Why would one want to opt out? There will be big cost savings by eliminating all the meter readers,their vehicles and the personnel needed to manually process the data.
I have such a meter and it poses no threat, neither real nor imagined
The meter doesn’t pose a threat, just as turning in our guns poses no threat, just as relinquishing control of anything you use poos no threat.
The threat will come later when the masses are impotent to resist the controlling authority.
FWIW, I agree there are cost savings associated with remote meter reading, but coupled with motion detector switches and timer switches, which also may be monitored by others, the privacy of each citizen is being stalked.
It is now feasible to identify the exact location of every person on military bases simply by controlling their energy management systems. Great intel tool if one were an adversary of the Constitution.
Since the motives to install these are economic, why aren’t the costs to install also included in their economic analyses?
Why perform $200-$2000 in materials and labor while inviting huge public relations liabilities to save no more than $2-20 in power?
Why interrupt the normal utility cycles with higher dynamic transients in demand metrics when larger utility systems are more reliable with slower changing systems?
There are more significant arguments against their distribution and use than supporting them. Additionally, they empower centralized control and allow communication of previously private information.
No more hiding places for Anne Franks.