SmartMeters: PG&E wants to charge users to opt out

sfgate.com ^ | 3/25/11 | David R. Baker

[cva66snipe]

After a little more thought I can see one possible legitimate concern. That would simply be if the meter could be programed to determine specific usage during specific time frames. For example you used ?? from 8:00am-5:00pm and ??? from 5:00pm-8:00am and tried different billing for those specific times. This is done sometimes for very larges demand commercial complexes like a large manufacturing plant. There is no logical reasoning for doing such to residential consumers though.

[catnipman]

“Smart meters offers nothing but more government control over our lives.”

Yeah, that’s what these fools should really fear, not some supposedly bad wireless waves, because everybody knows that tin foil hats are all you need to protect yourselves from the wireless signals. But no amount of tin foil is going to thwart the government when it decides to throttle back your energy consumption for the benefit of the greater good.

[TXnMA]

You are confusing two or three different forms of radiation there":

• Beach: sunlight -- solar radiation -- utraviolet light (non-ionizing, but skin-damaging)

• Mountains: same as beach plus increased cosmic radiation (ionizing -- same as nuclear radiation, still low level)

• Meter: Radio frequency -- low energy -- non-penetrating -- if you live in an urban area, you are already constantly bombarded with so much, the tiny bit from the meter is a hardly measurable increase. Harmless -- or you would aready be affected by other, stronger sources.)

The ionizing radiation is the most damaging, but if you ever sunbathed, you did more damage to yourself in one session than that meter could do in a lifetime.

[TXnMA]

LOL!! Wish I’d read down to your #14 before I went to the trouble (and, now, embarrassment) of composing my #23! Silly me... ‘-}

[SatinDoll]

That’s OK.

I’m not the snarky type. You did a fine job on expanding what I basically skipped over because some folks here on FR fall asleep too easily when faced with details.

[newzjunkey]

the company suggested in November that it might offer customers a way to opt out of the $2.2 billion program.

San Diego Gas & Electric customers got no 'opt out' choice.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Put enough solar panels on your roof, and you can tell PG&E to go pound sand...

[Roccus]

That would simply be if the meter could be programed to determine specific usage during specific time frames.

BINGO!!!

"Benchmark" demand will be assigned to customers by the power company. This may very well vary depending on whether or not a "power emergency" is in effect or on whatever the whim of the power company (or the government) is at any point in time. Exceed the "benchmark" and your price/KWH will balloon by astronomic proportions.

[cva66snipe]

Then I would be angry also. The first homes they should go on should be in Liberal Cities where the largest protesting of more power plants and power grid upgrades originate. Remote reading meters have a good purpose and is all they are used for. This is insanity. PG&E laughs their butts off as The Sheeple protest RF radiation instead.