On 4/17/2012 2:09 PM, Paul Drahn wrote:
On 4/15/2012 8:33 AM, Way Back Jack wrote:
in terms of energy savings, privacy, fire risk, and, most importantly,
health ramifications. Thank You.
First, let me say my electronic assembly service company built several
thousand printed circuit boards a few years ago that were used in a
smart meter demonstration in Tacoma, WA. I can assure everyone there is
no capability in any so-called smart meter to remotely shut off your
electricity. In Oregon, that would in fact be illegal. To disconnect a
customer's power, a service person must first determine there is no
medical reason for service to be uninterrupted at that location. then
they can pull the meter.

The meter would have to have contacts or electronics that could switch
100 or more amps to remotely turn off the service. I have real doubts
that feature is built into any smart meter.


While discussing the problem with the electrician, he told me a secret:

The old mechanical meter only read the power usage from one leg of the
240 volt line. Power usage at 120 volts on the other leg got by free. In
addition, he said electricians would sometimes swap the metered legs so
the excess usage of 120 volt appliances would not be read by the meter.
This is why some people are able to use the 120 volt space heaters in
certain rooms of their house with no increase in electrical usage/bill.

The absolutely standard way of making a single phase 120/240V meter is
to have a current coil in series with each of the legs and a voltage
coil across 240V. It accurately meters the total power being used. The
technology has been around for a real long time. It is highly improbable
the utility used a meter that was any different. IMHO it is much more
likely the electrician is wrong.

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