Almost guilted and threatened into allowing a smart-meter to be installed

reply to post by fictitious

I think its cute y'all say "touch wood" instead of "knock on wood"

Off topic..

Likewise, the 1st time my aunty from the US said 'ya'll' i thought it was very cute and also when she screamed 'HAPPY HOUR'! ... I'd never heard of it up until that point. I do like a good old eccentric American, they bring life to a lot of otherwise dull Brits.

Originally posted by Unity_99
We have gas here and are looking for a house in the okanagan, which will probably have gas. But we won't be keeping it as gas.

First thing is to change the hot water tank over to electric. And put in a heat pump electric furnace, if you have the extra, otherwise, start with baseboard heaters.

Why go propane when you can go electric.

And then consider preparing for power outages with some generators and or/devices.

My electric bill in the winter is about 400 bucks. Do you really want that?

reply to post by MongusePro


Y'all don't have happy hour?? That is a travesty! Maybe y'all just drink all the time, so it's always happy hour lol.

buy one of these.



Put a nice doggie enclosure around the meter with him in it.

Problem solved.

reply to post by fictitious


Our new smart meter will be installed on the 22nd of june.I didn't want
to have it installed either and I told them so over the phone.Later,I found
a note hanging from my back door informing us that our electricity will
be disconnected if we don't have the new meter installed.

Originally posted by fictitious
Thank you for your side of the story. It is nice to see, however, I also know that not all employees are privy to all information. Just think how many people at Verizon or Google thought it wasn't possible to data-mine so much. They didn't see it in the code because, well, they weren't the coders.

See the difference here is that I'm more on the data side of things. While part of my job means working with the communication network, the main part of my job is taking all the raw data from the meters and turning it into information. I have access to every single bit (and byte) of data stored in the meters. I have signed a nondisclosure with the meter manufacturers and they provided us with everything from the basic-level language needed to communicate with the meters to the encryption keys needed to decode the communication. I can go into much detail about how these meters communicate, registers and so on and so forth. But it is quite boring and I don't want to run the risk of breaking the nondisclosure. The bottom line is - and you can take my word for this - the meters do not store any information about you that can be harmful to you.

Also, whatever technology is in the works of being installed, a newer technology 5X better is already being made. Whether or not these smart meters have the current capability to data mine, they certainly will in the next year. Just look at XBoxs, new smart phones that pause when you look away from it. It is tracking your moves, for "your" convenience. All that data gets stored, so why wouldn't a company buy that data for some use? Why not? What use? I don't know, but all information can be used for evil just as much as for the good.

That is true. And with that same point you made your concerns null and void or at least pointless. If someone wants to spy on you or collect information on you, they will. Anything you bring into your house is a potential thread to your privacy. Every other device they manufacture these days is "Smart" and can connect to the internet. Smart TVs, mobile phones, gaming consoles, fridges, your GPS - heck, even your car. If you're going to live in constant fear of your kitchen appliances spying on you, then you will have to stop buying new appliances. You should probably get rid of everything that uses electricity and go back to using fire, carrier pigeons, horses and paraffin. Ask yourself if your paranoia is that strong yet? And is it really worth that additional stress? Personally I love new technology. It makes life easier. Plain and simple.

Also, if they really wanted to spy on anyone through the electricity network, do you really think they would need the Smart Meters? For that matter they could just leave all the meters as is (and avoid the questions and drama), and they could simply attach a device to your supply 2 meters outside of your yard without you even knowing it. Or 20 meters down the street in the minisub. If I were to spy on people and gather all kinds of "evil data" I would most definitely not use Smart Meters.

I certainly see the up-side for the company, but no necessarily the consumer. Our cost isn't reduced by these meters even though, here at least, the company has less overhead after installing them. They gain profit and it never trickles down. Believe me, I'm no socialist, but if all this stuff is regulated by the government, then by their way of thinking, the consumer should catch a break.

I have to agree. The benefits of Smart Meters for the companies/utilities are far greater than that of the consumer. Keep in mind that initially the expense for the company is a lot as the Smart Meters are (at this point) quite expensive - at least a lot more expensive than the old non-digital meters. But in the long run the companies are saving a lot on man-power. If the company doesn't give you any choice about the meter installation, then they should be paying for - as I'm sure they do.

Again I cannot comment on your situation - but here everyone pays exactly the same rates irrespective of the type of meter they have. The only time when you will probably pay more for your consumption after you've installed a Smart Meter, is if they implement time-of-use tariffs. I'm guessing that they'll also implement a more expensive tariff for people that don't have a smart meter. But that you will have to take up with your local counsel. It definitely isn't the fault of the Smart Meter and doesn't make it evil either.

To be completely blunt. From where I'm sitting - from the Smart Meter side of the fence - this fear of Smart Meters is absurd. But as I said before - it is up to you to make up your own mind. I can only give you the facts, tell you that there is nothing to fear and leave the decision making up to you.

reply to post by grey580

There is a dog enclosure in that area, but that dog would keel over in two days in this heat. Heck I was out for ten minutes in the sun and thought I was about to pass out! I like that dog though. I wonder what it would look like shaved haha.

They definitely seemed threatening towards you.
Its not right there is no option.

I got a notice I would be getting one. I had read all the info on the dangers of them, so I immediately noticed things not working in my home after installation. My wifi kept cutting out, other electrical things not working etc. I called and complained. Then the problems went away. I just don't know if that was the cause of the problems though.

reply to post by fictitious


They tried to do the exact same thing to me. I looked it up ,and in my area ,they are not required cor private homes ,at all .

Then I got threatening notices hanging on my door ,and unsigned letters from the EPA .
I ignored it all. It went on for two years . They finally left me alone .

reply to post by MongusePro


Heres a NY times article that claims the fears are subject to a small minority in narrow geographical areas. The funniest part of their report is the Privacy statement.......

On the "Privacy Side", apparently there has never been a reported violation of customer privacy by utility companies. In fact, utilities have strong policies and Regulatory Oversight, so they will continue to protect that privacy. In short: for utilities, Privacy is a very important and well-handled matter.

www.emeter.com...

The report was in 2011, & claims Strong Policies & Regulatory oversight. Privacy is very Important & Well handled matter..LMFAO.. The kool Aid was still flowing strong. Looking Back now I forgot about Obamas TakeOver of the Energy Department. His scandalous Takeovers move so fast it's hard to digest one before your Rocked by another.

Every fear that people who weren't Brain washed had, has come True. I told you So is the Biggest understatement of the Decade!!