Has anyone heard about this "smart meter"?

[gunmum]

I came across this photo on FB today and curiously found myself reading comments from people all over the world saying how horrible this thing is! And many of them weren't given a choice to have one installed or not.
Causing fires, raising bills, and emitting radiation...???
Is this fearmongering or fact? Has anyone actually experienced this??
http://stopsmartmeters.net/smartElectricityMeters.htm

According to Wikipedia:
"BC Hydro in British Columbia, Canada is implementing Itron smart meters to all customers by the end of 2012."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_meter

Thanks!

[Big Daddy Badger]

Saw something on the news a few months back.

Big brother forcing these things on homeowners and (I think) adjusting bills based upon when the power is used.

People expected their power bills to get smaller because they were shown the rates for the times when costs are lower like at night.
Of course...they paid through the nose during daytime evening periods and their bills increased a whole bunch.


Anyway...something like that.

[pattycr125]

fact.
I know you can buy stick on lead covers, so the radiation is probably also true.

put on your tin-foil hat, I bet the government paid the electric companies to do this.(with our money)

I am getting sick of the unlimited greed of these "monthly bill" companies, cell phone, cable, power.

I pay under 20 dollars for power in my apartment but the bill is always over 60, WTF is that, that is called making up bs charges to rip people off who use hardly any power(apartment dwellers), i run 1 computer about 6 hours a day tops and one fridge, thats it.

[Jimmyjjj]

Wow!!! I almost said yes (I was too lazy to call the gas company back). Thanks so much for this info!

[Boberama]

Yeah, smart meters. Don't know everything about them but here are some things I know.

-Installed on commission, so they will be persistent in trying to fix one up to your house, even if you put up signs saying you don't want one. You can leave for the day and come back and find it stuck there. Might want to build a cage around your old meter.

-Can detect what is turned on in your house, since every device has a unique "load bearing signature" which is picked up by its sensors. Charging your iPod? Someone could know. Marijuana grow-op? Someone could know. Taking your laptop from the kitchen to the living room? Someone can tell.

-Can be hacked...

-Can shut off your power precisely and remotely.

-Companies may sell the data on what you are using and when to marketing firms such as Google... some big marketing firms are backing the smart meter initiatives, by the way...

[r2d246]

You never know as the war is on the people now. Population control and reduction

[turmoil]

Got mine a few months ago in BC before moving out here. Bill was up close to $100 that pay period, nothing was changed in my house at the time but BC Hydro insists that I must be using more..

[Yéil]

We had those installed in both our houses in Ottawa and Trenton Ontario.

What we saw as a result...

Increased hydro bills. They billed in four categories, low use, mid range use and high load use. So... low is anytime before 7 am and after 9 pm. Rates was for 6 cents per KW. For mid range that was from 7 am until 9 am and 7 pm until 9 pm. Rate was 10 cents per KW. Premium range use was 9 am until 7 pm. Rates were 17 cents per KW. Off load use was 9 pm until 7am. rates were 3 cents per KW.

So if you did your laundry in the low rate time or off load times, you got the lowers rates. If you had a family at home and your spouse did chores during the peak hours, you paid more. The idea that was originally tossed out by the govt was that the peak hours would capture the business use and the higher rates would offset the residential consumer... yeah right... never saw that in my bill. Our bills went up in addition with extra delivery charges as those rates were deregulated - pretty much what we see here.

I never got a sense that Hydro could actually tell what appliance I was using, just when I used the power and for how long. They could tell when someone was home during the day or evening by the power usage - and that bothered me for a while - but with so many on smart meters, our house was just another billing address.

The installation in Ontario was mandatory - hydro has easements on to property and they own the meters. Telling them to take a hike was pretty useless as they'd pull out the survey and show where the easements and right of way were on the property.

To me, it was a money grab and has done little to change the way folks use hydro and when. Didn't see much "green effect" because power is still being drawn 24/7 by users. I wanted to see cities opting to shut off half if not all of their night lighting to save the planet rather than laying on me to decide to throw a load of dishes in before or after I get home from work.

[nof60]

Your hydro companu owns the meter so if they decide to put smart meters in you are getting one. As posted above you pay more during periods of peak load. You can set you house up to shut certain thing like deep freezes and hot water heaters off during these times. You bill will go up. They company can read your meter remotely and shut power off remotly.

[Don Andersen]

Smart meters are everywhere.

Got one on the water meter, one @ the acreage on electrical meter. Heard they are coming for the gas meter.

Oh, God aren't we safe anywhere.

Next thing I know, they'll be putting them on Black Helicopters.

Don

[Okotokian]

This petition brought to you by the BCGOA (British Columbia Grow-Op Association).

What a hoot. Opponents worried that it will allow utilities to charge different rates for different times of day!!!!!! Well, if that's the contract you decide to choose, what would be so bad abaout that? Not run all your appliances at peak times and save some money. It's environmentally responsible.

Worry about the brain-damaging electronic waves the odd time it sends a signal???? hmmmm maybe, if you add them to your wireless internet, TV's, radios, I-Pad, cell-phones, remote car starter and satellite dish. LOL

[JB_AOL]

Can detect what is turned on in your house, since every device has a unique "load bearing signature" which is picked up by its sensors. Charging your iPod? Someone could know. Marijuana grow-op? Someone could know. Taking your laptop from the kitchen to the living room? Someone can tell.

lol..

That would be true if they had a smart meter on every plug in your house. But since it's only on the main line, they would only be able to tell that you had a phone charging, if that was the only electrical load at the time, so add in washer/dryer/hair dryer/phone, and now they have no idea what's going on. All the signatures would be mixed together.

Better get that tin hat..

Besides this is no different than Oil & Gas companies adjusting prices in winter vs summer.. Frankly if it makes someone second guess their electrical usage, it's done it's job.

[roger]

good. we dont pay enough for electricity/energy now
just go offgrid and stop worrying about it.the you can see how much waste you have.
commercial businesses have been doing this for years, even dams that generate electricity buy back the power at nite and pump water to the top the dam again

[vcmm]

Don't use it on politicians. It wont work.

[Rocky7]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

This petition brought to you by the BCGOA (British Columbia Grow-Op Association).

What a hoot. Opponents worried that it will allow utilities to charge different rates for different times of day!!!!!! Well, if that's the contract you decide to choose, what would be so bad abaout that? Not run all your appliances at peak times and save some money. It's environmentally responsible.

Worry about the brain-damaging electronic waves the odd time it sends a signal???? hmmmm maybe, if you add them to your wireless internet, TV's, radios, I-Pad, cell-phones, remote car starter and satellite dish. LOL

You're smarter than that.

These meters will tell the power company when you get home from work, when you take holidays, how many people are in your house, how many guests you have and how long they stayed. What days and times your home is likely to be unoccupied. Whether you cook or heat meals in the microwave. When you shower.....for openers.

That information can be sold. Or hacked.

Still think that people who oppose it are just granola warriors?

[fishead]

Originally Posted by roger

good. even dams that generate electricity buy back the power at nite and pump water to the top the dam again

Simply not true. Do you have any idea how much that would cost?

[roger]

Originally Posted by fishead

Simply not true. Do you have any idea how much that would cost?

my apologies, i was writing in a hurry, i should have said that with a grain of salt...when i was in engineering classes, that because of the revenue generated during the high dollar day time rates vs the costs of using electricity during off peak hours, it would be feasible to do this.
though in reality, between staffing, equipment losses and depreaction etc it.

[fishead]

Originally Posted by roger

my apologies, i was writing in a hurry, i should have said that with a grain of salt...when i was in engineering classes, that because of the revenue generated during the high dollar day time rates vs the costs of using electricity during off peak hours, it would be feasible to do this.
though in reality, between staffing, equipment losses and depreaction etc it.

No worries, just felt like I had to respond to that. My line of work is kind of related the utility industry.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by Rocky7

You're smarter than that.

These meters will tell the power company when you get home from work, when you take holidays, how many people are in your house, how many guests you have and how long they stayed. What days and times your home is likely to be unoccupied. Whether you cook or heat meals in the microwave. When you shower.....for openers.

That information can be sold. Or hacked.

Still think that people who oppose it are just granola warriors?

It's Orwellian.

[deegee]

<-BEE and ET & IT

- There are huge amounts of misinformation on the internet about... well... everything.
- They cannot tell what specific appliances you are running. Appliances don't have "signatures".
- They cannot tell when you are not home, unless whenever you are home you turn on every appliance in your house to dramatically increase your usage, and someone at the utilities just happens to be monitoring your specific data. But if you are this paranoid, pretty much anyone could find some way to find out whether you are home or not, maybe they could just drive by and see if your car is parked in your driveway.
- The meters use a networked pass-along of the data, so unless someone with technical experience was snooping, the average joe can't hijack your transmission and find out what you are using for power, and even if they did, so what? It tells him that I have used xx kw/h during this past monitoring period.
- The amount of data transmission radiation is less than your home wireless router or your cell phone, plus the meters do not transmit continuously, typically <1 minute transmitting per day.
- My home electrical bill has not increased since a smart meter has been installed last fall.

- It is a big monetary income going to some electronics corporation(s) for the meter hardware/software. But everything is going computerized these days so why the worry? Times change.
- It does allow utility companies to bill for usage within specific times of the day (if they choose). But how is this any different than highway tolls with busy/off-times, busy/off-season plane/bus/train tickets, posted speed limits that vary with time of day, etc. It doesn't mean you will be paying more overall monthly or yearly.

[pattycr125]

you signed up to tell us all is well? please come istall more spy devices thats what we all want, tell me one positive thing about these pieces os. I'd rather go back to the damn stone age then this retarded new modern police state world. seriously how are these good for the consumer in any way, and how are these utility companies so F'in greedy. clearly they are not doing to bad i don't see any of them going out of business cause they are selling the power to cheap. like WTF they know everyone uses power when they are off work so they wanna jack the price up during those times? WTF IS THAT! do they expect people to go nocturnal to save a bit of money, no they expect every one to keep doing as they do and charging them out the ass for it! and that is exactly what will happen.

how do people get tricked so easily?

[Rocky7]

Originally Posted by pattycr125

you signed up to tell us all is well? please come istall more spy devices thats what we all want, tell me one positive thing about these pieces os. I'd rather go back to the damn stone age then this retarded new modern police state world. seriously how are these good for the consumer in any way, and how are these utility companies so F'in greedy. clearly they are not doing to bad i don't see any of them going out of business cause they are selling the power to cheap. like WTF they know everyone uses power when they are off work so they wanna jack the price up during those times? WTF IS THAT! do they expect people to go nocturnal to save a bit of money, no they expect every one to keep doing as they do and charging them out the ass for it! and that is exactly what will happen.

Good one, patty. I didn't catch that.

I had a few minutes and was trying to find some source for this guy's reassurances - not much other than a couple of utility company statements. Now that I've seen your post, I'll stop wasting my time.

[Rocky7]

Originally Posted by pesky672

It's Orwellian.

It might be, pesky. It has that potential and that's why I don't want it.... not even if it's used only to sell useful information to telemarketers.

[gunmum]

Rocky7 and others (like myself) who are maybe concerned about how "the man" is counting on us to be consistently complacent...check out this comment that I found at the bottom of that link in the OP.
Dramatic? Perhaps, but maybe there is something to it...??

Mia Nony, Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:00 am: Reply
"What does "SMART" mean, Mummy?"

"Well, darling, the letters stands for "SURVEILLANCE MONITORED ARTIFICIAL RADIATION TRANSMITTER".
But the idea behind the letters started out as a clever corporate way in which to flatter us as consumers into thinking we were "smart", and at the same time, the word was meant to secretly mock us for being so easy to "outsmart" by corporations."

"How did it happen, Mummy?"

"It was partly our own fault. We all wanted to be clever and wireless, to "go digital" and modern and to think of ourselves as "smart". That is how we outsmarted ourselves. The corporations saw our need to be "smart" as a chance to sell us this image of ourselves in the digital mirror which they held up for us to gaze at."

"How will it happen, Mummy?"

"Well.... This plan is similar to drift netting. The net entraps the catch and everything else at the same time, remember? And then the makers of this net either consume or discard everything inside the net. The corporations are joining all of the radiation units and boosters and towers together in one giant drift net, sort of like making the whole planet the same as that room Mummy goes into to have an x-ray, except that in this "room" none of us get to leave the room. The corporations are enclosing the earth in a giant invisible net.
You remember what humans did to the whales when they used sonar in the ocean? Do you recall how it drove the whales mad and the whales tried to beach themselves to escape the hurtful crazy making sound? This is very much like that, only now we are the whales.
People, and all domestic and wildlife on land will be trapped inside in that "smart" drift net which is meant to be wrapped around the globe. Sadly we will be left with no place to escape to and no way to beach ourselves."

"But why, Mummy? What have we done? Were we bad?"

"No we are not bad and we did nothing to deserve this, dear.
We were just fatally foolish. That and we got in their way."

"Will it hurt, Mummy?"

"At the beginning it will only hurt for some of us, the more sensitive and attuned ones.
Mostly it will not be painful, at least not near the start. It will be very slow and gradual for most of us and any pain will only come later."

"But why are they allowed to do this to us, Mummy?"

"Because we were all sleeping when they put themselves in charge"

TRIAL SUMMATION:

THE ACCUSED ARE CHARGED WITH OUTSMARTING THEMSELVES AND ARE FOUND GUILTY AS CHARGED.

THE ACCUSED HAVE BEEN TRIED BY A JURY OF CORPORATE PURCHASED PEERS AND HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF BEING PART OF HUMANITY.

THE APPEAL FOR WRONGFUL CONVICTION IS HEREBY DENIED.

CONDITIONAL PARDON IS ALSO DENIED.

SENTENCE SHALL BE DEATH, TO BE CARRIED OUT BY GRADUALISM AND STEALTH, TO BE METED OUT BY METER, AND TO BE EXECUTED OVER A PROLONGED PERIOD OF YEARS BY MEANS OF THE S.M.A.R.T. ELECTRIC METER VERSION OF A SLOW ELECTRIC CHAIR.

ALL RISE.

COURT DISMISSED

[pattycr125]

the thing that ****es me off is how we put food on the mans table, then he turns around and stabs us in the back for more cash.

[deegee]

Originally Posted by pattycr125

you signed up to tell us all is well? please come istall more spy devices thats what we all want, tell me one positive thing about these pieces os. I'd rather go back to the damn stone age then this retarded new modern police state world. seriously how are these good for the consumer in any way, and how are these utility companies so F'in greedy. clearly they are not doing to bad i don't see any of them going out of business cause they are selling the power to cheap. like WTF they know everyone uses power when they are off work so they wanna jack the price up during those times? WTF IS THAT! do they expect people to go nocturnal to save a bit of money, no they expect every one to keep doing as they do and charging them out the ass for it! and that is exactly what will happen.

how do people get tricked so easily?

First:
I have been visiting/lurking at these forums for a few years.
I didn't sign up just to post that message.
So, I guess if I'm not welcome here...
And if you actually read and comprehended my entire post you would have seen the last paragraph is the "cons" of the system.

Second:
Paranoid much?
Do you own a cell phone?
Well your telecom company can track you with it like a GPS; they can tell when you are not home; they can find out who you are talking to and associating with; they can find out how many minutes you are using it each day; they know what times of the day you most use it.
This is WAY more information than what a smart meter can provide.

Do you have a computer and use the internet? (Apparently so).
Well, your ISP is logging everywhere you go; they are also storing all of your emails (tho some only temporarily); all of the rest of the servers in the world that your data is transferred through log your activity; tracking cooking on your computer track your movement.
This is WAY more information than what a smart meter can provide.

Smart meters give up very little information comparatively.
I guess we better get rid of cell phones and computers and the internet as well as the smart meters because big brother is watching.
I would be more concerned about iPads and iPhones than smart meters...

Unfortunately you will have to go completely off-grid if you want to get away from anything related to our modern society. So all my best.
And since you are going off-grid I will assume that there won't be any more replies from you...

[pattycr125]

cell phone is long gone, and the benefits of the internet outweigh the negatives, so I use it. thanks for telling me nothing I didn't already know.

and it's not that big brother is watching, it is that if he chooses to do so, it's all already there for him.

[midgetwaiter]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Worry about the brain-damaging electronic waves the odd time it sends a signal???? hmmmm maybe, if you add them to your wireless internet, TV's, radios, I-Pad, cell-phones, remote car starter and satellite dish. LOL

Story time.

I know a guy that does network stuff for an organic food retailer. He installed a bunch of wireless network gear in the office and the next thing you know half of the place was out sick everyday with issues caused by the evil radiations. Now I'm not sure how I would have handled that situation but I imagine it wouldn't have been terribly professional, probably still be in court over it. However he is a better man than me, he googled about until he found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833168087

Turns out that if you use wireless access points that look like smoke detectors nobody gets sick. I guess it's just the sight of all those nasty antennas that makes you get the evil radiations headaches so you have to stay home from work, not the actual radiations.

Lord knows I just couldn't handle having that smart meter doohickey radiating eeevil rays every time I took a shower so all the pervs at the power company could come and watch me.

Seriously people, you want to know why democracy doesn't work? Read the comments on the OP's links. We don't need a poll tax we need a math test at voter registration time.