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Electric Meter
Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the
new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. |
Electric Meter
HeyBub wrote:
Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. Hi, Now it is happening where you live? Here power, gas, water meter is all read remotely. I heard they can even do it using the bird in the future. The option is already there and a mtter of activating it. |
Electric Meter
HeyBub wrote:
Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. They are coming here by 2012. They will communicate with the power company using wireless technology (no more meter readers). They will report power outages and the restoration of power automatically. The will constantly report usage so that the power company can adjust the generation to just meet the needs and conserve resources (i.e. water behind dams - hydro electric) Smart appliances will communicate with the meter and if there is no hurry start automatically when the rate drops (rates are/will be tiered so that it will be cheaper at curtain times of the day). They even say we will be able to control light switches remotely from their web-page (I assume that will mean replacing switches to a wireless type)? Soon your appliances and switches will be reporting to the mother ship... http://preview.tinyurl.com/232gjbv |
Electric Meter
On 6/18/2010 18:05, HeyBub wrote:
Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. There's not much of a market for such labor-intensive stuff. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. Yup. Just break the seal, take the old meter reading, pop out the old meter, pop the new one in, seal it, and scan the bar code. Service is interrupted just long enough to cause refrigerators to overload. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. Or by radio or carrier-current. That's the primary motivator for changing them. Service can also be controlled remotely -- they can easily cut you off for non-payment. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. True, depending on the utility. It also allows for time-of-day pricing. See http://www.pge.com/smartmeter for the spin from a utility that has been the source of considerable public criticism over smart meter implementation. |
Electric Meter
On Jun 18, 10:03*pm, Bob wrote:
On 6/18/2010 18:05, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. There's not much of a market for such labor-intensive stuff. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. Yup. *Just break the seal, take the old meter reading, pop out the old meter, pop the new one in, seal it, and scan the bar code. *Service is interrupted just long enough to cause refrigerators to overload. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. Or by radio or carrier-current. *That's the primary motivator for changing them. *Service can also be controlled remotely -- they can easily cut you off for non-payment. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. True, depending on the utility. *It also allows for time-of-day pricing.. * See http://www.pge.com/smartmeter for the spin from a utility that has been the source of considerable public criticism over smart meter implementation. Please provide the name of the manufacturer and the model number for a meter that can actually open the service conductors. -- Tom Horne |
Electric Meter
On 6/18/2010 8:05 PM, HeyBub wrote:
Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. I view Smart Meters with the same suspicion that I have for OnStar. Perhaps I'm just paranoid? Aluminum foil hats don't work, it's already been tried. http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/ TDD |
Electric Meter
On Jun 19, 12:57*am, The Daring Dufas the-daring-
wrote: On 6/18/2010 8:05 PM, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. I view Smart Meters with the same suspicion that I have for OnStar. Perhaps I'm just paranoid? Aluminum foil hats don't work, it's already been tried. http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/ TDD YES BUT HAVE YOU TRIED GROUNDING YOUR TIN HAT USE A 14awg STRANDED CONDUCTOR WHEN YOU USE IT [:-)] I AM PROTEUS |
Electric Meter
On Jun 18, 10:11 pm, Tom Horne wrote:
Please provide the name of the manufacturer and the model number for a meter that can actually open the service conductors. -- Tom Horne Andy comments: Solid state relay devices at these power levels have been available for two decades. It is a non-prolem. C A Sharpe, licensed PE |
Electric Meter
On Jun 19, 5:26*am, Andy wrote:
On Jun 18, 10:11 pm, Tom Horne wrote: Please provide the name of the manufacturer and the model number for a meter that can actually open the service conductors. -- Tom Horne Andy comments: * *Solid state relay devices at these power levels have been available for two decades. *It is a non-prolem. * * * * * * C A Sharpe, licensed PE Hope you all enjoy those fancy new meters. They are brought to you courtesy of the fed govt and $3Bil more of our deficit. And like most new spending, it was justified with a pack of lies. An example being, that this was needed and is critical for solar and wind power being delivered to your home. Funny I see all these new solar installs popping up here without smart meters. |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 12:58 AM, Proteus IIV wrote:
On Jun 19, 12:57 am, The Daring Dufasthe-daring- wrote: On 6/18/2010 8:05 PM, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. I view Smart Meters with the same suspicion that I have for OnStar. Perhaps I'm just paranoid? Aluminum foil hats don't work, it's already been tried. http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/ TDD YES BUT HAVE YOU TRIED GROUNDING YOUR TIN HAT USE A 14awg STRANDED CONDUCTOR WHEN YOU USE IT [:-)] I AM PROTEUS RAM hats work much better and can be quite stylish too! My favorites are EM shield undergarments. http://www.lessemf.com/personal.html TDD |
Electric Meter
On 6/18/2010 10:03 PM, Bob wrote:
On 6/18/2010 18:05, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. There's not much of a market for such labor-intensive stuff. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. Yup. Just break the seal, take the old meter reading, pop out the old meter, pop the new one in, seal it, and scan the bar code. Service is interrupted just long enough to cause refrigerators to overload. Our electric utility is a little better than that. They require meter bases to have manual bypass. They changed all of the meters out here maybe 4 years ago. I pulled in just as the guy was walking down the front steps. He clipped the seal, opened the cover and connected jumpers to the bypass tabs and was then able to swap the meter without service interruption. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. Or by radio or carrier-current. That's the primary motivator for changing them. Service can also be controlled remotely -- they can easily cut you off for non-payment. They do it by carrier current here. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. True, depending on the utility. It also allows for time-of-day pricing. See http://www.pge.com/smartmeter for the spin from a utility that has been the source of considerable public criticism over smart meter implementation. |
Electric Meter
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Electric Meter
On 6/18/2010 8:05 PM, HeyBub wrote:
Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. They already read the meters remotely here in KC. It's done over the lines in real time back to the office. Yes, we can see our usage online, and the number will be exactly what the meter says at any given point. -- Steve Barker remove the "not" from my address to email |
Electric Meter
In article , RobertPatrick wrote:
"HeyBub" wrote in om: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. My local company changed mine about 5 years ago. It's great. They don't bother me to come in the house anymore. Same with the gas meter. Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... |
Electric Meter
On 6/18/2010 9:03 PM, Bob wrote:
On 6/18/2010 18:05, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. There's not much of a market for such labor-intensive stuff. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. Yup. Just break the seal, take the old meter reading, pop out the old meter, pop the new one in, seal it, and scan the bar code. Service is interrupted just long enough to cause refrigerators to overload. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. Or by radio or carrier-current. That's the primary motivator for changing them. Service can also be controlled remotely -- they can easily cut you off for non-payment. UH, not. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. True, depending on the utility. It also allows for time-of-day pricing. See http://www.pge.com/smartmeter for the spin from a utility that has been the source of considerable public criticism over smart meter implementation. -- Steve Barker remove the "not" from my address to email |
Electric Meter
"HeyBub" wrote in message m... Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. With these smart meters and the proper thermostats, the power company in my area (Ontario Canada) will give you rebates if you let them cycle down from their office your air conditioner during peak demand periods. There are times where our power company actually has to import power from the US (ohio and michigan) in summer. We use a lot of nuclear power here and Ohio uses a lot of coal, but Ohio's pollution comes and hangs out over Ontario. So It makes some sense to set-up the meter to avoid importing power during peak times although I would never sign up for this program, I hope others do. Also these new meters charge different electrical rates during low demand periods so if you run your dryer or dishwasher after say 10pm you will pay 50% less for the energy used during this period. |
Electric Meter
On Jun 19, 8:45*am, "The Henchman" wrote:
"HeyBub" wrote in message m... Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. With these smart meters and the proper thermostats, the power company in my area (Ontario Canada) will give you rebates if you let them cycle down from their office your air conditioner during peak demand periods. It would seem you need more than just a smart meter to be able to do this. Here in NJ they've been doing this for 25+ years, using just an RF controlled device on the AC unit, no smart meter. *There are times where our power company actually has to import power from the US (ohio and michigan) in summer. *We use a lot of nuclear power here and Ohio uses a lot of coal, but Ohio's pollution comes and hangs out over Ontario. * So It makes some sense to set-up the meter to avoid importing power during peak times although I would never sign up for this program, I hope others do. Also these new meters charge different electrical rates during low demand periods so if you run your dryer or dishwasher after say 10pm you will pay 50% less for the energy used during this period. |
Electric Meter
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Electric Meter
In article , Jim Elbrecht wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. |
Electric Meter
If Onstar can stop your car, unlock your doors, and provide GPS, the
smart meter can most likely stop your power, unlock your house, and provide GPS. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "The Daring Dufas" wrote in message ... I view Smart Meters with the same suspicion that I have for OnStar. Perhaps I'm just paranoid? Aluminum foil hats don't work, it's already been tried. http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/ TDD |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 9:04 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
In , Jim wrote: (Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. Why not? Extremely common around here especially for multioccupant buildings and in the older areas. |
Electric Meter
I saw a retired power guy had a meter set up on a wooden base. He had
a plug and socket on it, and was using the meter as a Kill O Watt. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. wrote in message ... I doubt old meters are worth enough to try to sell. They will just scrap them for the metal. You can buy a refurb meter (set to 0000) for $10-15 bucks the last time I looked. I have a couple, one I got for free (not set to 0000) |
Electric Meter
So, the Fed removes money from me by force. Spends it on things I
don't want, and expects me to vote Democrat next time, so we can do this even more? -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. wrote in message ... Hope you all enjoy those fancy new meters. They are brought to you courtesy of the fed govt and $3Bil more of our deficit. And like most new spending, it was justified with a pack of lies. An example being, that this was needed and is critical for solar and wind power being delivered to your home. Funny I see all these new solar installs popping up here without smart meters. |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 9:25 AM, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:04:25 GMT, (Doug Miller) wrote: In , Jim wrote: (Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. TWIAVBP - If you really think you have seen everything that is real, then it is time for you to end your journey. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=gas+meter+in+basement http://lmgtfy.com/?q=electric+meter+in+basement Here's a picture for you- http://www.inspectapedia.com/plumbing/gasfaults7.htm Jim And I can confirm that the photo wasn't Photoshopped. I haven't seen all of them but are likely 30,000 homes in my immediate area that still have indoor meters that look just like that. |
Electric Meter
My parents electric meter is over the washer / dryer. The gas meter is
in the other corner of the cellar, indoors. I see indoor gas and electric meters rather commonly. Rochester, NY area. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. Why not? Extremely common around here especially for multioccupant buildings and in the older areas. |
Electric Meter
On Jun 18, 8:05*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. They can shut off your meter remotely, even just to save power for industry during peak hours and when your AC needs it the most. If its tampered with or the power goes out they know immediatly as the meter contacts the system about every minute, they dont need meter readers anymore its all computer generated now. I would rather have the old meter. |
Electric Meter
On Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:57:36 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote: On 6/18/2010 8:05 PM, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. You can just walk outside and check your meter. I view Smart Meters with the same suspicion that I have for OnStar. Perhaps I'm just paranoid? Aluminum foil hats don't work, it's already been tried. Remember when the drunk guy hit a tree with his car; then he went to another bar to relax, and On-star called the police. http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/ TDD |
Electric Meter
On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:28:27 -0400, George
wrote: On 6/19/2010 9:04 AM, Doug Miller wrote: In , Jim wrote: (Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. Why not? Extremely common around here especially for multioccupant buildings and in the older areas. Becaue the wives used to stay home like they should now. So being indoors wasn't a problem. |
Electric Meter
On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 08:45:24 -0400, "The Henchman"
wrote: With these smart meters and the proper thermostats, the power company in my area (Ontario Canada) will give you rebates if you let them cycle down from their office your air conditioner during peak demand periods. There are times where our power company actually has to import power from the US (ohio and michigan) in summer. We use a lot of nuclear power here and Ohio uses a lot of coal, but Ohio's pollution comes and hangs out over Ontario. So It I guess that is irony. You should get some big fans to blow it over Quebec. makes some sense to set-up the meter to avoid importing power during peak times although I would never sign up for this program, I hope others do. Also these new meters charge different electrical rates during low demand periods so if you run your dryer or dishwasher after say 10pm you will pay 50% less for the energy used during this period. |
Electric Meter
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Electric Meter
"Bob" wrote in message
... On 6/18/2010 18:05, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. There's not much of a market for such labor-intensive stuff. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. Yup. Just break the seal, take the old meter reading, pop out the old meter, pop the new one in, seal it, and scan the bar code. Service is interrupted just long enough to cause refrigerators to overload. And all the TV's and devices to reset, and some cable channels off for a half hour or so while the cable box reset. Mine was done on Tuesday, and the power was only off about 20 seconds max. What was more irritating to me, is that my meter is on the back wall outside, and he slammed the wall several times during installation, causing 3 of my music boxes to come off the shelves inside. One broke, but I was able to glue it back together. Ah, progress. Cheri |
Electric Meter
mm wrote:
On Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:57:36 -0500, The Daring Dufas wrote: -snip- 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. You can just walk outside and check your meter. Not if he's a half continent away on business or vacation. Jim |
Electric Meter
"Doug Miller" wrote in message ... In article , Jim Elbrecht wrote: (Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. In downstate NY many older gas meters and electric meters are located inside. It's still OK , at least for electric on multi-family buildings, but single and two family dwellings meters have to go outside. |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 8:50 AM, mm wrote:
On Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:57:36 -0500, The Daring Dufas wrote: On 6/18/2010 8:05 PM, HeyBub wrote: Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. You can just walk outside and check your meter. I view Smart Meters with the same suspicion that I have for OnStar. Perhaps I'm just paranoid? Aluminum foil hats don't work, it's already been tried. Remember when the drunk guy hit a tree with his car; then he went to another bar to relax, and On-star called the police. http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/ TDD Imagine some government busybody decides you're using too much electricity and gets a warrant to search your home for anything incriminating. It already goes on. You fail to pay a parking ticket and the city contacts the power company to switch off your power. The perils of too much control made too easy is a slippery slope. There are those in government who want to make all money electronic. Imagine, "Do what we say or we will turn off your money." Technology can be either incredibly wonderful or devastatingly evil. TDD |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 8:04 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
In , Jim wrote: (Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. I've seen them in basements where the meter reader looked through a window to read the meter. I've met meter readers who used binoculars to read meters. Perhaps an aggressive dog kept them at a distance? TDD |
Electric Meter
Inside-the-house meters are very common in my area too. (Baltimore) Myold
house had both gas and electric inside, current house has gasinside & electric outside. BGE changed the gas meter to a remote-read type about 5 years ago. I believe they read it form a receiver in a vehicle. A meter reader still comes into the yard to read the electric meter. -- When the game is over, the pawn and the king are returned to the same box. Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 8:28 AM, George wrote:
On 6/19/2010 9:04 AM, Doug Miller wrote: In , Jim wrote: (Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. Why not? Extremely common around here especially for multioccupant buildings and in the older areas. I have a customer who's water meter is in the ceiling of his business. There is an electronic sensor on the meter with a cable going through the wall to an optical interface for an external reader. TDD |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 8:53 AM, mm wrote:
On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:28:27 -0400, wrote: On 6/19/2010 9:04 AM, Doug Miller wrote: In , Jim wrote: (Doug Miller) wrote: -snip- Your electric and gas meters were inside the house? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..... Pretty common in the northeast in old houses in the cities. My water meter is still in my basement and I've been reading it every 6 months for 25 years. Supposed to go to electronic, remote read meters this summer. I have *never* seen either a gas or electric meter inside a house. Water meters, sure. Gas and electric? Won't believe it without a photo. Why not? Extremely common around here especially for multioccupant buildings and in the older areas. Becaue the wives used to stay home like they should now. So being indoors wasn't a problem. So your daddy was actually the meter reading man? TDD |
Electric Meter
On 6/19/2010 9:11 AM, mm wrote:
On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 05:55:10 -0700 (PDT), wrote: On Jun 19, 8:45 am, "The wrote: wrote in message m... Power company came out today and replaced the old mechanical meter with the new fancy-schmancy one. Chatting up the meter-man, I learned: 1. The old meters are going to be junked. Not sold to Mexico or Lithuania like the 'phone company did with their mechanical central office stuff. We're talking, oh, one million meters in a city of 5.5 million. That's a pretty big pile. 2. His quota is 60-100 meters swapped out per day. 3. One purpose is to allow the meter to be read from the street. 4. It is alleged I can check my meter on the 'net. We'll see. With these smart meters and the proper thermostats, the power company in my area (Ontario Canada) will give you rebates if you let them cycle down from their office your air conditioner during peak demand periods. It would seem you need more than just a smart meter to be able to do this. Here in NJ they've been doing this for 25+ years, using just an RF controlled device on the AC unit, no smart meter. Yes, Baltimroe too, but last summer they wanted to come out and change the control unit on the AC. I had signed up for this again, and the guy arrived and handed me the brochure and went to work, and this time he drilled 2 holes in my brick wall, in the mortar at least, and installed it. After he left I read the brochure and it said he could have mounted it to the AC if I requested that, but it was too late. I was really annoyed. Now they're offerring setback thermostats too, but I've had one for 26 years. If it's connected to varying electric rates, I don't think they said that. There are times where our power company actually has to import power from the US (ohio and michigan) in summer. We use a lot of nuclear power here and Ohio uses a lot of coal, but Ohio's pollution comes and hangs out over Ontario. So It makes some sense to set-up the meter to avoid importing power during peak times although I would never sign up for this program, I hope others do. Also these new meters charge different electrical rates during low demand periods so if you run your dryer or dishwasher after say 10pm you will pay 50% less for the energy used during this period. Alabama power had or has these evil radio controlled gadgets that were installed on the AC condenser of folks who singed up for a reduced rate or credit. During peak demand, the AC could be turned off by the power company. I haven't seen one for a while and always disconnected them when someone called for service on an AC which wasn't cooling. TDD |
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