Smart meter suspicion

I read the Chronicle op-ed touting the cleverly-named electric smart-meter. It is a smart idea to name a product so people believe they are getting something valuable.

Be aware, the only difference between the old electric meter and new meter is a radio inside the new meter that broadcasts your electric usage. And can be used to turn your power off remotely if you rabble-rouse too much over the smart meter.

The new meter is a whole-house electric meter. It does not read individual appliances. It does not turn off appliances. And you are going to pay for the new meter with billing increases, and pay for the electricity needed to run the radio. Plus the electric company removes meter-reader jobs from the local economy while importing a meter that is not manufactured in your community. So we are paying the electric company to ship jobs elsewhere.

So what are your advantages? New products. Yes, the electric company is going to sell you a monitor that reads your electric usage at static 15 minute intervals. This is not a live feed of your electric consumption. And the electric company dreams of rolling out more products (for a monthly fee) that might turn off appliances even though every appliance in your home already has a switch except the refrigerator and electric water heater.

I think the most likely future products will be billing based on your personal usage patterns, and targeted household advertising based on your comings and goings which will be visible at the electric company office which will be located anywhere the cost of labor is cheapest. Moreover, the switch controlling your home electricity could end up in China. How stupid are we? Well, we’re getting a smart meter.

Gene Haynes