Smart meters. What's all the fuss about?

[TheDemonLord]

Smart meters, Dumb companies

and the reciprocal:

Smart meters, Dumb customers.

[Grumph]

PS .. we still get an "estimate" power bill .. then a top up big bill after three months, when they come to read the smart meter (how smart is that?) .. but my wife reads the meter and only pays for what we use ... In the past we have had a largish bill for two months - then a third month bill which was in credit because their "estimates" were bullshit. Happened more than once. The power company said they were happy for us to pay for what we thought we had used, rather than the amount on the bill.

However the dopey shits have never changed their estimate to something based on what we actually use - rathrer than what they think the average NZ household uses ...

Problem with paying for what you read is that they'll never give you a prompt payment discount as it will very seldom be the full amount asked for...

What can be done if there are difficulties reading the meter is to arrange to phone the reading through so they can charge on that basis. This gets you eligible for the discount in a way their systems can understand. We worked on this basis for a couple of years cos the reading contractors couldn't find us due to the supply co's fuckup. They had us living in a road of the same name 80km away....
They've finally found us, buggerit.

[Big Dog]

We know roughly what we use per annum and pay 1/12 of that each month. I check my bill to be sure I have covered the discount amount.
It means we overpay in the summer but it means we have a surplus to eat away at over the winter.
It means no worries except checking the bill is not outrageous.
We specifically built our fence around making sure the meter reader can read it without running foul of the dog. Since then we got put on a smart meter, but someone comes to check on the meter every 6 months or so. They don't seem to check the neighbours so maybe or bill is too low for their liking?

Only difference we noticed on the smart meter was that we don't get double billed on the months a meter reader didn't come out.

Sent via tapatalk.

[jonbuoy]

interesting on that alcohol and cancer thing. Though in my 30 seconds of giving a shit about it the terms i find are "an increased risk factor" not "a known carcinogen"

ahh radar, that ghz band// wait. What?

So, what frequencies do you work with? What are your sops? Daily exposure limits? Cumulative/annual exposure limits?
Do you sleep with it beside your head? Have you done this over a statistically relevant time period against a control guy?
Truly, im fascinated.

Im not sure why you bring hv into it. Thats some irrelevant distracto bullshit. Unless you install hv smart meters?
Have you tried measuring your voltage intake while standing near a transformer?

We work on safe distances during transmit - either it's safe to be at that distance or it's not. Not done it times, you can't peek inside a waveguide for 5 seconds and balance that by never looking down one again . Either you get burnt or you don't.

What i do? Pretty much whatever the fuck i want.

Exposure limits to non ionising RF? Your getting confused with ionising radiation. Unless I'm staring down a waveguide or transmitting without a load there is no direct exposure. Voltage intake?? Yeah I try not to put my knife and fork anywhere near high voltage terminals.

RF exposure is generally done by safe distances, you don't have to be too far away for a lot of the power to have been dissipated. Either it's safe to be that close during transmit or its not. It's not like you can peek down a waveguide for 2 seconds and then never do it again to balance out your exposure. It's like being too close to a heat source - either you burn or you don't.

[huff3r]

Past two houses ive owned have had smart meters. Makes moving house a lot easier, electricity company just needs a date and they grabbed the final reading and initial reading for me. Also never had a high power bill, except when my flatmate was using a fan heater to heat his room for 3-4hrs daily.

I'm very happy to not have the meter reader come around every second month. The meters seem pretty fair and accurate to me.

[Akzle]

Exposure limits to non ionising RF? Your getting confused with ionising radiation. Unless I'm staring down a waveguide or transmitting without a load there is no direct exposure. Voltage intake?? Yeah I try not to put my knife and fork anywhere near high voltage terminals.

RF exposure is generally done by safe distances, you don't have to be too far away for a lot of the power to have been dissipated. Either it's safe to be that close during transmit or its not. It's not like you can peek down a waveguide for 2 seconds and then never do it again to balance out your exposure. It's like being too close to a heat source - either you burn or you don't.

you're the only one mentioning ionising radiation. i'm not confused at all. if i wanted any IR i'd eat a smoke alarm and end up a badass ninja with superpowers.

"no direct exposure"... interesting, i would think, since you mention radar, you'd deal with ELF shit, which isn't hugely directional. (except, obviously the sweepy beam shit, but I imagine, also, theres a fair bit of splash perpendicular to those woks.)

you dont need to put anything "near HV terminals" - you, as a conductive carcass filled with conductive water, are a capacitive inductor. srsly measure yourself.

and, as said, it's all a bit fuckn irrelevant since this is Giggitty Hertz.

[jonbuoy]

you're the only one mentioning ionising radiation. i'm not confused at all. if i wanted any IR i'd eat a smoke alarm and end up a badass ninja with superpowers.

"no direct exposure"... interesting, i would think, since you mention radar, you'd deal with ELF shit, which isn't hugely directional. (except, obviously the sweepy beam shit, but I imagine, also, theres a fair bit of splash perpendicular to those woks.)

you dont need to put anything "near HV terminals" - you, as a conductive carcass filled with conductive water, are a capacitive inductor. srsly measure yourself.

and, as said, it's all a bit fuckn irrelevant since this is Giggitty Hertz.

Irrelevant? Have you noticed that the higher you go in frequency the more damaging the emmissions are? Have you noticed that they haven't managed to crack wireless recharging for your phone and laptop over any meaningful distances yet? Its very difficult to get any meaningful amounts of power to travel through the air.

The amount of power they are using to wirelessly send meter data is negligible. Safe distance from a 250 watt MF/HF transmitter is basically don't touch it. Since the Titanic radio operators have been living and sleeping in MF/HF transmitter rooms. Your dribbling on about long term effects but there are no long term effects from those frequencies at the sort of power levels your talking about.

[eldog]

the name TESLA springs to mind - regarding power transmission

[Akzle]

Irrelevant? Have you noticed that the higher you go in frequency the more damaging the emmissions are?

uhhh, q.e.d...

Have you noticed that they haven't managed to crack wireless recharging for your phone and laptop over any meaningful distances yet? Its very difficult to get any meaningful amounts of power to travel through the air.

incorrect, tesla had this shit down-pat a long long time ago.

the limiting factor is size, at the currents/voltages required, the antenna/ induction loop needs to be bigger than "mobile"

srsly. measure yourself right now. them go barefoot in the cuntry and measure again. your voltage is above earth.

The amount of power they are using to wirelessly send meter data is negligible.

i dont believe i argued otherwise. infact i even said that it's analgous to having another router/cellphone bolted to your wall.

Safe distance from a 250 watt MF/HF transmitter is basically don't touch it. Since the Titanic radio operators have been living and sleeping in MF/HF transmitter rooms. Your dribbling on about long term effects but there are no long term effects from those frequencies at the sort of power levels your talking about.

the term hasn't been long enough to observe.
again LF-HF ≠ GHz

there's a bajillion frequencies out there, man made or no. humans havent been subjected to those in question for long enough to KNOW.

perhaps some reading on EMF sensitivity may awaken you to a perspective other than your own...

[jonbuoy]

uhhh, q.e.d...


incorrect, tesla had this shit down-pat a long long time ago.

the limiting factor is size, at the currents/voltages required, the antenna/ induction loop needs to be bigger than "mobile"

srsly. measure yourself right now. them go barefoot in the cuntry and measure again. your voltage is above earth.


i dont believe i argued otherwise. infact i even said that it's analgous to having another router/cellphone bolted to your wall.



the term hasn't been long enough to observe.
again LF-HF ≠ GHz

there's a bajillion frequencies out there, man made or no. humans havent been subjected to those in question for long enough to KNOW.

perhaps some reading on EMF sensitivity may awaken you to a perspective other than your own...

Still spouting bollocks - measure myself with what exactly?

[Akzle]

Still spouting bollocks - measure myself with what exactly?

no counter argument huh? jackass.

See post 6.

[jonbuoy]

no counter argument huh? jackass.

See post 6.

Counter argument to what? Your posts are barely coherent - you can hardly string a reasonable scentence together.

So not actually measuring anything harmful to humans then - like ionising radiation for example- the cosmic rays ripping through you, natural radiation?

[Tazz]

Past two houses ive owned have had smart meters. Makes moving house a lot easier, electricity company just needs a date and they grabbed the final reading and initial reading for me. Also never had a high power bill, except when my flatmate was using a fan heater to heat his room for 3-4hrs daily.

I'm very happy to not have the meter reader come around every second month. The meters seem pretty fair and accurate to me.

Moving was always easy, you just give them your final reading over the phone.

The no spikes in bills due to very optimistic estimates is nice though. They must get a pretty penny in interest from our money pulling that one.

[Akzle]

So not actually measuring anything harmful to humans then - like ionising radiation for example- the cosmic rays ripping through you, natural radiation?

i'll say it agin, for the teminably fucken retarded:
IT HASNT BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW.

And i covered the other thing in post #39. Do try to keep up geezer.

[slofox]

... i'd eat a smoke alarm and end up a badass ninja with superpowers.

Dammit Akzle, I thought you already were a badass ninja with superpowers...fucking wrong again huh...disappointing.