[George Makrauer]

Directly from a long time friend in Cincinnati who experienced this treatment from Duke Energy, which was DEMANDING AND THREATENING, so this story goes, to be able to install their Smart Meter in this resident's house.

The obvious question and concern is whether other "public utilities" will adopt this same policy and approach and what consumers can do about it... and when we have to begin.

From our friend; email July 18, 2013:

I want to tell you about a situation that happened last Friday.

We were out, and when we got home we had a notice on our door from Duke Power that said they needed to gain entry to our house to put in a smart meter to control the thermostat.

If we did not do this, then they would turn off our electricity.

If this is accurate, it's pretty foreboding, because a policy and action such as this by a corporation the size and prominence of Duke Power MUST have gone through legal review, unless the Duke rep posting the "notice" was a rouge warrior.

Chilling... would SECO behave like this? (Rhetorical question?)

[rubicon]

George please confirm this information because if it is true then we are all in a whole lot of trouble.

Central Florida Utility companies are all going to smart meters but I never heard that they were controlling thermostats, etc. but only reading them. They are so advanced that they can tell what a person is doing laundry, showering, etc

If people are offended by what the NSA is doing then what is suggested here is a whole lot more personal and invasive

[ajbrown]

Here is a video containing the one-sided in depth research I have done, in other words almost zip . Never heard of it until today, will have to read more....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=zFevksPURj8

In case link above link is hidden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=zFevksPURj8

[Bill-n-Brillo]

A bit of info regarding SECO's smart meters:

http://www.secoenergy.com/pdfs/sn_20...ep2011_web.pdf

http://secoenergy.com/pdfs/EnergyDoc...eter_facts.pdf

SECO Selects Sensus

Bill

[rubicon]

If you read the comments following the you tube video AJ sent then you will note a great umber of people are not convinced.

WSJ carried an article sometime ago on this subject and the author clearly stated that smart readers could pinpoint so many things about a household.

[janmcn]

I had a smart meter in my house that was not connected. I got a letter from Duke Energy about two weeks ago, saying that they wanted to come by and either connect it or remove it. I told them to remove it, and they did.

The serviceman said they were simply out collecting this old equipment that had been installed by Progress Energy.

[buggyone]

Originally Posted by rubicon

George please confirm this information because if it is true then we are all in a whole lot of trouble.

Central Florida Utility companies are all going to smart meters but I never heard that they were controlling thermostats, etc. but only reading them. They are so advanced that they can tell what a person is doing laundry, showering, etc

If people are offended by what the NSA is doing then what is suggested here is a whole lot more personal and invasive

SECO or Duke going to watch me take a shower? Or is that only if I take the hair dryer into the shower with me? They would really get a charge out of that!

[BobnBev]

Originally Posted by buggyone

SECO or Duke going to watch me take a shower? Or is that only if I take the hair dryer into the shower with me? They would really get a charge out of that!

As would you!!!

[George Makrauer]

Originally Posted by janmcn

I had a smart meter in my house that was not connected. I got a letter from Duke Energy about two weeks ago, saying that they wanted to come by and either connect it or remove it. I told them to remove it, and they did.

We moved to Florida in October 1996, bought a house in Treasure Island. In the next year's late spring as the temps began to get higher, we noticed our air conditioning compressor would shut down periodically in mid-afternoon, on its own. Learned it was the "special usage control device" the previous owners had installed to save a few percent on their monthly electric bill.

To each his own. We called Florida Power and told them to service our address as soon as possible and remove the damn thing, which they did.

Not a smart meter, but a harbinger of things to come.

I grant you what I was emailed today early -- and confirmed back when I questioned it -- could be a "he said, she said" with a utility rep wanting to have some fun (from his perspective) with a customer who I would not doubt could be "quirky" at times.

But, as a highly regulated industry in a country that is increasingly highly regulated (that's NOT a political statement) for reasons which, if I expressed them would get my comments removed by the moderator because those unstated comments would be political, I believe in order to continue receiving rate increase approvals, public utilities are going to be forced to impose policies contrary to what their customers have been used to enjoying (perhaps overstated), since those same legislative bodies have not had the courage to approve power and their fuel supplier companies' requests for approvals to increase capacity, over past decades.

No increase in capacity with growth in population and the economy over time equals forced reductions in supply; customers must get by with less... less air conditioning, less comfort, softer frozen food, warmer beer -- GAWD NO... WARMER BEER ! ! ! In commodity business-to-business commerce, that's the dreaded force majeure bigfoot, this time from "environmentalism" run amok.

SECO has made it clear they are determined to install smart meters, customers' desires disregarded, despite the company supposedly being a "cooperative." In the Foreward to their corporate by-laws, they state:

========================
"It is the intention of the Board of Trustees and the Management to provide the membership with the best possible electric service and to render fair and just treatment, without discrimination, to all concerned.

In return we ask the members to be loyal to their Cooperative and to abide by the rules and regulations which have been formulated in the interest of economy and good service."
========================

"Intention" does not equate to "unequivocal, undying deliverable commitment."

A request for a person to be "Loyal to a Corporation" is right out of Orwell's "1984."

(EOM)

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by rubicon

George please confirm this information because if it is true then we are all in a whole lot of trouble.

Central Florida Utility companies are all going to smart meters but I never heard that they were controlling thermostats, etc. but only reading them. They are so advanced that they can tell what a person is doing laundry, showering, etc

If people are offended by what the NSA is doing then what is suggested here is a whole lot more personal and invasive

rubicon - just had a smart meter put in up at our house in maine. it does enable the power company to control our thermostat besides have the ability to read it from the central office. they let us know that up-front and gave us the option to keep the 'old' meter and meter reader for an additional cost. we took the smart meter because it is a vacation house without central air and will not really impact our usage.

this would prob not be a prob for us in the villages since we are snowbirds - unless the duke threat of turning off our electricity is for real. am not gonna drive to fl just to let some utility worker in the house to change a meter!

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by George Makrauer

Directly from a long time friend in Cincinnati who experienced this treatment from Duke Energy, which was DEMANDING AND THREATENING, so this story goes, to be able to install their Smart Meter in this resident's house.

The obvious question and concern is whether other "public utilities" will adopt this same policy and approach and what consumers can do about it... and when we have to begin.

From our friend; email July 18, 2013:

I want to tell you about a situation that happened last Friday.

We were out, and when we got home we had a notice on our door from Duke Power that said they needed to gain entry to our house to put in a smart meter to control the thermostat.

If we did not do this, then they would turn off our electricity.

If this is accurate, it's pretty foreboding, because a policy and action such as this by a corporation the size and prominence of Duke Power MUST have gone through legal review, unless the Duke rep posting the "notice" was a rouge warrior.

Chilling... would SECO behave like this? (Rhetorical question?)

When Green Mountain Power installed our Smart Meter about six months ago, they did NOT have to enter the home. It was installed on the exterior of the house..... We reside in Vermont.

You can hear strange "sounds" inside the home ever since the smart meter was installed. Hard to explain.
The wall oven makes strange noises. The hot water baseboard heat makes strange noises.....inside the walls, etc.
All this since they installed the smart meter.

I did read up on it and wasn't thrilled with what I read......however , they installed it before we could opt out.

[George Makrauer]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

rubicon - just had a smart meter put in up at our house in maine. it does enable the power company to control our thermostat besides have the ability to read it from the central office. they let us know that up-front and gave us the option to keep the 'old' meter and meter reader for an additional cost. we took the smart meter because it is a vacation house without central air and will not really impact our usage.

this would prob not be a prob for us in the villages since we are snowbirds - unless the duke threat of turning off our electricity is for real. am not gonna drive to fl just to let some utility worker in the house to change a meter!

Understood... in your scenario, a Smart Meter makes sense for you and a power company for convenience and economics in taking meter readings.

It's the other element of Smart Meters -- giving control of your personal environment to the company -- I object to. People with no knowledge of your circumstances, your needs, your desires, your financial wherewithal and other elements of your family's life will make decisions on their own to affect your quality and enjoyment of life services you are paying them to provide.

Also, do not discount that some of those decisions to tinker with your comfort will be made by people who got up on the wrong side of the bed that day or who resent your status or condition in the world. In a weather storm, you call the power company and have to wait how long for someone to do something you ask? During an intentional brownout, when demand is excessive and the power company triggers Smart Meters to cut back certain major appliance and HVAC compressor usage, if, for whatever reason you choose at the time, you want your comfort and convenience back -- say, for example, you still have a relationship with most of your family and they are all coming for dinner... all 20 of them -- how responsive do you think the power company will be to making you comfortable and happy?

The point is private people giving up control of their personal home environment is one of the aspects of Soviet and Socialist life that always distinguished the U.S. as the distinguished country in which to live and pursue not just opportunity and wealth, BUT FREEDOM.

That ain't the way it works with -- among other things -- Smart Meters.
(EOM)