NOT SO SMART TO BLOCK SMART METERS

Utilities Try to Tame the Backlash Against Smart Meters

Mark Chediak, May 10, 2012 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

“…[S]ome consumers have started pushing back [against smart meter installations], saying the gadgets compromise privacy, raise costs rather than cut them, and threaten health with electromagnetic fields from the radios the meters use to transmit data. The backlash has slowed improvements to the nation’s power grid as some utilities hold off on rollout plans while regulators weigh the potential benefits against the cost of the programs, expected to reach nearly $29 billion nationwide by 2015.

“To keep installations on track, regulators in California, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Vermont are allowing utilities to impose a surcharge on consumers who want to keep their conventional meters, and four other states are considering such fees…Though only a small percentage of users have balked at smart meters, the surcharges have spurred intense opposition among consumer groups…”

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“The new meters let utilities track consumption constantly, so they can raise rates during times of peak demand such as summer heat waves. Such price jumps, regulators say, will help keep usage in check, reducing the risk of blackouts from network overload and easing the need for expensive new power plants. The smart meters can also be controlled from a central location, saving utilities money by eliminating the need for meter readers and letting them shut off service to deadbeat customers from afar…

“Power companies have invested more than $15 billion in smart grid projects and are projected to spend an additional $13 billion through 2015…Some 27 million smart meters have been installed, and within three years that number will likely reach 65 million, or about half of U.S. homes…”

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