Hearing on Smart Meters Poised to Draw Crowd
After months of fielding complaints about smart electric meters, the Texas Public Utility Commission will hold an open meeting Tuesday morning in Austin to hear testimony from opponents and supporters of the technology. In advance of the forum, the commission has made special plans to accommodate a large crowd.
“We’ve got a little larger venue to accommodate people,” said Terry Hadley, the commission's communications director. Tuesday's meeting will be held in the John H. Reagan State Office Building instead of the William B. Travis building, where the commission typically meets. Hadley said the new room could accommodate ...
Comments (12)
Proud Texan
The Tea Party will also tell you they believe smart meters are part of the United Nations' "Agenda 21" and they will be used to track your movements and even take pictures of you in your home. Paranoid much?
Mike McCall
What a waste of time and money. Why would anyone think the old technology would do a better job of accurately measuring usage? May be they should be charged for past unaccounted for consumption.
Dale Curry
ROFLMAO! From 'critical thinking' to religious indoctrination disguised as "creationism", the tea party and repubs are committed to see that Texas does NOT enter the 21st Century. It is precisely this type of thinking that will ensure their children are hate filled, debt ridden, employee of the Chinese. Want to see a super power brought to it's knees, put the tea party in charge.
Anya Khan
So far three comments and two are from idiot trolls.
Now for adults:
The good thing about "smart meters" is how indiviuals and families can track their usage. You can see exactly what you are spending. With one of these in the UK I could actually "bill" the kids use of costly applicancs during peak hours. When they saw what it cost to run the A/C and the big scren at the same time the A/C went to a more moderate setting. They had a set amount I would give them and they had to pay for the overage. I could show what it cost to leave on the lights.
These benefit the consumer and the environment.
Craig Young
Obviously the trolls are here. The issues are:
1.) The meters are an invasion of privacy and your usage data with be sold to marketing operations.
2.) Adverse health affects (especially when you have multiple meters i.e. apartment buildings).
There is no evidence that these meters help the consumer at all and from what I've gathered from people that have them, is they end up paying a higher bill.
Please refrain name calling, shooting the messenger etc. Study the issue for yourself.
Justin Padgett
1) They can already track the usage by appliance by measuring the frequency now anyway.
2) This makes it easier for large corporations to gather more behavioral data to learn how to market to you better.
3) Huge invasion of privacy...fourth amendment much?
4) You are not very smart if you can't read the kW/h that come with EVERY single electronic that you purchase in the instructions. You should already predict your electrical consumption. Just because the rest of America has been dumbed down, why do I have to be subjejcted to hacking and privacy issues.
5) As currently written federal law and state law there should actually be an "opt in" not even an "opt out" to be consistent.
6) EMF radiation is understudied and I would rather play it safe than sorry
7) The testimony of the people getting sick today was real!
8) I have 3 meters and my bills have only increased and there has been no cost benefit whatsoever
9) I have had a palm tree and several plants die in direct proximity to the meter
10) texans against smart meters dot com!
Viola Perry
When I had the old meter every day between 6 and 7 PM the meter would run very fast though only the LED Lights were on like on the fridge, stove, etc. I had no washing going on, the A/C did not come on, the pool did not run so I kept shutting off the breaker and then turn it back on and the meter ran as it should have, very slow. My husband stopped me because he got tired of resetting the TV, wtc. I called TXU but got some rep in the Philippines who claimed someone was stealing power from me. I live in the country and everyone here has a few acres around so that advice was totally off. Now with the new smart meters one cannot see if the company is stealing! Also, when they installed the meter they were to ensure that it was installed in the closed position as it did usurp power in the left open position. Result was a huge bill for that month. Now the electric corp. is broke and complaining we don't use enough, on the other hand they claim we need to conserve but when you ask for the cheaper rate they want you locked in at 2000 kwh a month, which we never use. I sure would like to know the answers!
Meme Me
These smart meters will also catch on fire. One fire ignited at the smart meter in an apartment complex and all of the meters burned up in the middle of the night. Thank goodness someone saw the fire at the meters. Everyone in the complex could have died. The Centerpoint Energy worker who came out to cut the electricity off said that he has seen many smart meters ignite like this.
George Karadimas
Technical Facts and Political Adgenda of SmartMeters
Educational Video
Suggest you take the time to watch.
Key Word "Accountability"
http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca/html/?p=5022
Tracy Forester
You know...the point here is choice...and people aren't being given the choice in this matter. If you want a smart meter...that is fine...but don't force those of us who don't want them to have them. We should have the FREEDOM to decide!!!
Thelma Taormina
It was NOT a "hearing"...it was a simple forum set up so people could vent, nothing more, nothing less. The PUCT thinks that those who are serious about the violations occurring relating to our rights, not to mention the criminal offenses being done by the installers of the meters, then the PUCT is wrong.
This is not just a question of the meters...this is a question about each person's right to choose. Our rights have been violated...that should concern everyone in TX.
No one is against the technology, but there is a right way to advance forward and there is a wrong way. Implementing these meters when the risks they pose to the public is crazy...we are not the crazy ones. The Power Utilities are simply interested in money, the government is interested in control...mix the two and you have GREED and TYRANNY.
No we are not going away, if anything our numbers are growing!
Thelma Taormina
** should have read:
It was NOT a "hearing"...it was a simple forum set up so people could vent, nothing more, nothing less. If the PUCT thinks that those who are serious about the violations occurring relating to our rights, not to mention the criminal offenses being done by the installers of the meters, will go away, then the PUCT is wrong.