Via The Houston Chronicle, a recap of one individual’s experiences with a smart meter. As with earlier posts on this subject, the conclusion is that – without an opportunity to act or transact – the meter becomes little more than an idle curiosity that quickly loses any clear association with utility. Smart markets anyone? As the article notes:
“…CenterPoint Energy is continuing its area-wide roll out of smart meters, for which consumers are paying an additional $3 a month. Next month, it will unveil a web site that will let customers monitor their electric usage in real time.
The smart meter initiative was introduced amid much fanfare and promise, but will it really change electric consumption habits? For one thing, the new meters aren’t as smart as they should be. Without the ability to offset power from the grid with power generated at home from sources like rooftop solar panels, consumers aren’t capturing the full benefits of innovation that should come with smart meters.
But what about simply changing consumer habits? Will smart meters encourage a much-needed culture of conservation? Consumer habits aren’t easy to change, even when consumers want to change them. About a year ago, I had a usage monitor installed in my home. For the first week or so, I diligently watched its readouts, noting our normal patterns. But it quickly became an idle curiosity. (“Look at how it jumps when we turn the dryer on.”)
Eventually, we ignored it. After a brief power outage, I never bothered to reset it. Finally, my wife was rearranging things on the counter and unplugged it and placed it in a drawer.
Perhaps if the readout had enabled us to actually make changes that would affect our bill, it would have mattered to us more. Maybe if we could buy our electricity based on the time of usage instead of simply the amount, the monitor would have been a useful tool.
But for all the promise of innovation that was supposed to come with deregulation, consumers have seen few changes other than higher and more confusing bills. Smart meters are arriving in the Houston area long after they should have and with fewer options than consumers deserve. And, because CenterPoint remains regulated, ratepayers are shouldering the cost just like the old days. Even some electric retailers I’ve spoken with say they’re skeptical that the new meters will bring significant changes to the market.”
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