[sunglow]

SECO is removing the smart meters from all of the houses in our neighborhood and I was wondering if anyone knows why they are doing so. They said that they were removing them because they weren't living up to their expectations. It seems strange to go to such an expense just for that reason. I remember reading about the smart meters when they first came out and there was a lot of controversy concerning them.

[villagetinker]

They may be replacing with another type of meter with different capabilities. I have seen 'smart meters' fail to live up to expectations due to various field conditions that were not anticipated with the initial installation. Or they may be changing the way they read the meters, eliminated a drive by reading for a cellular based reading or similar type of scheme. There are many variations of these devices.

[janmcn]

Duke Energy did the same thing last year, only saying that they were collecting all the meters formerly installed by Progress Energy.

[dplars]

The Villagetinker or thinker has it right, technology is always changing, first it was the proximity reader (like at the gates) and this was changed to remote access readings where data is transmitted from the meter, on demand to a central collection processor. More efficient, no one to physically collect data from each meter and their office personnel can access readings on demand to answer questions of usage.

[Indydealmaker]

It is all part of a new Dept. of Energy upgrade that will allow big brother to "throttle" your energy usage. They got the idea from Comcast and Time Warner and AT&T.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

It is all part of a new Dept. of Energy upgrade that will allow big brother to "throttle" your energy usage. They got the idea from Comcast and Time Warner and AT&T.

You are really evil! But entirely accurate I believe.

[villagetinker]

Indydeal maker, I am sure you are being facetious, but having spent 40 plus years in the electric utility industry, I think I can state that the utilities are not interested in limiting your power use. Doing this would LOWER the bill, since they are paid on kw used. Comcast is paid period, and does not charge for the number of bits/bytes that are transmitted, therefore throttling does not impact their bills or profit, but frees bandwidth for other uses.

There are also several practical reasons why electricity cannot be "throttled". Having stated this, there are meters that have been installed in some locations that can be remotely turned off for non payment of bills. These are very few, and I know of only 2-3 utilities that were using the capability.

I am just trying to stop a possible rumor before it takes root and spreads.

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

Indydeal maker, I am sure you are being facetious, but having spent 40 plus years in the electric utility industry, I think I can state that the utilities are not interested in limiting your power use. Doing this would LOWER the bill, since they are paid on kw used. Comcast is paid period, and does not charge for the number of bits/bytes that are transmitted, therefore throttling does not impact their bills or profit, but frees bandwidth for other uses.

There are also several practical reasons why electricity cannot be "throttled". Having stated this, there are meters that have been installed in some locations that can be remotely turned off for non payment of bills. These are very few, and I know of only 2-3 utilities that were using the capability.

I am just trying to stop a possible rumor before it takes root and spreads.

Of course, I was making funny, however it is too late to stop the rumors. Here is another approach that is being developed (once implemented, easily abused):
Big Brother to control thermostats in homes?

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

It is all part of a new Dept. of Energy upgrade that will allow big brother to "throttle" your energy usage. They got the idea from Comcast and Time Warner and AT&T.

[MikeV]

I'd like to throttle big brother right back!!

[villagetinker]

Yes, you are probably right with the rumors, they seem to start instantaneously.

Take care and have a great time in TV.

[Bogie Shooter]

Response from SECO Customer Service to an EMail sent Saturday regarding this question.

Thank you for your email. Your meter was part of an initial phase automated meter system implementation. We are in the process of removing the system, which did not meet our expectations.

[birdawg]

I spoke with the Tech who was making the change he said they were going back to the old style. Expect to see meter readers.

[snowbird22154]

[QUOTE=MikeV;972028]I'd like to throttle big brother right back!![/QUOTE]

[Indydealmaker]

[quote=snowbird22154;972276]

Originally Posted by MikeV

I'd like to throttle big brother right back!![/QUOTE]

That would be . . . Counter-Throttleism!