New smart meter installed today

[strider3700]

So today the electric company finally got around to my house and installed a new smart meter.

Sometime this spring I should be able to get readings on the web as to how much power I've used and so on but it won't be real time, they'll send the info 4 times a day is what I've heard. I'll still be happy to script something and update my spreadsheet daily as to how many kwh I've used rather then the bimonthly based on the bill.

Also sometime next year they apparently will offer for purchase or rent a meter to give you real time consumption readings similar to the TED device. No real details are given other then that it will be offered.

We're still on a flatrate two tier system here so the smart meter gives me little benefit moneywise at the moment.

There is a lot of outcry over the radio's in them and people are trying to get them banned. The science behind how these radio's is a danger to human health is pretty pathetic and I've heard everything from how they are used as weapons against the populace to how all vegetation within 10 feet of the meter will die over the next month or so. Of course with my basic amateur radio ticket I can and sometimes do broadcast at 1000 times the power these units do so I'm too concerned THe installer told me they've been instructed not to wear their hardhat with facemask's while knocking on the doors because people were saying it was to protect the installers from the radiation. He pointed out should there be an arc when pulling/installing the meter the material coming out will be about 11,000 degrees and he would like a faceshield in that event.

Lots of people are also against time of use billing but I'm all for it if they give the option to bring it in. I'd love to have my dryer timer kick on at 3am at 1/2 the daytime rate. Also I need my heat pump far more at night then during the day if it's sunny. Same goes for the hotwater heater, breadmaker,... Hopefully they give me the option and worthwhile rates.

One thing that the new meter has really already done for me is to appreciate how little power my house already uses. from 1:30 to 5:30 we used 1 kwh (easily read since we started at 0) My neighbours meter is 10 feet behind me so I took a quick look at it. Her house is empty, she wasn't there isn't cooking there, and really isn't living there (recently widowed) it used 4 kwh in that time. All I can guess is she has baseboard heating or an electric furnace and it was running while she was away. In the mean time there was 4 of us here doing our thing.

Anyways I think the new meter could be really cool and useful in reducing my bill and I'm already loving how much easier it is to get a quick reading off of the digital display vs trying to read the 5/6 spinning needle things.

<edit> 12 kwh used 9 hours later. Bathtime and dinner was hard on the electric usage </edit>