[time-nuts] Remotely read power meters

[Brooke Clarke]

Hi:

How would anyone know how to get to any specific meter?

Have Fun,

Brooke Clarke
http://www.PRC68.com


lists at lazygranch.com wrote:
> Anyone that can read the power use of a house can figure out if the occupants are on vacation. I asked PGE to set up my meter so it could never be read over the internet. They refused.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "J. Forster"<jfor at quik.com>
> Sender: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com
> Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:45:11
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement<time-nuts at febo.com>
> Reply-To: jfor at quik.com, Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> 	<time-nuts at febo.com>
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Remotely read power meters
>
> I don't question your economic data, but IMO there is a huge potential for
> governmental abuse...  a kind of "dual use" technology.
>
> For example, the government started to give out highway funds, then
> leveraged those funds into forcing national speed limits, seat belt laws,
> lowered drinking ages, "True Identity", and other things.
>
> When the government is the sole payer for health care, will they start to
> tax Big Macs and fries? Some places are already legislating that kids
> meals have to have apples and carrot sticks.
>
> Smart meter technology has, IMO, become another potential instrument of
> overreaching governmental control. The Nanny State is a metastatic cancer.
>
> YMMV,
>
> -John
>
> ==================
>
>
>
>    
>>
>> List,
>>
>> Leaving all the conspiracy assumptions aside,  there is a very practical
>> cost savings to the user.
>>
>> Let me explain by this example.  We lived in Custer county CO for several
>> years.  There are about 3,500 people spread out in the area. Our average
>> electric bill was around $150 a month and we had remotely read meters.
>> IIRC they were the spinning dial type FWIW.
>>
>> If the Co-Op had to hire two meter readers the math (ROUGHLY) goes a bit
>> like this.  Assume a very modest wage of $10 per hour.  Adding the burden
>> factor brings the employee cost to $25 per hour.  Then because of the
>> rural gravel roads and snow, two quality 4 WHD vehicles are needed.  This
>> would be at least a $80,000 up-front expense.  One has to add to that
>> fuel, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation.  In this rugged area that
>> would run a dollar per mile.
>>
>> Knowing the area, a meter reader would only be able to read 6 meters an
>> hour.  It would be fair to say that there is on average 2 miles between
>> meters round trip.  The reason for this number is there are places where
>> there are several customers within a few hundreds of yards of each other.
>>
>> There are about 1,400 households.  So 1,400 divided by 6 equals 233 man
>> hours.
>>
>> So we have 233 man-hours at $25/hr. That is $5,825 per month or $69,900
>> for salaries.
>>
>> Then add 1,400 households times 2 miles times 12 months.  This comes to
>> $33,600.
>>
>> The total is $103,500 to read 1,400 meters once a month for a year.
>>
>> For the sake of this exercise ASS-U-ME that the cost of a remotely read
>> meter installed, with all the computers and software came to $1,000 per
>> unit. (I believe I’m wildly on the high side.)  With 1,400 meters this
>> comes to $1,400,000.
>>
>> Your payback comes in 10 years.  From my experience, I’ve never heard of
>> one warring out.
>>
>> So from a purely economic reasons they made sense where I used to live.
>> As for other areas they are case specific.
>>
>> Any additional economic data or corrections are welcomed.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Perrier
>>
>>
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>>      
>
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