Smart Meters

Anyone fighting getting one?
http://stopsmartmeters.org/

Didn't even know they were that bad...I see ours is a digital one similar, but it doesn't say SmartMeter on it anywhere. The did replace it a few years back, so who knows? it's a Schulmberger model.

Look at this link, then think if you want one,
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/households-may-be-powered-off-remotely-by-power-companies/story-e6freuzi-1226114477616

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, this just fits in with every consumer product that's going digital.

They (the government, more than likely) want to have the ability to shut you down & leave you helpless. Cars are now 100% computer controlled: one electromagnetic pulse would disable every single car on the road in an instant.

We all have just about every aspect of our lives handled through our PC's. That can all be wiped out instantly, or shut down to prevent communication.

More & more people are dumping their landline phones for the more convenient cell phones. Like the above, easily shut down or destroyed.

The entire country's financial system is handled electronically.

Now books are going digital .... so when the crap hits the fan, nobody will have any records to fall back on to learn emergency skills needed for their survival.

The ability to remotely shut down your power just fits right into this plan. I think they're up to something. I'm betting that they KNOW that people are going to rise up against them at some point .. sooner rather than later. The more miserable & difficult they can make that campaign, the sooner you will give up & let them dictate your lives.

Well put Smitty..

I've had smart meters for over a year now, during our last power outage they knew exactly where the problem was & during the repair also knew if there was any backfeed coming from peoples generators. All in all even with the wide area of problems they got it fixed pretty fast & without any injuries. I don't believe that ours are wireless.

samhill wrote:I've had smart meters for over a year now, during our last power outage they knew exactly where the problem was & during the repair also knew if there was any backfeed coming from peoples generators. All in all even with the wide area of problems they got it fixed pretty fast & without any injuries. I don't believe that ours are wireless.

Does it say FCC on the face plate?

I;ve never seen anyone from the power company, come out and read our meter. Yet we get an 'actual reading' bill every month. I guess we have a smart meter. There is a second 'meter-sized' round plastic device alongside the meter, but the power company says it isn't being used anymore.

Mine looks the same as they have since electricity came to town - just a dial & some numbers & a barcode. I notice the same thing though -- an "actual" reading, yet no person present.

One of those smart meters would never work here anyway. I can barely get cell service.

SMITTY wrote:One of those smart meters would never work here anyway. I can barely get cell service.

Ohhh, I thought the smart meters used the powerlines as data lines, to get the meter reading back to the power comp's office. Much like the phone lines are used for data, which they call DSL.

I couldn't tell you for sure - I think that might be the case ...

I just ripped up an application from Penn Power & Light offering a discount on my electric bill if I allowed them to install a smart meter. I ripped up the paperwork and threw it in the trash.

Smitty has it down. Nothing to add except that I am looking for a coal cooking stove in the future as a backup. Can't shut off a coal fire remotely.

The ultimate goal for smart metering is to charge you more during peak and less during off peak. The power distributors pay a very big difference for the bulk power throughout the day. People using power when it cost the utility more will pay more, those using it during off peak will pay less. For example my Uncle lives alone with his wife so hot water is not a big deal during the day for them, they have a timer on the electric hot water heater so it only runs in the evening through the early morning. They wash dishes and clothes at night, they also try to take showers at night. They have plenty of hot water for the day. They save a lot of money doing this because the rate at night is substantially less than it is during the day.

Richard nailed it on the head. The plan is to go to TOU (Time Of Use) metering. If you refuse a smart meter, fine, but I'm betting when they go to TOU they will say to you: "You do not have a smart meter, so we have no choice but to charge the higher rate 24 hours a day". Right NOW in CA, during the summer, power from noon to 9PM is fifty to seventy cents a KWH!! So, the first time you get a $700 electric bill you might be begging for a smart meter!

I have a smart meter. It does not send signals through the air, all info goes through the electric wires. All of northern Maine is that way. All of southern Maine is getting smart meters this year and next, they are all the "cell phone" type. I do not know if they "produce 100 times the radiation" of a cell phone. Seems high to me. Some people are refusing them. As of now, it's easy to do. I hear rumor some places are charging a monthly fee to read your meter if you refuse the smart one....like $40 a month!

I would love to get a smart meter...I still have the 1930's style and during the winter they usually don't read it for a few months. We do have day/night rate meters available, but there is only a couple cents difference in the kwh rate. Their recommendation is that if you use at least 1000 kwh during the month, and at least 20% is off-peak, you will save money with a day/night plan.