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[murphy]

[sadunbar]

Hydro Meters apparently have a lot in common with OnStar....

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/25/schumer-takes-aim-at-onstar-says-new-policy-a-brazen-invasion-of-privacy/

[cvobiker]

I can tell you our power bill went way up after they installed our... We complained like crazy and PG&E concluded that we should consider ourselves lucky because the old mechanical Meter was not calibrated correctly....Yea Right !!!

If you want to screw with them,,, put a pie pan over the meter, it blocks the radio signals. 

[charles05663]

The video had a lot of valid points.  In Vermont, the power companies are starting to install smart meters.  If you choose to decline, they are charging an extra $10 month to read the meter.

[Keats]

There was a time a similar argument was made against Cell phones, now ......who cares

technology cuts both ways

[murphy]

If the cost of using the cell raised to that of how much we pay for electricity I'm sure plenty would care.

[charles05663]

There was a time a similar argument was made against Cell phones, now ......who cares

technology cuts both ways

I for one do.  Now smartphones with built-in GPS tracks our locations and transmit that information back to someone.  Cops now routinely isolate cellphone in Faraday bags so they can extract tracking and other information.  

OnStar changed their ToS to indicate that they are going to track and sell your location data even if you do not have a contract with them.

While the US Constitution, (you know that really annoying document that politicians and other government officials swear to protect and defend), prevents/restricts the US government and its intrusion into our lives.  The US government circumvents the US Constitution by purchasing the information from "private" third parties thus bypassing the requirement of a warrant.  They choose to uphold the "letter of the law" and ignore the "spirit of the law."

In this day and age, you are guilty until they decide you are otherwise.

[JCZ]

If the cost of using the cell raised to that of how much we pay for electricity I'm sure plenty would care.

I think it's well on it's way.

[JCZ]

I for one do.  Now smartphones with built-in GPS tracks our locations and transmit that information back to someone.  Cops now routinely isolate cellphone in Faraday bags so they can extract tracking and other information.  

OnStar changed their ToS to indicate that they are going to track and sell your location data even if you do not have a contract with them.

While the US Constitution, (you know that really annoying document that politicians and other government officials swear to protect and defend), prevents/restricts the US government and its intrusion into our lives.  The US government circumvents the US Constitution by purchasing the information from "private" third parties thus bypassing the requirement of a warrant.  They choose to uphold the "letter of the law" and ignore the "spirit of the law."
In this day and age, you are guilty until they decide you are otherwise.

Whoaaa.....that sounds kind of like the MoCo and dealerships when it comes to getting warranty repairs.

We don't have smart hydro meters (yet!) but we do have smart electrical meters here in Sacramento.  They started putting them in a couple of years ago then got tied up in court over a claim that they weren't accurate or reliable.  Several months ago the courts sided with the electrical company and they've been going gang busters installing them.    So if a pie pan over the smart meter is good......wrapped in aluminum foil must be even better.

[sadunbar]

We don't have smart hydro meters (yet!) but we do have smart electrical meters here in Sacramento. 

In Canada, electrical meters are called "hydro meters'...   

[hooligan]

Smart Meters = less jobs (meter readeers) & higher bills
kinda like online banking,bill paying etc.

[cvobiker]

Whoaaa.....that sounds kind of like the MoCo and dealerships when it comes to getting warranty repairs.

We don't have smart hydro meters (yet!) but we do have smart electrical meters here in Sacramento.  They started putting them in a couple of years ago then got tied up in court over a claim that they weren't accurate or reliable.  Several months ago the courts sided with the electrical company and they've been going gang busters installing them.    So if a pie pan over the smart meter is good......wrapped in aluminum foil must be even better.

JC - mine got installed summer of 2009 and even against my permission. The first time they came out to install it was after they left a recorded message that my smart meter would be installed between 11:00am  - 3pm on X day. I stayed home on X day and chased the installer off telling her I didn't want it installed. The installer (she) got a little "hussy" saying eventually I would not have a choice. Well, after a few months of me bragging to my neighbors and co-workers that I don't have one and never will, I discovered one day that I did... They snok in and installed it. I called PG&E and they of course said, oh well there is nothing we can do, we can't remove it... So latter I read an article about the pie pan and imeaditaly went out and put a metal dog food pan over the meter. After playing this game for several months (PG&E would come out and remove it) I got a letter from PG&E telling me all this garbage about how the smart meter will save me money and then bluntly stating if they have to send someone to read my meter I'll be charged a service fee form them to have a meter reader to check my gas and electric meter. Well, I found out they charge $15 for this and I'm still fighting them over it... Bottom line, there are going to win no mater what... And as far as me saving money    my PGE bill is about 12% higher after the smart meter and they blame it on the prior mechanical meter being inaccurate...  YEA RIGHT.