New Electric Metre

[badabing]

Just got a letter from the elec company notifying me that the electric metre will be changed to a digital one. What are everyones thoughts on this?

[mull]

I don't like it mate. Nothing we can do about it tho. Gotta pay extra for them before they're even installed too..

[badabing]

I'm a little concerned because they can check how much energy any house is using at any time. I wonder if this will impact people growing inside...

[GBOOST]

Hmmm, do you think that "digital" means monitored tho?? As they will need to have some form of feedback to the system to do so, meaning a separate phone line with internet access, or even more expensive, wireless broadband. I would have to think this will be a logistical nightmare and highly unlikely, my thoughts would simply be that its a digital version of your standard meter. What state do you live in??

 

GB

[badabing]

Hey Gboost,

 

 

I'm living in victoria, Currently this is being rolled out in victoria and soon enough in NSW and msot likely australia.

 

I'll paste an extract from the website:

 

"Smart or Advanced Metering is a new way of measuring and managing energy and water use. It involves two important elements:

 

a meter that is able to capture usage information over short time intervals, typically 30 minutes or less;

a communication system, preferably two way, that can transmit the usage information to the service provider in real time and receive control instructions.

Smart meters offer a wide range of functions and capabilities for service providers and customers that are not available with traditional meters. They can even facilitate customers to enter the role of service providers by becoming electricity generators by making it easier to feed and sell solar and other renewably generated electricity into the grid.

 

Various communication options are possible, such as over the electric power distribution lines, telephone lines via a modem or using mobile phone or other wireless technology."

 

"Smart metering has a number of potential benefits. For service providers it can:

 

reduce ‘meter to bill’ costs due to remote reading capability;

improve outage detection;

reduce demand for peak electrical power, with consequential infrastructure savings, better targeting of network investment and improved security of supply;

provide remote electrical load control, such as shutting down some equipment at peak load times;

capture usage information at a resolution not previously possible, to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of demand management programs;

improve detection of unauthorized usage and losses;

provide improved demand forecasting to assist with medium and long term infrastructure planning;

facilitate the introduction of innovative pricing mechanisms, for example peak and critical peak tariffs, drought pricing or differential pricing of indoor and outdoor water use;

make it easier to change tariff structures. "

 

sounds interesting....

[mull]

That last line got me.. don't see how a smart meter will differentiate between indoor or outdoor water use.

 

I read also that there's concerns with solar to grid compatibility with smart meters.

 

The auditor general wasn't happy with them; neither is the vic state opposition (their job to disagree with the gov tho ofc).

 

from - www.computerworld.com.au/article/326196/auditor-general_happy_victorian_smart_meter_rollout/

 

The Victorian rollout of smart meters has been criticised by the state's Auditor-General's Office.

 

In a report titled, Towards a ‘smart grid’ — the roll-out of Advanced Metering Infrastructure, the Auditor-General hit out at the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project, which was kicked off in 2006 to replace accumulation meters in 2.4 million homes and small businesses with smart meters by 2013.

 

"The AMI project has not used the checks and balances that would ordinarily apply to a major investment directly funded by the state. This highlights a gap in the project’s accountability framework," the report reads.

 

'There have been significant inadequacies in the advice and recommendations provided to government on the rollout of the AMI project. The advice and supporting analysis lacked depth and presented an incomplete picture of the AMI project in relation to economic merits, consumer impact and project risks."

 

The Auditor-General noted that while the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) was the administering agency, it only had an observer's role on the project's industry steering committee, diminishing its "ability to deal effectively and proactively with risks and issues". DPI's advice to government and the level of engagement with the community were also inadequate, the Auditor-General said.

 

Additionally, the Auditor-General cast doubt on the economic case behind the state's decision to rollout smart meters and said consumers could be hit with greater costs than expected.

 

"The cost-benefit study behind the AMI decision was flawed and failed to offer a comprehensive view of the economic case for the project. There are significant unexplained discrepancies between the industry’s economic estimates and the studies done in Victoria and at the national level. These discrepancies suggest a high degree of uncertainty about the economic case for the project," the report reads.

 

As a result of the investigation, the Auditor-General provides eight recommendations including a call to re-assess the economic viability of the AMI project and to gain "assurance from Victoria’s electricity distributors that their candidate technologies for AMI are capable of achieving the expected functionality and service specification prior to the further installation of these technologies in customer premises".

 

The report does not question the value of smart meter technology but its sentiment is in stark contrast the interest in the field both in Australia and across the globe. In the US, for example, the government has allocated $4.5 billion to its smart energy grid programs with President Obama promising to install 40 million devices in homes across the country.

 

And at the Cebit IT fair in Hanover earlier this year, German utility Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW) demonstrated its smart meter, which has been available to customers since late 2008. The meter is available to homes for 5 Euros per month ($8) but customers who use its many reporting features can typically save more than that amount in electricity usage.

 

In late October, Victorian electricity distributor, SP AusNet, said it will partner with 12 companies and utilise WiMax technology to rollout 680,000 smart meters in the state over the next three years.

 

The deployment of the smart meters will commence in the coming months and be focused on homes and small businesses in the state's eastern and north eastern regions.

 

The full report can be downloaded from the Victorian Auditor-General's Office.

 

 

------------------------

 

The Victorian Opposition is calling for a halt to the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project accusing the Government of bungling the roll out of smart meters in the state.

 

The Liberal-Nationals Coalition has cited the November 2009 Auditor-General’s report into the project which found the cost of the project had blown out from $800 million to $2.25 billion and had suffered delays, poor functionality and poor risk management.

 

As reported by Computerworld, the Towards a ‘smart grid’ — the roll-out of Advanced Metering Infrastructure report found the AMI project did not use the checks and balances that would ordinarily apply to a major investment directly funded by the state.

 

“Victorian families have to pay through the nose for the meters even if they don’t have them, then pay again through massive increases in peak charges when the meters are installed,” Victorian shadow minister for energy Michael O’Brien said in a statement.

 

“With the Auditor-General questioning whether consumers will get any benefit at all, the Brumby Government should put an immediate halt to the roll out until there has been a full and independent cost-benefit analysis of this bungled project.”

 

Commenting on the calls for a halt, Victorian energy and resources minister Peter Batchelor said in a statement that three major cost-benefit studies had already been conducted through the development of the AMI project and all have demonstrated benefits in rolling out the project.

 

"We want Victorians to be able to access the full potential of smart meters, so we will continue to work with consumers to ensure they are fully informed about the benefits of the new technology," he said.

 

“That’s why I have also announced the Essential Services Commission will do a separate review of smart meter consumer regulations in light of the new electricity pricing structures, to ensure vulnerable Victorians are not disadvantaged by the changes."

 

As reported by Computerworld, the review will seek to ensure “vulnerable” Victorians are not disadvantaged by the new pricing changes.

 

“We want to ensure that the smart meter roll-out and the transition to time-of-use tariffs are carefully and properly managed,” Batchelor said at the time.

 

“I am also writing to the Australian Energy Regulator on this and other matters and I will highlight my expectations that consumer groups and the wider public have the chance to be properly consulted and educated about any major changes to pricing."

[Rocker]

I hate the loss of privacy in today's world. It can only get worse in the years to come.

They can make up all the reasons they like for bringing these meters in but in reality they are spying on us.

[GBOOST]

Wow, I seriously didn't think they would have a way of monitoring it 2 way without massive infrastructure and cost. Fuck em, if they install one here I'll just go to generator power.

 

GB

[brick]

"1984" George Orwell. May have been a prediction for the future.