PG&E rolls out SmartMeters, grumbles roll in

PG&E used to be a great company. Not any longer though. They have turned into a political 800 lb. gorilla like several other organizations that come to mind. AAA, AARP.......
Regarding the smart meter...
These smart meters also have the ability to shut down your power or the whole neighborhood.
I am not surprised that there are problems with this new technology. As usual the gadgets have not been fully tested before they get implemented.
For the last two summers PG&E has tried to bribe me into letting them put a transiever on my air conditioner so they could shut it down during peak hot spells. Guess this is their end run around that.
Keep in mind that any new technology that is put out for the publics benefit, will be abused and used against the public down the road.
PG&E can pretty much do what they want as they seem to be the only game in town. Thats what no competition does.
Maybe all their employees could forfeit their 25% discount they get off their own PG&E bills for this cause.....

I think PG&E are one of the biggest monopolies in the USA. If everyone knew how much they pay for electricity compared to SMUD it would make you all sick. They are the only damn show in town for most. How do you ever prove that you aren't using as much electricity as they say? My bill went up considerably through the dog days of summer. It hurt worse this year than any in memory. F off PG&E !!!!
P.S. Thanks for the refund on overpayments this month it helped big !!
Still hate you PG&E

A small point - PG&E is mandated by the CPUC, who in turn received it's mandate by the VOTERS who demanded energy conservation, to install Smartmeter technology.

We are quickly being overrun by environmental zealots who will not be satisfied until we are in caves with candles.

Write your legislator..with recycled paper, please.

Billy in Rio Visty is right.........keep voting this way and you won't have many freedoms left.
If anyone wants to know how this spying device works, go to <http://www.pge.com/smartmeter> ;
On the left hand column you will see "Meter Info"
Click on Smart Meter and if you look around you can click on How the thing works.

Couple of questions, that the media did NOT ask:

1. The day of installation starts the new meter use. How is that meter calibrated (or is it) to reflect the present usage for the present billing period?

2.) If these meters can be read remotely, that means radio waves. Can that transmission be disrupted by outside interference and send out a false recording?

3.) Why is the base line rate for usage so low and succeeding steps so expensive, knowing the industry receives a greatly discounted rate?

4.) If we are being so concerned about air pollution and cost these days, why aren't more nuclear power plants being built?

Pacific Graft and Extortion

BillyinRioVisty wrote:

A small point - PG&E is mandated by the CPUC, who in turn received it's mandate by the VOTERS who demanded energy conservation, to install Smartmeter technology.
We are quickly being overrun by environmental zealots who will not be satisfied until we are in caves with candles.
Write your legislator..with recycled paper, please.

Partial HOGWASH! PUC is nothing more then a rubber stamp for the power companies! Simply look at your monthly bill and the various rate steps and cost for usage.

jose wrote:

Billy in Rio Visty is right.........keep voting this way and you won't have many freedoms left.
If anyone wants to know how this spying device works, go to <http://www.pge.com/smartmeter> ;
On the left hand column you will see "Meter Info"
Click on Smart Meter and if you look around you can click on How the thing works.

I did and I must have missed something? Thanks for nothing! Company BS. I want to know how the thing o-p-e-r-a-t-e-s and not what it's intended to do... for the company!

Maria wrote:

<quoted text>I did and I must have missed something? Thanks for nothing! Company BS. I want to know how the thing o-p-e-r-a-t-e-s and not what it's intended to do... for the company!

According to the PG&E guy I talked to, the signal goes from meter to meter collecting info on the way. Then it ends up at a collecting site. They won't need as many meter readers because they will have to visit less sites. Here's the kicker, he said they mostly don't work right and they have to hire temps to go read meters.

Bottom line is, the new meters don't always work and they hire temps that may or may not know what the hell they are doing. Kind of gives you a warm fuzzy feeling all over, doesn't it?

Rickster wrote:

<quoted text>
According to the PG&E guy I talked to, the signal goes from meter to meter collecting info on the way. Then it ends up at a collecting site. They won't need as many meter readers because they will have to visit less sites. Here's the kicker, he said they mostly don't work right and they have to hire temps to go read meters.
Bottom line is, the new meters don't always work and they hire temps that may or may not know what the hell they are doing. Kind of gives you a warm fuzzy feeling all over, doesn't it?

Okay... it is a radio signal and can be interfered with intentionally or otherwise?

My neighbor had his gas & electric Smart Meters installed nearly a week ago. A contract work does the job for PG&E.
He finished the job in less than 10 minutes.
I have gone there on a daily basis and looked at the meter on the electric side. It is in a constant TESTING mode every so many seconds.

Contrary to what the article says, the meter will not tell you how much power your refrigerator is using. It will, however, tell you how much power your whole house is using.

The PUC is appointed by the governor. When Arnold came in, he was able to get a majority on the PUC, which promptly started reversing pro-consumer decisions by previous PUCs.

As for the "$3.4 billion in stimulus funding for smart-grid projects" announced by Obama, your latest PGE bill has a rate increase request to fund the *matching* funds that PGE needs to cough up for this. In other words, you get to pay for it twice: your federal tax, and your PGE bill.

The smartmeters do have a radiotelemetry component. Yes, it can be hacked into. So can anything else that relies on electronics at a distance. What's more, just wait til some programming error shuts down everyone's power in a whole neighborhood or city.

Also, anyone want to make bets what country the smartmeters are manufactured in?

PG&E isn't spending 2.2 billion dollars, on so called SmartMeters, so they can charge you less for utilities.

Build more DAMS, The Al Gore/ Cap and Trade is nothing more then: CRAP and TRADE ! Wake up California, Wake up America ! President Obama is over in China and Japan, with atop in Korea; He will say: I'am Sorry for what America has done to ASIA ! Yet their is more Polution in his mouth and Nancy Pelosi, then their is in all of China ! Stop the B/S and Lies The Smart Meter most likely is made in CHINA, with some payola to AL GORE & BHO ! This is part of Obama Land and the change !

Maria wrote:

<quoted text>Okay... it is a radio signal and can be interfered with intentionally or otherwise?

Some sort of through the air signal, so yes, probably.

Al Reine wrote:

Build more DAMS, The Al Gore/ Cap and Trade is nothing more then: CRAP and TRADE ! Wake up California, Wake up America ! President Obama is over in China and Japan, with atop in Korea; He will say: I'am Sorry for what America has done to ASIA ! Yet their is more Polution in his mouth and Nancy Pelosi, then their is in all of China ! Stop the B/S and Lies The Smart Meter most likely is made in CHINA, with some payola to AL GORE & BHO ! This is part of Obama Land and the change !

Heck, the "Made in USA" stickers that are on the few products still made here are probably made in China.

Rickster wrote:

<quoted text>
Heck, the "Made in USA" stickers that are on the few products still made here are probably made in China.

FYI: This is the truth; PG&E installed one of their new meters on my property and they installed the unit competly wrong ! It took PG&E several months to replace the meter, and have the unit installed right ! I had a $4,000.00 Electric Bill; The bill and the meter were wrong, and almost three months later it was corrected ! So much for the Smart Meter !

A large hammer will work in the situation. Vandalism is rampant.

Same goes here....We had our smart meter installed in the middle of the month...at the end of the month when we got our bill, our energy usuage was more than 8 times the normal monthly usuage. When I called PG&E to discuss the woman was irrate with me telling me that I used the highest amount of energy from this time to this time....after what seemed like forever she transfered me and the new representative saw the error that I initially called in about....I still haven't recieved my revised bill, but I am expecting there to be more problems......

Based on my experience, it's entirely likely that your old mechanical meter is UNDERSTATING consumption. I once moved into a rental and my first month's PG&E bill showed zero electricity consumption. That was VERY quickly followed by a technician who sprayed some WD-40 into the working parts of the meter, which started working. The new meters are likely less subject to that kind of inaccuracy.

Gee, how stunning. I go to my account online on PGE.com and I can read my bill, pay my bill, do anything that requires me paying them... however! I cannot compare my bills, or compare my usage. Everytime I click on it, I get a message saying that I've been logged off for my own safety... MY safety? Or their ability to NOT have me compare my bills??