[RE-wrenches] Smart Utility meters

[SOLARPRO at aol.com]

William:
 
Many non-net-metered folk I know claim that their bills and consumption  
have increased dramatically after the arrival of their Smart Meter and have  
asked me for advice.  For the most part I beg off....I'm not really in  the 
business of testing Smart Meters.  The weather has been so wet and  cold this 
year that I suppose it could be due to increased electric use  over last 
year.  I have wondered if the old cyclometer type meters have  just worn down 
and had been under-reporting consumption.  This has been the  case in a few 
of our own installs when the new (non-smart)  meter  arrives after a PV 
install and shows increased total consumption ( PV production  + metered 
consumption ) over previous billing periods.  When this happens  (very rarely) we 
will test the new meter against our own  readings.  But we have had another 
batch of customers who received the  Smart Meters by mistake and were 
penalized until they could have a not-so-smart  meter re-installed.  We had to send 
an email blast to our customer  base alerting them not to let the Edison 
subcontractor install any meter if  it is part of a neighborhood wide campaign 
and to call us or the utility to  make certain the meter that they are 
getting is dumb enough to know that  the electrons may go backwards, 
occasionally.
 
 
Patrick A.  Redgate
Ameco Solar, Inc.
7623 Somerset Blvd,
Paramount, CA 90723
_www.solarexpert.com_ (http://www.solarexpert.com/) 
_www.amecosolar.com_ (http://www.amecosolar.com/) 
562-633-4400

 
 
 
In a message dated 3/6/2011 6:56:05 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
swingjunkie at gmail.com writes:

William,
We have run into issues with smart meters. We had a customer in  one of the 
pilot neighborhoods. What we saw was the meter registered his  production 
as consumption. Effectively doubling his consumption per the meter.  After 
some research it was determined that while the new smart meters were  indeed 
net metering capable the software back at the reporting station was not  net 
metering capable. Solution was to install an old dumb meter which was  
bi_directionally accurate. I hope this helps. 
Cheers Carl
Sunrock Solar LLC 
On Mar 5, 2011 6:47 PM, "William Miller" <_william at millersolar.com_ 
(mailto:william at millersolar.com) >  wrote:
> Friends:
> 
> Our local utility  (PG&E) is installing smart meters. These will not 
apply 
> to  interconnected customers because the meter apparently is not capable 
of  
> two way metering.
> 
> There has been a lot of  controversy about smart meters regarding safety, 
> accuracy and many  other issues. Do any of you have any evidence that 
smart 
> meters are a  problem in any regard?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
>  William
> 
> 
> Please note new e-mail address and  domain:
> 
> William Miller
> Miller Solar
> Voice  :805-438-5600
> email: _william at millersolar.com_ (mailto:william at millersolar.com) 
> _http://millersolar.com_ (http://millersolar.com/) 
> License No.  C-10-773985





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