Smart Meters are not a Tin Foil Hat issue
Smart Meters are not a Tin Foil Hat issue. Unfortunately they have been added to the list of things that are a DISTRACTION from important issues affecting your liberty.
What are Smart Meters?
The term smart meter usually refers to electric meters which keep detailed statistics on usage, but it can be used for gas or water meter as well performing the same job. Additionally, a lot of smart meters can also perform telemetering, in which they interface remotely with the utility. Several nations are using smart meter technology through their utilities, and many manufacturers of meters offer smart meters containing different features.
The number of features available with a smart meter can vary a lot. Availability of telemetering features means that a meter reader does not have to manually collect data by travelling to the location, and meters with these features also many times provide instant reporting of power outages and other issues, which enables the utility to give a quicker response. A utility can also use an energy smart meter network to monitor power for balancing energy requirements during peak demand periods, such as hot summer days in areas where people use air conditioning.
For customers, the meter offers detailed breakdowns of the energy they consume, which enables them to see energy usage patterns. Using this information, people can keep a check on their energy usage to save money and to reduce the overall power demand.
Smart meters can also be linked to smart billing systems. People can join, for instance, a time of use program, which offers an incentive to consume power during off-peak hours by keeping billing low during these hours. With a smart meter, it is possible for the utility to monitor power usage by time and keep different rates for different times. People are also allowed to see their metering information to keep track so that they can adjust energy use dynamically during the billing cycle.
In a lot of nations, smart meters are also part of a larger program of grid modernization. With the increase in population and rise in use of electronic devices, several nations are finding it hard to provide the required amount of energy with their existing grids. The use of more sophisticated meters is a major step towards improving energy services to decrease the chances of power outages and other service interruptions.
How Smart Meters Work?
Smart meters have a digital display and are similar in size to regular meters. Various types and models of smart meters are available, but all of them have the same basic functionality. Using a communications network, the internal antenna present in smart meters sends electricity consumption data to the utility. An external antenna may be required in some cases for improving signals over longer distances and ensuring reliable data transmission. This antenna can be attached on or near the meter box.
Smart meters can also record the energy that you feed back into the distribution network from co-generation sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
Smart metering communication technology enables centralized meter reading, so meter readers don’t have to visiting individual premises for data collection. However, your meter may need to be examined occasionally for testing and maintenance.
Today, utilities all over the U.S. are using different approaches for their initial smart grid projects and deployments. Some are going about the task in a gradual manner, while others are taking an aggressive approach deploying multiple functions simultaneously.
Complete transition to smart meters can take several months after meter installation, as there are a many networking components and communications associated with smart metering that should be present to enable communication.
Smart meters let you find out how much energy you are consuming at a certain time; therefore, by using them you can check your energy consumption to reduce your bills.
The number of features available with a smart meter can vary a lot. Availability of telemetering features means that a meter reader does not have to manually collect data by travelling to the location, and meters with these features also many times provide instant reporting of power outages and other issues, which enables the utility to give a quicker response. A utility can also use an energy smart meter network to monitor power for balancing energy requirements during peak demand periods, such as hot summer days in areas where people use air conditioning.
For customers, the meter offers detailed breakdowns of the energy they consume, which enables them to see energy usage patterns. Using this information, people can keep a check on their energy usage to save money and to reduce the overall power demand.
Smart meters can also be linked to smart billing systems. People can join, for instance, a time of use program, which offers an incentive to consume power during off-peak hours by keeping billing low during these hours. With a smart meter, it is possible for the utility to monitor power usage by time and keep different rates for different times. People are also allowed to see their metering information to keep track so that they can adjust energy use dynamically during the billing cycle.
In a lot of nations, smart meters are also part of a larger program of grid modernization. With the increase in population and rise in use of electronic devices, several nations are finding it hard to provide the required amount of energy with their existing grids. The use of more sophisticated meters is a major step towards improving energy services to decrease the chances of power outages and other service interruptions.
How Smart Meters Work?
Smart meters have a digital display and are similar in size to regular meters. Various types and models of smart meters are available, but all of them have the same basic functionality. Using a communications network, the internal antenna present in smart meters sends electricity consumption data to the utility. An external antenna may be required in some cases for improving signals over longer distances and ensuring reliable data transmission. This antenna can be attached on or near the meter box.
Smart meters can also record the energy that you feed back into the distribution network from co-generation sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
Smart metering communication technology enables centralized meter reading, so meter readers don’t have to visiting individual premises for data collection. However, your meter may need to be examined occasionally for testing and maintenance.
Today, utilities all over the U.S. are using different approaches for their initial smart grid projects and deployments. Some are going about the task in a gradual manner, while others are taking an aggressive approach deploying multiple functions simultaneously.
Complete transition to smart meters can take several months after meter installation, as there are a many networking components and communications associated with smart metering that should be present to enable communication.
Smart meters let you find out how much energy you are consuming at a certain time; therefore, by using them you can check your energy consumption to reduce your bills.
It's just that simple!
Ventura Patriot
Jul 13, 2011
Don W
How did we miss the fact that the telephone companies are spying on us too! They are keeping track of all the phone numbers we call and who we talk to and for how long. I just realized that mobile (cell) phones have radios in them and anyone can intercept the transmissions. Horrors!
No matter how well misinformation is packaged it is still misinformation. The video is a perfect example.
Jul 14, 2011
Ventura Patriot
You're right, so why not add even more surveillance? Why not take any loss of privacy or freedom as a justification for taking more? For example, police break into a home, violating 4th Amendment rights, so courts then set a precedent making that "legal" (in violation of our Constitution) justifying thousands more.
You don't even seem to realize that the individual is being marginalized in society in favor of the collective.
Why not leverage any technology for control? "Smart" meters' benefit is not proportional to their cost and potential for abuse. Cost is not a consideration for those pushing smart meters, because they will simply bill the consumer for whatever it costs, which is how most restrictions of liberty are financed today.
The video is spot on.
Jul 14, 2011