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Here's my source, an article about SCE's upcoming Smart-Meter Program.

The author mentioned that SCE customers would be able to go online and check their energy-consumption data in near real-time. The meters won't be installed until 2009-2012. There's a projected utility price increase of 1.5% associated with the program, but users are expected to decrease energy usage (and therefore bills) once they have access to such information.

If I had this where I live, I'd definitely be on it to check my energy usage. However, I have no idea if this is normal- what would you do? I'll be super interested to see how this program progresses, and whether the price tag is deemed worthwhile in hindsight. I'd like to see if my utility has any plans for this type of program too.

skiptamali wrote:Here's my source, an article about SCE's upcoming Smart-Meter Program.

The author mentioned that SCE customers would be able to go online and check their energy-consumption data in near real-time. The meters won't be installed until 2009-2012. There's a projected utility price increase of 1.5% associated with the program, but users are expected to decrease energy usage (and therefore bills) once they have access to such information.

If I had this where I live, I'd definitely be on it to check my energy usage. However, I have no idea if this is normal- what would you do? I'll be super interested to see how this program progresses, and whether the price tag is deemed worthwhile in hindsight. I'd like to see if my utility has any plans for this type of program too.

This can't be good. How long before they begin to use these things to limit people's electricity use? All they would have to do is declare that "you use more than your share so we're gong to send a signal to your meter to regulate your usage."

They already do, limit use that is, but the owner has to sign up for a voluntary program.

PeakingAroundtheCorner wrote:

skiptamali wrote:Here's my source, an article about SCE's upcoming Smart-Meter Program.

The author mentioned that SCE customers would be able to go online and check their energy-consumption data in near real-time. The meters won't be installed until 2009-2012. There's a projected utility price increase of 1.5% associated with the program, but users are expected to decrease energy usage (and therefore bills) once they have access to such information.

If I had this where I live, I'd definitely be on it to check my energy usage. However, I have no idea if this is normal- what would you do? I'll be super interested to see how this program progresses, and whether the price tag is deemed worthwhile in hindsight. I'd like to see if my utility has any plans for this type of program too.

This can't be good. How long before they begin to use these things to limit people's electricity use? All they would have to do is declare that "you use more than your share so we're gong to send a signal to your meter to regulate your usage."

Cali was talking about having T-stats installed in homes that ONLY the power company can control during peak usage periods. Of course, the wealthy that live next to the ocean get free A/C anywho. Guess who would get SHUT off first? The poor.

vision-master wrote:Cali was talking about having T-stats installed in homes that ONLY the power company can control during peak usage periods. Of course, the wealthy that live next to the ocean get free A/C anywho. Guess who would get SHUT off first? The poor.

Only if they agree to it.

yesplease wrote:

vision-master wrote:Cali was talking about having T-stats installed in homes that ONLY the power company can control during peak usage periods. Of course, the wealthy that live next to the ocean get free A/C anywho. Guess who would get SHUT off first? The poor.

Only if they agree to it.

No, this was going to be mandated.

skip,

You can check your e consumption right now for free. Just go outside and read your meter. It might look confusing at first...just google it. Basically, if you can read a clock face you can read your meter. You can check your consumption by the day...the hour...even the minute if you want to stand there. But if you keep the same appliances on for an extended period just calculate the rate and multiply by the time period.

Maybe there is an ulterior motive. Or maybe they just believe folks are too lazy/stupid to read their own meters.

vision-master wrote:

yesplease wrote:

vision-master wrote:Cali was talking about having T-stats installed in homes that ONLY the power company can control during peak usage periods. Of course, the wealthy that live next to the ocean get free A/C anywho. Guess who would get SHUT off first? The poor.

Only if they agree to it.

No, this was going to be mandated.

Source?

yesplease wrote:

vision-master wrote:No, this was going to be mandated.

Source?

This was a couple years back - google is your friend.

vision-master wrote:

yesplease wrote:Source?

This was a couple years back - google is your friend.

I searched already. The only thing I've found is is having PCTs, but changing the thermostat temp by a few degrees isn't shutting anyone off by a long shot.

Y0, vision-master, did this actually happen or are we just looking at more fear-mongering?

skiptamali wrote:

If I had this where I live, I'd definitely be on it to check my energy usage. However, I have no idea if this is normal- what would you do?

I've looked at the gasoline gauge several times in the last
3 days. I don't know if I've looked at my electrical meter once
in the last three years. And I think my attitude and behavior
in this regard is much more common in the US than yours.

My guess is that many people have only the foggiest notion
of the number of kw's they use(many don't have a clear idea
of what a kilowatt is), nor the price per unit. Electrical power
is often bundled with water etc, ordinary people may know
their total bill, but how much is specifically for electricity?

How many times have you looked at your electric meter since
January 1 this year?

aa,

And you've hit it outta the ball park. A lot of folks will spend hours on line or chatting with friends bitching about utility costs but won't go out side and spend 60 seconds to read the meter when they have the household running full blast.

How often should you read the meter? Years ago I read an article describing how meter readings in one municipality, by the utility, were incorrect 9% of the time over the test period. And almost always in favor of the utility. And not one customer...not one...caught the error.

aahala2 wrote:I've looked at the gasoline gauge several times in the last
3 days. I don't know if I've looked at my electrical meter once
in the last three years. And I think my attitude and behavior
in this regard is much more common in the US than yours.

My guess is that many people have only the foggiest notion
of the number of kw's they use(many don't have a clear idea
of what a kilowatt is), nor the price per unit. Electrical power
is often bundled with water etc, ordinary people may know
their total bill, but how much is specifically for electricity?

How many times have you looked at your electric meter since
January 1 this year?

aa,
i should let you know that i just moved into a new apartment and i have no idea where the electric meter is at this point. in any case, i'm highly aware to turn off lights, unplug appliances when not in use, put on an extra layer instead of running heat... minimize my overall energy usage. i pay my energy bills, and check my usage at that point. it's extremely low.
i would like to have a better grasp of real-time cost and energy usage. putting this information online with stats for energy usage + subsequent cost would simply facilitate current energy usage awareness, i think. if it works that way for me, i would hope that others would be curious enough to access the information and come to some conclusions on their own. am i hoping for too much?

to anyone who thinks utilities are going to "shut off" your power via smart meters- yeah, i had that thought too. but i attended a conference this week on smart grids and learned some interesting things. for ex, the cost of generating power during peak periods is up to 100x more expensive than off peak. time of use pricing can reduce peak demand by 15%, and the base load by 10%. the payoff? a 5% reduction in load is equivalent to 90 coal plants. this i learned from bob gilligan, vp of GE. the idea is to slightly alter energy usage in some of the appliances in your house- allow your thermostat to run 2 degrees warmer in summer (w pre-agreement), shorten the spin cycle on your washing machine slightly, etc. these are tiny things that wouldnt make much of a difference to you, but in a time of peak demand, would save the utilities lots of money and energy. it actually makes a lot of sense that they'd pay you for the right to tweak your thermostat slightly in high demand times.

They are instituting smart meters here in Ontario, Canada as we speak.

I think it's a useful program, in that it will certainly help people become more aware of their electricity usage.

But more than that, it helps the utility companies by decreasing loads at specific times of the day. That's what kills them, and causes them to buy electricity from other jurisdictions on the grid.

It would save the state a lot of money in the long haul I think, and help alleviate some of their current woes.

Seeing how none of you live in SoCal, you really don't have a clue what your talking about when it comes to SCE, I have lived in SoCal for 40 years.
Right now we have a power control on our AC units which lets SCE turn the units off if they need more power, what this does for us is gives us a credit towards are bill when it happens.
Now about these new meters I thinkit is great they will allow me to now see current useage an change our habits to save more power, as for SCE turning power off I doubt that they would only be hurting themselfs in the pocket.
SCE will also be installing two meter units on homes, they will allow them to charge to different rates to their customers from peak to off peak times.
This will become the industry standard in the years to come nation wide.
On a side note I don;t know if this is done in other parts of the country but our water meters are read via wireless signals all they do is just drive by and get a reading, this will also be what the power companies will be able to do with the new meters.

Not about So Cal Edison, but on the topic of Smart-Meters:

Finnish utility Fortum said in a statement Friday it would invest some 170 million euros in a "smart" electricity metering system in Finland, adding about 550,000 households and small businesses would be connected to the two-way communication system by the end of 2013.....

Finnish legislation requires hourly meter readings by the end of 2013.

This is the group that supplies my electricity, so I wonder when I will get a new meter! I must have missed the news about this when the law was passed!

The average cost works out at 310 euros a connection - I suppose I would be able to pay that amount if I were billed for it.

ROCKMAN wrote:You can check your e consumption right now for free. Just go outside and read your meter.

+1 If you're not going to trot yourself outside and read it now, why would you be any more likely to read it online. A Kill-A-Watt will give you even more info at a cost of about $20. A heck of a lot cheaper than a smart meter.