Guv Bob wrote:

I know they store power usage trends and can see how that might help the power generators. I logged in to my account and saw that when I ran the AC, the power usage went up. What a revelation! LOL! Other than that, what use are these things?

Time of day billing, something they tried years ago but the technology
really wasn't ready yet. For the past year or two I've seen offers from
the utility here for "free" power from something like 8pm to 6am, i.e.
when commercial loads are lower and there is a surplus of generating
capacity. Not a bad deal if you can shift your usage patterns.