Smart meters, yet another intrusion?
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David Allen wrote:
"The improvements to system operations and efficiencies are too significant to ignore."
Did I miss the rate cut announcement?
"As to your second question, there is an entire docket at the MPUC that outlines the costs of allowing customers to opt out. Those costs have been factored into the opt out fee which was set by the MPUC. One simple example is the cost of meter readers driving 2 million miles a year to read meters. Those costs will be largely eliminated except for people who opt out."
Again, did I miss the rate cut announcement? Look, I am no expert on grid distribution efficiencies. From a layman's point of view it would cost nothing additional to leave the metering system intact. If there is so much efficiency gained with smart meters why is there not a corresponding rate reduction? As an aside, isn't it ironic that stimulus funds will cost dozens of people their jobs?
And Calvin, I agree with your take on differing rates. The writing is on the wall. The electric company will be happy to sell us cheaper power at midnight when no one uses it. They will be very happy to sell higher priced power when we want it.
The Maine PUC has already found that smart meters will save rate payers money. In other words, rates will be lower than they otherwise would be without the meters.
As for time of use rates, utilities already have them for delivery. They're voluntary. I expect that variable supply rates will become available on a voluntary basis in the future. Some people will take advantage of them to save money, others won't.
The Maine PUC has already found
...their rear ends with both hands...and a flashlight...in the dark? Now *THAT* would be amazing.
Meanwhile, we're to accept this simply because the PUC - a governmental agency - said so? I think you should be posting at DU, David.
Reaganite - then I assume you'd rather have the company make these decisions without government interference?
Simply put, that government is best which governs least. And I believe someone already said that. It'd be a Paine to find out who.
In all seriousness, I do not trust government to set energy policy. I opted out. Therefore, I set my own energy policy in my own best interest. That has absolutely nothing to do with the recommendations of the PUC.
Anything that comes from a committee is imperfect. To wit, Congress is basically one (or two) large committees.
Then you should thank the government, i.e. MPUC for giving you that option.
Why, exactly? Even without the PUC, I still had a choice. I could choose to accept the smart meter, or not. My choice to not accept it might mean that I would be responsible for my own electricity generation. That would be between CMP and me.
The PUC merely justified it's own existence in the minds of government-worshipping liberals by coming up with a compromise. Typical of compromises, it accomplishes little and satisfies neither party.
If true, this is wrong on so many levels.
Frozen Water Pipes Damage House of Pizza
…water pouring through the building (snip)"CMP switched over to the smart meter after I left yesterday… The notice they left on the door said the power would be interrupted and the furnace must have never kicked back on." (snip) she spoke with a woman at the Water District and was told the person who dispatches employees was on vacation (snip) Firefighters shut off the water from the street and pumped out the basement.
I think this is a warning for people who are scheduled but haven't been switched over yet. Now that it's winter, think twice about a getaway of a day or two. You could come home to a new Smart meter and a big mess. As far as the Water District, I hope they are reviewing their policy and realizing they need to assign someone to be on call.
I had my smart meter installed a few days ago and the electricity was off for about two minutes, tops. The CMP worker came in, explained what he was going to do and gave me a card with a toll-free number in case I had any questions. No problems with my router, either. But the meter is also about 50 feet away from the house.
This AM experienced a power outage for a moment looked out and saw a CMP contractor apparently replacing meters!
I went out and inquired as to why he was replacing meters. The answer was they have 6000 meters that are not communicating w/CMP.
Which is good I quess ,out of 600,000 meters assembled in Mexico !!! Which is kind of ironic since CMP is owned by a Spanish company if I remember correctly!!!!!
I was glad to see the CMP meter reader stop by the store yesterday to read the SMART METER! What a joke
Meter reader came again today. ( I opted out )
Here's some things he told me that you won't hear from CMP.
The stimulus money created 214 temporary jobs, but it will eliminate 144 jobs. ( Hmmm as I recall the stimulus was supposed to create jobs). Those 214 jobs are the meter installers and they don't work for CMP. Their trucks are licensed in Florida and the company is from Pennsylvania.
The meter reader told me of houses that are closed for the winter, no power being used; but they got charged for 20 KW of electricity. It seems the "smart meter" is sensitive to outside signals like cellphones and posibly CB radios.
These cause the meter to read this as electric useage. So a no-power use gets charged for ,,,,electronic "noise".
Can you spell rip-off?
He said, " CMP also claims there are no problems in Spain where they also use these meters. People in Maine that also have a second home in Spain say that's not true."
Meters slow down as they get old. ( The old meters) He told me ," they let you put back the old mechanical meter but it has been rebuilt so it won't be slow."
"Thank you Obama. ( remember , this is stimulus ) we are so screwed."
CMP switched over to the smart meter after I left yesterday… The notice they left on the door said the power would be interrupted and the furnace must have never kicked back on."
Although I sympathize with this pizza shop owner, this isn't CMP's fault. Something was wrong with the furnace. The same would have happened if the building lost power due to tons of reasons such as a transformer failure, car hitting telephone pole, tree falling on power wire, etc, etc.
Ok, just got my first bill since refusing the smart meter. Now I knew I was going to have to pay $12.00 for the privilege of keeping the old meter but now I see I am also being charged $60.00 for a Nonstandard meter for a total of $72.00! Did anyone else have this issue and is it a one time charge? I will be calling CMP Monday and maybe the PUC. When I last spoke to CMP telling them I agreed to the $12.00 there was no mention of an additional $60.00.
Islander - That should be $40, charged one time, with $12 per month nonstandard meter fee.
Perhaps your location has something to do with it being $60, but it should be charged only the once.
I would check with CMP. Their people have been down to Earth about all of this, and I give them credit for their patience.
As for PUC. Good luck. Last time I called them they put me on hold for hours.
I would recommend contacting the Office Of Public Advocate - if we still have one of those. Their website is still up, complete with smart meter/grid info.
I haven't read this thread for a long while, but smart meter and grid are a really stupid waste of money. CMP did an estimate that ratepayers would save roughly $20 million over the next 10 years. They used $100 million from the stimulus program, plus $100 million of their own. Payback in about 100 years?? Yuh, sure.
We get to pay 3 times for this idiocy, as taxpayers, as ratepayers, and for opting out.
I noticed that I have a different meter, it has a digital readout instead of the spinning dials. I didn't even know they'd changed it.
My monthly bill dropped from about $65-70 a month (which I thought was too high) to about $45 a month, which seems about right to me. I really don't use a lot of electricity aside from the refridgerator, water pump and furnace and one or two loads of wash and dry a week.
I've had a "smart" meter for my home in Bangor for ten years now. No screwy bills, no extra appendages or other genetic mutations. It's been good. We have owned a microwave oven since 1979; living on the edge I guess. I never understood the paranoia about smart meters.
I never understood the paranoia about smart meters.
Wait till they start the dynamic pricing.
Henry, thanks, I will be calling first thing on Monday. I do not recall any mention of the extra one time fee and when they called to confirm my choice it was never mentioned, just the $12 charge.
Tom C did you contact CMP for all the tears you were being overcharged, sounds like one of your meters is/was malfunctioning.
There was a significant price decrease beginning March 1 in addition to a warmer than usual winter. That would account for lower bills. Islander, the $40 (one-time) fee to opt out has been widely publicized including several places in this thread. Bob S, any dynamic pricing option will be just that, an option.
Bob S, any dynamic pricing option will be just that, an option.
No it won't. It may start as an option, but will become mandatory. I had dynamic pricing in the early 80's and I had no choice. The only way I could get off of it, was to move. These smart meters are not new, they were called on demand meters in the early 80's.
Do you have proof that the pricing will be an option?
The mandatory dynamic pricing scheme for high-use customers of the '80's was ordered by the commission to discourage people from using electric heat. It was very unpopular. Bangor Hydro and CMP are working with the commission to develop voluntary dynamic pricing programs, something many customers are asking for. While those programs already exist for distribution service (on a voluntary basis), an energy supplier is needed to provide the energy. Most customers will probably stick with what they have now. No one can prove that a future commission or legislature would not make it mandatory, but I think the backlash would soon result in its repeal. On the other hand, dyamic pricing could result in sigificant savings for some customers.
The $40 charge was one thing (I paid) the $60 charge was totally different. I spoke with CMP this AM and they could not explain the charge, at first it was for re-installing the old meter (it was never removed) when that failed they claimed it was for the past 5 months they "forgot" to charge me the $12.00, another nice try, since the meters on our street were just changed. In the end the just removed the $60 charge since they could not explain the charge. Very easy to deal with, just a lot of back and forth.c
Another "cost saving ? " I must have missed:
I just noticed when paying my CMP bill that the address is in Newark,N.J.
Should I assume that Maine clerical workers ( recievers of my check) are over paid?
Are Maine banks not good enough for Central MAINEPower?
If my bill isn't paid until my check cashes in N.J., why am I paying Maine taxes on my electricity?
" . . $60 charge was totally different."
Just keep it mind that it was a zero cost keystroke. You called them on it. How many times, do you suppose, did that charge appear on other's bills who didn't catch it or couldn't be bothered to contest it?
"Very easy to deal with, just a lot of back and forth."
In Houston, some prefer 'Very easy to deal with, just see them off with a handgun.'
Maine PUC to investigate safety of smart meters
The Maine Public Utilities Commission agreed this morning to investigate the health and safety of wireless "smart meters."
During a brief meeting, Commissioners David Littell and Mark Vannoy set in motion a legal and technical proceeding that is expected to be of national interest, as Maine's PUC delves into the issues of whether radio-frequency radiation from the digital devices is harmful to electric customers.
The schedule and scope of this proceeding is still being decided…
Maine PUC agrees to extensive evaluation of smart meters
Opponents of the wireless devices succeed in their push for a fully litigated look at safety issues.
By Tux Turkel tturkel@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
HALLOWELL – Nearly all of Central Maine Power Co.'s smart meters are up, 615,000 of them. Now, state regulators must decide whether they pose health and safety risks to customers.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission...is now gearing up for several months of complicated testimony regarding smart meters.
...the Maine Supreme Judicial Court sided with opponents...who argued that regulators ignored their legal mandate to ensure the delivery of "safe, reasonable and adequate" utility service.
http://www.kjonline.com/news/Ruling-on-smart-meters-wont-come-until-2013...
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My meter reader came today. He shared with me some inside info about the smart meters.
He, personally , has three meters. He opted OUT. ( tell you anything? )
People who had the smart meters put in are asking for them to be taken out.
The company that built the smart meters have never built them before.
Surely you can see the day coming when you will be charged extra for using power during "peak" time. The question is, when IS your peak time? Is it the same as CMP's peak generation time or is it YOUR peak usage time? In other words, will you pay extra for using more than say, 500 KW per month regardless of when your peak usage time is?