Go Back   EcoModder Forum > AltModding > Saving@Home
Register Now
 Register Now
 


Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 06-11-2012, 11:43 PM   #11 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ryland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 3,903

honda cb125 - '74 Honda CB 125 S1
90 day: 79.71 mpg (US)

green wedge - '81 Commuter Vehicles Inc. Commuti-Car

Blue VX - '93 Honda Civic VX
Thanks: 867
Thanked 433 Times in 353 Posts
But those peek use switches are not part of the smart meters, but they are related, the smart meters are more of a learning tool for the power company and they can not remotely turn anything on or off with a smart meter, they can only collect better data and learn more about when and where they need to improve the infrastructure, to the power company it's kind of like going from a person getting their gas mileage readings when they fill up the tank to a person getting a ScanGauge and how much more they can learn about what is going on.

  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Ryland For This Useful Post:
Phantom (07-10-2012)
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 06-12-2012, 12:38 AM   #12 (permalink)
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: vancouver island
Posts: 162

chrisgerman1983 - '96 chevrolet astro
90 day: 14.02 mpg (US)
Thanks: 33
Thanked 10 Times in 7 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryland View Post
But those peek use switches are not part of the smart meters, but they are related, the smart meters are more of a learning tool for the power company and they can not remotely turn anything on or off with a smart meter, they can only collect better data and learn more about when and where they need to improve the infrastructure, to the power company it's kind of like going from a person getting their gas mileage readings when they fill up the tank to a person getting a ScanGauge and how much more they can learn about what is going on.
good point... I think the main thing people do not like about them is it is like being forced to have a scanguage on your car and then being billed more for gas you use at peak times. I keep going back and forth on how i feel about them. I think it could be a useful tool as long as the power company doesn't exploit its "customers"
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2012, 10:52 PM   #13 (permalink)
Drive less save more
 
ecomodded's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 1,189

Dusty - '98 VOLKSWAGEN Beetle TDI
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 60.42 mpg (US)
Thanks: 134
Thanked 162 Times in 135 Posts
There has been a lot of fuss over exposure to cellular radio waves from these things, they apparently send out a signal every 2 minutes reporting your real time data.
That is the part i do not want on my house, all though it already is. Last month they replaced my meter with their smart ? meter.
I myself do not like their spy stuck to my house. They know how little my usage is, everyones is,already. They should have stuck them on high usage clients like office buildings and industry.
Those smart meters are like iphones, put a new app in it and the thing becomes what ever you want, my conclusion.
__________________
Save gas
Ride a Mtn bike for errands exercise entertainment and outright fun
__________________



  Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2012, 03:07 AM   #14 (permalink)
Human Environmentalist
 
redpoint5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 12,393

Acura TSX - '06 Acura TSX
90 day: 24.19 mpg (US)

Lafawnda - '01 Honda CBR600 F4i
90 day: 47.32 mpg (US)

Big Yeller - '98 Dodge Ram 2500 base
90 day: 21.82 mpg (US)

Prius Plug-in - '12 Toyota Prius Plug-in
90 day: 57.64 mpg (US)

Mazda CX-5 - '17 Mazda CX-5 Touring
90 day: 26.68 mpg (US)

Chevy ZR-2 - '03 Chevrolet S10 ZR2
90 day: 17.14 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,189
Thanked 4,378 Times in 3,353 Posts
My politics lean Libertarian and I'm all for freedom. That said, I'm for smart meters. People should be charged at a higher rate during peak usage and a lower rate for off-peak. A major cost of producing electricity is building the infrastructure to handle the peak usage.

This benefits the consumer by providing an avenue for saving money, and reduces the overall electric bill.

The argument against the meters due to the health effects of the radio transmitter is either a red herring, or based on ignorance. A cell phone held to the head exposes a person to much greater levels of radiation, and that too is perfectly harmless.

I like the idea of an opt-in program for reduced rates. I've got the Progressive Snapshot device plugged into my car to reduce my car insurance rates. This Big Brother device reports my driving habits to the company and I am rewarded by paying less on my insurance premium.
__________________
Gas and Electric Vehicle Cost of Ownership Calculator







Give me absolute safety, or give me death!

Last edited by redpoint5; 07-02-2012 at 03:14 AM..
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to redpoint5 For This Useful Post:
Ryland (07-02-2012)
Old 07-02-2012, 10:27 AM   #15 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ryland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 3,903

honda cb125 - '74 Honda CB 125 S1
90 day: 79.71 mpg (US)

green wedge - '81 Commuter Vehicles Inc. Commuti-Car

Blue VX - '93 Honda Civic VX
Thanks: 867
Thanked 433 Times in 353 Posts
Last I heard the meters don't use radio waves at all to communicate with the power company but instead use the power lines them selves, same way you can get a TV signal in to your house over a wire and you can have a phone conversation over a wire, the high voltage electricity on the power lines is at 60hz put a 60hz filter on the other end and you have a wide range of signals that can be sent over live wires.

I kind of like the idea tho of being able to opt out if you think you use little enough electricity to not matter, they should send out a questioner asking people if they think they are better then everyone else and should there for not be part of improving the system.
Large electrical customers have already been studied, they are easy, they have very set patterns, if it's a big store it has lights, heat and ac that come on and run steady, if it's a factory the patterns are just as predictable, but houses, they tend to be the cause of brown outs, the power company already does it's best to plan for you waking up and making toast or coming home and flipping on a light bulb, but they are still just guessing and the better their tools the more refined they can get and the less fuel they burn running stand by generators.
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2012, 10:06 PM   #16 (permalink)
ron
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: slo county ca.
Posts: 277

double eagles - '99 Dodge ram slt
Team Cummins
90 day: 19.48 mpg (US)
Thanks: 24
Thanked 17 Times in 16 Posts
smart meters can be turned off by the co .and they are not just going to turn it back on in a few min.( imagine the amp draw to fire every thing at once.) they have a peek hr charge, for now its like 7am to 6pm for peek charge. and when they get enough people working around the peek hrs the computer will tell them so and then they will change the bar WATCH
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2012, 11:29 PM   #17 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ryland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 3,903

honda cb125 - '74 Honda CB 125 S1
90 day: 79.71 mpg (US)

green wedge - '81 Commuter Vehicles Inc. Commuti-Car

Blue VX - '93 Honda Civic VX
Thanks: 867
Thanked 433 Times in 353 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by ron View Post
smart meters can be turned off by the co .and they are not just going to turn it back on in a few min.( imagine the amp draw to fire every thing at once.) they have a peek hr charge, for now its like 7am to 6pm for peek charge. and when they get enough people working around the peek hrs the computer will tell them so and then they will change the bar WATCH
You can buy used electric meters, I'm sure you can buy a used smart meter even, I'm sure that if you take one apart you will not find a switch that can shut off the 200amps that could be flowing through the meter, but instead you will find a shunt for measuring how many watts are being used that is why the switches that can be installed to shut down single devices only shut down a single device, the time of use meters don't shut down devices, they log electrical use and the the time of day.
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2012, 02:14 AM   #18 (permalink)
NightKnight
 
NachtRitter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Placerville, CA
Posts: 1,594

RippinRoo - '05 Subaru Legacy Wagon 2.5 GT
Subaru
90 day: 21.16 mpg (US)

Helga - '00 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
TEAM VW AUDI Group
Diesel
90 day: 53.91 mpg (US)

Olga - '03 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon
90 day: 46.24 mpg (US)
Thanks: 303
Thanked 311 Times in 186 Posts
Seems like most of the arguments against the smart meters are all red herring stuff... the radio waves being harmful (some smart meters do use rf to transmit the data), the ability for thieves to determine if you are home or not based on the insecure data being transmitted (even though there are probably 10 easier ways to tell if you are home or not), the ability to shut your power off because they don't like you, and the 'conspiracy theory' that with smart meters the power companies will figure out ways to charge you more money (why bother with smart meters at all if that were the goal?).

Personally, I like the concept of the smart meter. Without them, the electric grid is still using essentially the same technology as it has for the past ~100 years, basically 'guessing' what the demands will be throughout the day. In order to meet that guessed demand, the power companies have to build capacity that will handle worst case *plus* another xx% (don't recall what the % value is, but I think it is somewhere around 25 - 35%). Any power company that uses renewables such as hydro, solar, wind also has to build in backup in case those aren't generating (due to low rainfall, for example).

Additionally neighborhoods are limited to the amount of power draw they can handle, so if on a typical hot day everyone in the neighborhood is running AC, pool pumps, water heaters, and then electric cars get added to the mix, the power company won't know that's a problem 'til the transformer blows and everyone's out of power until that gets fixed. Guess who gets charged for replacing the transformer...?

I would much rather having a smart meter and an associated 'home energy management system' which work together to control the amount of energy my appliances are using (based on the prices, which are based on demand) than have the power company build yet another "just in case" power plant which I *know* I will have to pay for.

With PG&E, I have to 'opt-in' to any "peak use shutoff" programs, and I do opt in. It is always cycled during the day (never at night, since there is no 'peak use' at night (duh), and never on the weekends) and only once a month at the most and only for 20 minutes at the most. I get notified ahead of time and can choose to not participate if the day isn't good for me (like if I have guests). When it does happen, I don't even notice it.

Actually, the idea of charging higher prices for fuel when driving during peak driving hours is a brilliant idea...! And lower prices during non-peak hours... Or how about if you get below 20mpg you are charged extra; if you get above 40mpg you get a discount... think that might change behavior?

Of course you don't have to opt-in to any of the programs, but then don't whine about the power companies making all this profit since you'll be the one handing them your money for no good reason...
  Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to NachtRitter For This Useful Post:
redpoint5 (07-07-2012), Ryland (07-08-2012)
Old 07-07-2012, 10:47 PM   #19 (permalink)
heading for 40
 
redorchestra's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Car Free Island
Posts: 163

Hong Kong MTR - '98 Bombardier/ nee Adtranz A-Stock 5 paired doors
90 day: 102.63 mpg (US)
Thanks: 45
Thanked 25 Times in 14 Posts
i would love to have a smart meter. my power company advertises a bunch of different rates, but i get charged the peak rate because they dont have smart meters. the only way to get the off peak rate is to use a heat pump(?) and only if you buy it from them. then they charge a certain percentage of your bill at off peak rates.
i calledand asked them to charge me off peak rates because i installed a timer on my hot water heater and would only be heating water from 4 am until 7 am but they refused.
if i had a smart meter i would install timers on my hot water heater, my fridge (and insulate it) .
__________________



does my sig work now?
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2012, 11:36 PM   #20 (permalink)
MPGuino Supporter
 
t vago's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Hungary
Posts: 1,807

iNXS - '10 Opel Zafira 111 Anniversary

Suzi - '02 Suzuki Swift GL
Thanks: 828
Thanked 708 Times in 456 Posts
Message from the electric company: "Sure. We'll just replace all of the existing stupid meters at everyones' houses with new-fangled costly smart meters. We'll also install costly monitoring equipment, and train our employees how to use it. We'll eat all of the cost in labor and equipment, too... And we have this bridge in New York we'd like to sell you!"

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com