a doctor if you if you ditch the 34' motorhome for a Sioux style tipi (teepee), once owned by Sitting Bull.



whut?
 
Originally Posted by OilReport99
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en

Begin to watch for physical changes, or changes to your mental status.

Seek a doctor if you sell your 8200 ft elevated Christos place and move into a Valley
Seek a doctor if you sell the Cooper and buy a HumVee
Seek a doctor if you ditch the Mercedes for a mint condition Yugo
Seek a doctor if you do an even-trade on your Cummins for a 1980 VW Rabbit Pickup
Seek a doctor if you if you ditch the 34' motorhome for a Sioux style tipi (teepee), once owned by Sitting Bull.



whut?


I guess you missed the medical bus where some folks have-had issues with smart meters. Sensitivities are among us. Some worse than others.
So instead of whut, try read-read-read.

Lastly, the best promotional infectious disease is humor..... any kind of it..... even wry.
Loosen up and try to put a smile on someone's face today.
 
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It seems to be the old carb vs fuel injection argument all over again.

"My 1923 Carter AFB hasn't wasted a drop of gasoline in 125 years, but my neighbor's fancy fuel injected corvette won't even stay running when it's below 32F outside. No sir, those whipper snappers in Detroit can keep their computers and fuel injectors, I'm a carb man through and through!!"

LOL, yeah, I know, new stuff is scary and hard to accept. But it will be the norm soon, whether you like it or not...
 
Originally Posted by JustinH
When I lived in NY in a 100 year old house, we used to have meter readers who would come by on a bi-monthly basis.
There is no difference between smart meters and old meters as terms of you bill. Actually the smart meter may alert you of a usage issue before the monthly bill comes out so you can correct the issue.





I would have to disagree, smart meters can read "Peak Time Use"
The old mechanical ones can't.
Many utility companies calculate your electric bill on peak time usage, the formula can vary but as an example ours among many around the country takes the highest peak time usage average which in summer time is 4 PM to 7 PM and charges you $12 a kilowatt hour.
Non-peak time usage is six cents a kilowatt hour.

They do this to make fair to the people who do not use a lot of the time electricity during peak time as that is the highest cost to our utility company for the power that it buys.
If you play the system right by avoiding as much electric usage as you can during that 4 hour peak time for the winter or summer with programmable thermostats you can save a lot of money, IF your power company charges for peak time.
Our electric company is good and tries to teach people how to save during that peak time.

We run to AC units equaling 5 tons I believe in A 3000 sq ft home, 24 hours a day seven days a week since they instituted the peak time usage for goodness sake‘s I think it cost me about the same to water my lawn from the water company in summer as I pay for electric🙃

I moved from Long Island New York 13 years ago and paid much more for electricity up there and that was 13 years ago with a smaller older home in a cooler climate too
 
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Originally Posted by Imp4
Originally Posted by michaelluscher
I've noticed parallels between people against smart meters and people that are against whatever G we're up to this decade
Or people that complain, turns out they've had AMR since the early 90s and didn't know
I could go on
coffee2.gif


Agreed.
These are the same people that came out against Elias Howe when he invented the sewing machine.



Exactly. While not new tech-anything "smart" scares the living daylights out of the shadetree mechanics that frequent this site. That's why they don't like the collision avoidance systems and the like.
 
Originally Posted by CKN
Originally Posted by Imp4
Originally Posted by michaelluscher
I've noticed parallels between people against smart meters and people that are against whatever G we're up to this decade
Or people that complain, turns out they've had AMR since the early 90s and didn't know
I could go on
coffee2.gif


Agreed.
These are the same people that came out against Elias Howe when he invented the sewing machine.



Exactly. While not new tech-anything "smart" scares the living daylights out of the shadetree mechanics that frequent this site. That's why they don't like the collision avoidance systems and the like.

The young of this generation and the next generation will see the effects from our new-fangled wireless society. Bodily effects will be both mental & physical.
It'll carry a non-dilatory presence and much of the population will get it. Just another hurdle that's coming.
 
Originally Posted by CKN
Exactly. While not new tech-anything "smart" scares the living daylights out of the shadetree mechanics that frequent this site. That's why they don't like the collision avoidance systems and the like.

I for one don't like them because of their well-publicized failings and the likelihood that even if they work when new, they will cause cars equipped with them to become endless money pits as they get older. I'm a firm believer in KISS. (I'm also a confirmed used-car buyer and normally don't even look at anything less than 10-15 years old when car shopping.)

I also don't want "smart" devices in my life that are designed to get to know all about me, whether in a car or anything else. I want my devices to be dumb as a bag of hammers. (No, I do not have a smartphone.)
 
Originally Posted by CKN
Originally Posted by Imp4
Originally Posted by michaelluscher
I've noticed parallels between people against smart meters and people that are against whatever G we're up to this decade
Or people that complain, turns out they've had AMR since the early 90s and didn't know
I could go on
coffee2.gif


Agreed.
These are the same people that came out against Elias Howe when he invented the sewing machine.



Exactly. While not new tech-anything "smart" scares the living daylights out of the shadetree mechanics that frequent this site. That's why they don't like the collision avoidance systems and the like.

The young of this generation and the next generation will see the effects from our new-fangled wireless society. Bodily effects will be both mental & physical.
It'll carry a non-dilatory presence and much of the population will get it. Just another hurdle that's coming.

I can tell your at a "very mature age" just by the nomenclature in your post.
 
We have had a smart meter for three years or more. No issues. Saves me from getting weird estimated bills when they did not come out to read the meter.

NYSEG has been estimating ours for years . It comes in within $100 +- always . It amazes me how they get it so close.
I sure wouldn’t want to be a meter reader, no way. They take far more crap than anyone could imagine. Our reader showed me a couple cellphone home video classics One day. They are some of the very few aside from LE who truly appreciate how many nut jobs are around. Most in the country seem to be crazy old men Then of course there’s the family pet (s) to consider.
 
There is no difference between smart meters and old meters as terms of you bill. Actually the smart meter may alert you of a usage issue before the monthly bill comes out so you can correct the issue.
[/QUOTE]

Those little things like the foot valve jamming or wearing out and your pump running 24/7$$$$$$$$$$$.
 
I don't think it is about herding us into time of day usage, but like the mpg gauge on the car it helps people realize where they use the electricity.

Mostly it is to cut the meter readers headcount over time. Meters do not cost as much as meter readers.

This actually stirred up a childhood memory for me. We grew up fairly rural and the elec company would actually send out a postcard where you would read your own meter calculate your bill and send it in. (Rural Electric Cooperative, aptly named). I even remember asking mom why you couldn't just cheat the thing and write the wrong number. Of course my kid brain didn't understand that they probably went around every now and then to check or spot check, or they would just catch you if you ever closed the account with a final reading. Not sure what they do these days. I'll have to ask my Aunt.

I remember when I was a kid my dad would say the water usage was spiking every other month for no reason too. Basically what he said was the water meter reader only comes every other month and was making up number based on his old record by averaging it.
 
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