Smart Meters
- Thread starter DCarr2
- Start date
bczygan
Well-known member
Troglodyte!
problem?
my NG theory.. as you put it using THEIR charts, the compare Gallons to cubic feet, thats apples to oranges. my own real world experience shows that oil IS in fact cheaper, for instance, heating a house 1/2 size, insulated well, windows shrink wrapped ect, yet costs almost twice as much, and dont forget I am not having oil delivered, I am buying it myself for 40% less than having it delivered.
Next you will tell me I cant heat my old shop for $1,000 in firewood at 65-75... which I did for almost ten years, yet the previous 7 years, 200-2007 cost on average $2800-$3200 a heating season
rburke65
Well-known member
Show key.....funny
fteufert
Well-known member
FYI: They rate the BTU's in the gallon of oil versus the BTU's in a cubic foot of gas.
Once you factor in maintenance costs, gas is even cheaper since it burns cleaner.
Once you factor in maintenance costs, gas is even cheaper since it burns cleaner.
djbmw
Well-known member
Yes - delay as much as possible. With a Smart Meter you'll soon notice the TOS (Time of Service) billing... meaning your rate fluctuates throughout the day/night/season. With an older meter they cant do that....
DeltaWye
Well-known member
The more energy you conserve, the more they jack up the rates to compensate.
ard
Well-known member
Anyone know of a way to prevent smart meters from communicating? That doesnt bring the FCCs black helicopters to your house??
djbmw
Well-known member
jbwilkins
Well-known member
coldh2o
Well-known member
bczygan
Well-known member
Kaizen
Well-known member
I want one. I for one am not into the conspiracies. I want the nighttime rate to run certain appliances and items. seriously who the hell cares who knows what i'm running in my own home.
coldh2o
Well-known member
This
. My hydro bill went down with a smart meter and time of use billing. I can set my dishwasher, washing machine, etc. to run over night.Falcon67
Well-known member
Looking forward to getting one so the !#@! co-op knows when the power goes off. "Report an outage right away - we are here to help!" But they never answer the phone outside normal business hours.
nh_yota
Well-known member
We got smart meters a few years ago around here but they're not the remote telemetry ones that communicate with the mother ship. They are just the ones like RF water meters that allow the meter reader to scan all of the meters while driving down the street.
The only true thing I've heard about smart meters is they may cause your electric bill to jump up a bit because your old mechanical meter was slow and now the smart meter is measuring correctly.
The only true thing I've heard about smart meters is they may cause your electric bill to jump up a bit because your old mechanical meter was slow and now the smart meter is measuring correctly.
ard
Well-known member
Just asking...my reference was to a jammer or other active device, all of which the FCC does in fact care.
Passive devices may or may not be an issue, based on state law and utility agreements.... and yes, there are some people way way out there over this stuff. Not me, just curious.
I did get minorly screwed by a smart meter....
They installed it after my solar was approved, nice massive sunny California morning. Meter read 0000kWh. Indicator showed I was generating...meter sat at 0000 until late afternoon, when our E usage finally exceeded generation. From that day on, we were generating (pushing back to the grid) every day (but using each night) Apparently the GE smart meter cannot go 'below' 0000, either negative of 9999, 9998, etc
So they owe me one day.
(Hey- it was one of those observations that I think highlighted a use situation they never tested nor validated....)
DeltaWye
Well-known member
This
You're paying less for electricity now than 5 years ago?
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DeltaWye
Well-known member
When Toronto brought time-of-use billing in, the lowest tier was 3.0 cents/KwH, medium 7.0 and the highest rate was 8.7. The rates are now 8.7, 13.2 and 18. They moved off-peak time from 7 PM to 9 PM for a while but enough people shouted and screamed that they moved it back.
Don't go shopping for that new car with the money you're going to save just yet.
Don't go shopping for that new car with the money you're going to save just yet.
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our time of use rates for residential in Hawaii are jacked.
currently if you got the regular billing with a fixed cost it is about 24 cent per kWh
if you have time of use billing
10pm to 9am 23.4 cent per kWh
9am to 5 pm 14.9 cent per kWh
5pm-10pm 37.3 cent per kWh
WTF!!! so while you're not home at work it is cheaper by about 9 cents. when you get home to cook and watch tv and do your chores is increases by 13.3 cents. when you go to sleep its about the same.
screw the smart meter. its only smart for the utility company.
We have a three tier system here and I have been on a smart meter for a few years and I have no problem with it. I understand it is going to two Tier in March and they have a new "penalty box" for extreme usage increases, but it would be tough to get there. We are at .18+/kqh. I am under the Tier I max by about 20%. That said, in July, August, Sept I couldn't figure out why the usage was so high. I thought shop power consumption might be it and AC, but upon a bit of sleuthing I found a hole in the well pipe, so the pump was constantly cycling. Repaired and consumption dropped by half. I think I'll put a 5kw solar system up this coming year.
djbmw
Well-known member
Im in Ontario, Canada using HydroOne.
With a Smart meter and TOS billing the winter rates are:
8.7c/kWh off peak (night), 13.2c/kWh mid peak (morning and evening), and 18c/kWh peak (day)
If i still had an older meter I would be paying a flat 10.3c/kWh.
Do the math.... Smart meters (ie Time Of Use billing) ****... And cost consumers more. Meanwhile... We have an abundance of hydro electricty and sell it off to other grids because we arent consuming enough ourselves. Go figure.
With a Smart meter and TOS billing the winter rates are:
8.7c/kWh off peak (night), 13.2c/kWh mid peak (morning and evening), and 18c/kWh peak (day)
If i still had an older meter I would be paying a flat 10.3c/kWh.
Do the math.... Smart meters (ie Time Of Use billing) ****... And cost consumers more. Meanwhile... We have an abundance of hydro electricty and sell it off to other grids because we arent consuming enough ourselves. Go figure.
fastbike02
Well-known member
This
Mine did too! I work 2nd shift so I'm usually up late and sleep all day, with the new meter mine power bill dropped around 10-15 bucks a month just because it sees i really only use power between 11pm-4am.
Worked for the com ed company in illinois for over thirty years in the meter department. Any of the mechanical meters that were running slow wasnt enough to affect the bill. Same if they ran fast which they really didnt unless they had been tampered with.
Falcon67
Well-known member
I'd figure out a way to pump that daytime power into a battery bank!
udderlyoffroad
Well-known member
My power bill has dropped since we got one….because over here they come with a separate ‘display’ to show you how much juice you’re using. This visual aid works wonders on my girlfriend, who finally ‘gets’ that certain appliances use more than others, so boiling the kettle (1100 W) with more water in than you need is way more wasteful than leaving a light (11 W) on in the bedroom for 15 mins…
Of course then I run the 3 hp compressor in the garage, followed by firing up the welder turned up to 11, and all the savings suddenly disappear…
Of course then I run the 3 hp compressor in the garage, followed by firing up the welder turned up to 11, and all the savings suddenly disappear…
R6 Racer
Well-known member
Hydro is a big problem here in Ontario. Every week there's a story in the paper about someone getting a massive (1000$ ish) hydro bill. Or how a single mom has to choose between hydro or food.
It is an issue here for sure.
On a recent bill, I used (apx) $35.00 in electricity in 1 month but my bill was over $150.00
Here I get a $50.00 charge every month for the privilege of being hooked up to the grid.
If I was to go away for a month with the main breaker turned off my bill for that month would still be around 70 or 75 dollars!!! FOR NOTHING!!!!!!
Local cottagers get a $400 to $500 every spring even tho their cottage was turned off for the 6 months.
As for smart meters, IMO stay away.
The signal they send out can mess with a human brain if the exposure is prolonged.
An acquaintance had a 4 plex he rented out. Shortly after the change happened the people who rented the unit that happened to have the 4 smart meters on its wall outside of their bedroom moved out. Turned out they separated & moved. From that point on he could not keep a tenant in that unit. He went threw something like 8 tenants in 2 years. All of which were couples & all of which split up & moved out.
He believes its because the smart meters were/are outside of right were the headboard in the master bed would go. The signal sent out by 4 SM less than a foot from the tenants heads was the cause of his tenants issues.
A cheap tin(foil) roasting pan, hung on a nail so as to cover said meter will either block or distort the signal. Enough that the measured signal is less than 10% of what was there prior to covering it.
Steve
It is an issue here for sure.
On a recent bill, I used (apx) $35.00 in electricity in 1 month but my bill was over $150.00
Here I get a $50.00 charge every month for the privilege of being hooked up to the grid.
If I was to go away for a month with the main breaker turned off my bill for that month would still be around 70 or 75 dollars!!! FOR NOTHING!!!!!!
Local cottagers get a $400 to $500 every spring even tho their cottage was turned off for the 6 months.
As for smart meters, IMO stay away.
The signal they send out can mess with a human brain if the exposure is prolonged.
An acquaintance had a 4 plex he rented out. Shortly after the change happened the people who rented the unit that happened to have the 4 smart meters on its wall outside of their bedroom moved out. Turned out they separated & moved. From that point on he could not keep a tenant in that unit. He went threw something like 8 tenants in 2 years. All of which were couples & all of which split up & moved out.
He believes its because the smart meters were/are outside of right were the headboard in the master bed would go. The signal sent out by 4 SM less than a foot from the tenants heads was the cause of his tenants issues.
A cheap tin(foil) roasting pan, hung on a nail so as to cover said meter will either block or distort the signal. Enough that the measured signal is less than 10% of what was there prior to covering it.
Steve