EXT wrote:
Jules wrote:
On Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:31:29 -0600, HeyBub wrote:

"[WASHINGTON] Millions of households across America are taking a
first step into the world of the "smart grid," as their power
companies install meters that can tell them how much electricity
they are using hour by hour - and sometimes, appliance by
appliance. But not everyone is happy about it."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us...ef=instapundit

Hmm, might it be that the new meters aren't measuring the load in
the same way as the meters they're replacing?

I suppose I wouldn't mind a meter with an RS232 or (spit!) a USB port
on it, so *I* could query consumption at any time...

Not so much "control", just a blatant method of raising the prices while
saying it is your fault it costs so much. Get used to doing your laundry
and cooking after midnight, that is when the rates you have now will
kick in, while the daytime and evening rates will skyrocket. We have
these meters here but the local utility hasn't started billing according
to time of day.

We've been doing that for a long time...sign up for the plan, receive a
monthly discount for limiting up to 15 minutes use of the AC and water
heater during peak times. Elec. power supply goofy enough here in FL
that one does not want to risk MORE outages than needed. Our power
blinks off for a second or two often enough to be truly
irritating...interval is about how long it takes me to get around to
resetting the clocks on ALL of my labor-saving devices )

Polititians all claimed we would save money, just like they did when
they implented "free market" to the natural gas heating. It all costs
much more than one could ever imagine. My electric bill is now
approaching $500.00 per month, where only a few years ago we had the
lowest electric rates on the continent. And that is before they
implement the time of day billing.