ComEd's Smartmeter

[buzz]

I got a gift today !
  ComEd showed up to install the new meter.  I didn't even know I was part of their "Pilot Program".  It's been discussed here in several other topics but I thought they notified everyone in advance.  Not me.  The install guy didn't understand my surprise.
  Anyway, I have a new meter, the final reading from my previous meter, and the patience and time to make their life a living HELL if my bill spikes next month.

[n01_important]

What does the smart meter do?  Is it one of those that shut off your power to keep the grid stable?

[buzz]

Not sure.  I ignored the topic because I never got a notice I was part of the "Pilot Program".

From what I've gleened it's supposed to tell me when to use electricity for the cheapest cost.  That's a hoot !  I can't stay awake to watch the news @ 10p.m. but I'm supposed to do laundry between midnite and 5 a.m.
Anyone know?

[OakParkSpartan]

Watch your next bill.  Mine has increase roughly 50% from the stupid meter.  Oh, maybe because the idiots keep estimating the bills.

In the future, you'll be able to check your previous day's usage, but not be able to do instantaneous reads (so how the hell do you adjust your electric usage after it has been used???). 

I think you can also enroll in the program to shut down your central AC as well.

[billyjean]

Last year (the only year) I didn't put up any Christmas lights outside.  I usually had non-LED lights on evergreens and along the front bay window.  Then along side the house (cause I'm on the corner) and up to entrance.  So last year when I got my bill for the time period of having those lights up (but I didn't) ... my bill was over what it was from the year before when I did.

I gave em a call.  They could not account for why that happened.  They wanted to blame the wrap on my poor fridge.  "You know a refrigerator draws lots of energy" or something to that effect.     hmmmm, more than it does in the summer when it has to combat HOT temps?!!!

Then I have one large room that has electric baseboard.  When I asked why the bill was so high they said ... well you have an electric baseboard, and it was colder in the month of blah blah.  I said wait.  The baseboard is NOT on a thermostat.  It doesn't adjust itself according to temperature.  What you set it at is what it stays at.  Again, more double talk from ComEd.

Nicor and ComEd are thieves.  What is the point of you installing certain light bulbs or updating insulation on your house ... or a dozen other ways to conserve energy ... when you still get the same high bills every year.

This is the home of my mother and father who are passed.  Just going to their last years of their life, lights were on all over the place.  TV going non-stop.  Heat up to keep them warm, etc.  That's 3 ppl in the same house, doing clothes for 3, applicances for 3, cooking for 3. 

Now? only 1.  Lights are off.  Heat (gas) is down with sweater on.  Meals for 1.  Clothes for 1.  It's not the same usage.  Yet, low and behold, the bills are still the same as if 3 ppl lived here.

Go figure.  It's robbery without a gun, so all this talk about conserve, conserve is BS.  It's like the more you conserve, the bigger your bill is.  I just want to pay for what I use.

I think we need legislation that benefits the consumer to stop this business of "well, let's see back in 1999, the usage at that house was blah blah."  Then after several years and two owner's later, you're stuck with the "based on usage" from 1999.  It's ridiculous.

Then there's the old "putting in new reader and found old reader read it wrong" routine.  I think someone mentioned this in connection with a water meter, which happened to my sister.  She had to pay for misread readings spanning over 40 years!!!  oh yeah. 

You can't win with these crooks and that's why we need more legislation to go after these utility companies to make them accountable for the smoke and mirror routines they have been getting away with for decades. 

[n01_important]

The only other explanation is that the price/MWH (or Therm) went  up.

You can prove that theory by comparing usage and not price.

[MindoverMatter]

Just got my first bill in the mail since my meter was changed it went up $50.00 

[n01_important]

Are your therms (usage) up?  Or are you getting charged for the new meter that you didn't want?

[buzz]

I went to ComED's website.  They have info on the Smartmeter that said cost would increase appr. $5 a month.  Because of previous problems with their estimates, I've been readiing my meter for many months.

[MindoverMatter]

According to COMED my last bill was an estimate.  We will see next month.

[buzz]

I would suggest everyone go to the ComEd web-site, create an account, then print off your history usage.  All you need is the account number from your bill.
I'm in total agreement with billyjean on this.  Nicor and ComEd screw up constantly.  If you have your account usage/history you can see immediately if there's a problem.  Read the kwh for ComEd usage and the total therms for Nicor.  Nicor's got a better website.

[Juliet]

We were told weeks ago that they were coming that week to install meters.  We unlocked our gates for the week. The gates are locked because we have a small dog and one dog that just a month ago we found dead in the yard after only ten minutes of being in the yard. (It was the border collie that used to be my avatar).

Anyway, the week came and went and they never showed.  Then three weeks later, without warning, ComEd showed up. Instead of ringing the doorbell or phoning the house to get the gate unlocked and gain yard entrance, they kicked the gate and lock off of the brick of the side of the house.  Yes, KICKED IT OFF.  My son was home with me, went in to the yard and confronted the guy.  He of course blamed it on his partner and wanted us to fill out forms, get permission from someone to get it fixed, etc.  Needless to say, the dog's safety was more important and we just did it ourselves. 

[billyjean]

That's awful, Juliet.  I would have gone out there and kicked them both in the balls.  Then called police to report that they broke into your yard, that you kicked them to defend yourself (wear bathrobe when police show up and look shakin from the attack by two men posing as ComEd employees).

[PamF]

I also lock my gate.  ComEd was supposed to come one week.  They never showed up; but I did find footprints in the snow (not mine) that went right to my service door of my garage......thank goodness it has a good deadbolt!  Needless to say, the lock was back on that night.

When ComEd did come, they rang my doorbell (I just happened to be off from work) and came through the front gate, which is not locked anyways.

Sorry for the loss of your doggie.

[buzz]

I called today.  Waited 24 minutes before getting a "live" person named Lisa.  She couldn't help with the simplest of questions and tranferred me to someone else.  Well Tangy or D'Angie got her nose out of joint because I asked her to repeat her name, her problem not mine.  Here's what I found out.
My meter is not working.  I haven't been entered into their computer yet.
I can no longer phone in my reading.  They can now read it from "downtown".
My bill will never again be an estimate because the new digital technology is foolproof.  Yeah, right.
All this has been done to improve my service.
AND (forget  the fact that for 4-5-6 months I've called in my readings because of their incompetency and being over-billed) I now have worry free billing which allows me to adjust my usage and guarantee the lowest possible rates.
They can kiss my old tired white ass.
 

[grenouille]

 Green Government
The Controversy About Smart Meters
Complaints about smart utility meters are on the rise.
By Elizabeth Daigneau | February 2010


On the home front, the buzzword is "smart" — as in smart meters or devices that wirelessly tell power companies how much electricity consumers are using and encourage them to control their energy use. Utilities in California, Texas and the Northeast are spending billions of dollars outfitting homes and businesses with these meters. The problem is, not everyone thinks smart meters are so smart.

For states and localities, smart meters mean smart grids, and smart grids mean utilities can use energy more efficiently, prevent costly — both politically and financially — outages and add more renewable energy sources like solar and wind. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if the U.S. grid were just 5 percent more efficient, it would be equal to permanently eliminating the fuel and greenhouse gas emissions from 53 million cars. For state and local governments, smart meters are a means to an end.

For utility customers, however, smart meters are ripping them off, logging more kilowatt hours than they believe they're using. While utilities, such as Pacific Gas and Electric in California, dispute the charges, attributing the higher readings to summer heat and new rate hikes, some customers have seen their smart meters log between a 30 and 70 percent jump in electricity consumption in just one year.

Customers in California and Texas are up in arms, contending that not only are these devices inaccurate, but they're also expensive, between $250 to $500 each, which utilities are passing on to customers in the form of fees and higher rates. Furthermore, these expenses are just the tip of the iceberg. Consumers will be responsible down the road for the cost of installing home displays to control appliances and other equipment.

The California Public Utilities Commission is moving to bring in an outside auditor to determine whether the meters are accurate, and Connecticut's Attorney General Richard Blumenthal convinced its utility to scale back its plans to provide smart meters to all of its 1.2 million customers. Instead, the Connecticut Light & Power Co. is running a pilot program that will not only test whether smart meters are effective in changing consumers' habits, but also will test variable pricing as well.

But smart meters are here to stay whether consumers want them or not. The Recovery Act will help put smart meters in 40 million homes by 2015 — that's up from 8 million homes now — and Texas law already requires rapid smart-meter deployment. It seems like this whole fiasco offers a lesson about the importance of open communication between utilities and their customers. In that vein, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas was able to negotiate an agreement with Texas utilities in which they agreed to spend $20.6 million on consumer education and $17.5 million to purchase home display units for low-income families.

While California and Connecticut are addressing concerns about smart meters, the real battle for state and local governments lies in educating consumers about smart meters. These devices change everything about how citizens currently use and pay for energy. Consumers may have to take more responsibility for their energy use, and may even have to pay more. None of that will be acceptable unless citizens understand the long-term benefits: a more affordable, efficient grid that also offers considerable societal benefits — such as less impact on the environment.

[rabblerabble]

Comed installed our smart meter in January. Our bills in January and February were respectively $50 and $60 higher than normal. We didn't see why it would jump so high, but we did have some Christmas lights and used our space heaters a bit in January. February, we had no idea why it would be that high. I received a bill today reflecting a $72 credit. Smart meters indeed.

[billyjean]

Comed installed our smart meter in January. Our bills in January and February were respectively $50 and $60 higher than normal. We didn't see why it would jump so high, but we did have some Christmas lights and used our space heaters a bit in January. February, we had no idea why it would be that high. I received a bill today reflecting a $72 credit. Smart meters indeed.

I just don't get it.  Why is the smart meter reading over amount used? then down the line you get a credit to correct that?  Under the old way they had readings and estimates.  I thought this was supposed to eliminate the "estimate".  That smart meter was to give more accurate readings and relay the readings to Comed every half hour or something like that. 

More smoke and mirrors from Comed.

[OakParkSpartan]

Comed installed our smart meter in January. Our bills in January and February were respectively $50 and $60 higher than normal. We didn't see why it would jump so high, but we did have some Christmas lights and used our space heaters a bit in January. February, we had no idea why it would be that high. I received a bill today reflecting a $72 credit. Smart meters indeed.

I just don't get it.  Why is the smart meter reading over amount used? then down the line you get a credit to correct that?  Under the old way they had readings and estimates.  I thought this was supposed to eliminate the "estimate".  That smart meter was to give more accurate readings and relay the readings to Comed every half hour or something like that. 

More smoke and mirrors from Comed.

With mine, they estimated the bill very high.

[Mugster]

Someone sent me this article.  Thought you might be interested....

Green Government
The Controversy About Smart Meters
Complaints about smart utility meters are on the rise.
By Elizabeth Daigneau | February 2010


On the home front, the buzzword is "smart" — as in smart meters or devices that wirelessly tell power companies how much electricity consumers are using and encourage them to control their energy use. Utilities in California, Texas and the Northeast are spending billions of dollars outfitting homes and businesses with these meters. The problem is, not everyone thinks smart meters are so smart.

For states and localities, smart meters mean smart grids, and smart grids mean utilities can use energy more efficiently, prevent costly — both politically and financially — outages and add more renewable energy sources like solar and wind. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if the U.S. grid were just 5 percent more efficient, it would be equal to permanently eliminating the fuel and greenhouse gas emissions from 53 million cars. For state and local governments, smart meters are a means to an end.

For utility customers, however, smart meters are ripping them off, logging more kilowatt hours than they believe they're using. While utilities, such as Pacific Gas and Electric in California, dispute the charges, attributing the higher readings to summer heat and new rate hikes, some customers have seen their smart meters log between a 30 and 70 percent jump in electricity consumption in just one year.

Customers in California and Texas are up in arms, contending that not only are these devices inaccurate, but they're also expensive, between $250 to $500 each, which utilities are passing on to customers in the form of fees and higher rates. Furthermore, these expenses are just the tip of the iceberg. Consumers will be responsible down the road for the cost of installing home displays to control appliances and other equipment.

The California Public Utilities Commission is moving to bring in an outside auditor to determine whether the meters are accurate, and Connecticut's Attorney General Richard Blumenthal convinced its utility to scale back its plans to provide smart meters to all of its 1.2 million customers. Instead, the Connecticut Light & Power Co. is running a pilot program that will not only test whether smart meters are effective in changing consumers' habits, but also will test variable pricing as well.

But smart meters are here to stay whether consumers want them or not. The Recovery Act will help put smart meters in 40 million homes by 2015 — that's up from 8 million homes now — and Texas law already requires rapid smart-meter deployment. It seems like this whole fiasco offers a lesson about the importance of open communication between utilities and their customers. In that vein, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas was able to negotiate an agreement with Texas utilities in which they agreed to spend $20.6 million on consumer education and $17.5 million to purchase home display units for low-income families.

While California and Connecticut are addressing concerns about smart meters, the real battle for state and local governments lies in educating consumers about smart meters. These devices change everything about how citizens currently use and pay for energy. Consumers may have to take more responsibility for their energy use, and may even have to pay more. None of that will be acceptable unless citizens understand the long-term benefits: a more affordable, efficient grid that also offers considerable societal benefits — such as less impact on the environment.