So is the main deal with a smart electric meter that the provider can turn off power remotely?

Talk about a misinformation rabbit hole trying to look this up. 🤦‍♀️

@yogapaddlerun no, the main reason is so they can just drive by & get a meter reading without stopping at every house, walking to the meter & writing the reading in a notebook.
even with an old fashioned meter they can cut off your power remotely

@redenigma They can read mine remotely with the meter I have. But they do have to drive by.

@yogapaddlerun @redenigma Some can send the data back on the power line, and some can send via loRaWAN, saves the driving.

@b4cks4w @redenigma I’m imagining these devices can tell what kinds of devices are drawing power at any given interval. But not seeing documentation anywhere.

@yogapaddlerun @b4cks4w @redenigma

Nah. That's like thinking your water meter can tell when you're running the bath rather than the washing machine.

Electricity doesn't come in flavors.

@mcfate @b4cks4w @redenigma I remember seeing some device that could tell the device by draw and would give you a report. Back when I was looking to reduce my electricity usage.

@yogapaddlerun @b4cks4w @redenigma

That's an extra you need to install yourself, the meter won't do that FOR you. It just feed power to the breaker panel, the panel distributes it.

@mcfate @b4cks4w @redenigma I get that. But when the promo materials for this “smart” meter makes claims about saving me money with a usage breakdown I’m curious HOW they will generate that for me.

@mcfate I already get data like this, what’s the upgrade?

All they say is I’ll get a usage breakdown that will save me money. Seems like an expensive nothing. So where is their motivation?

@yogapaddlerun

You'd get it per-outlet.

@mcfate Maybe they can figure out where the connections are in some of my outlets 🤣

Someday I want to map all my outlets because the breaker list makes no sense.

@yogapaddlerun @mcfate
Carefully very carefully...I have old cloth wrapped wires. I am okay not turning a heater on and blowdryer at the sametime...but not sure what breaker the dishwasher is on or time schedule. Every 5 or six cycles it decides it doesn't want to work for a couple days? I feel it though I too could use a rest.

@damselfly59 @mcfate I have a mix of everything. One outlet I opened up, closed back up and told the SO never to use it. Still have knob and tube mains in the attic.

Would love to have house re-wired. Someday.

@yogapaddlerun @damselfly59 @mcfate you have knob & tube and i can't get homeowner's insurance because i have some cloth wrapped Romex? seems fair... (almost as fair as giving me 60days to repaint my house in December or they'd cancel... they cancelled. no one paints houses in winter in New England)

@redenigma @yogapaddlerun @mcfate
I will never let my insurance company in now...
But paint? How is that a danger? Would take decades to be a disaster?

@damselfly59 @yogapaddlerun @mcfate the inspector they sent out was a woman in her mid-80s. i was terrified she'd fall or something.
she also reported i didn't have fire extinguishers in the barn. EVERY barn & shed here has fire extinguishers, the barn has two... they're right inside the door, you can't miss them but she did. makes me wonder if she actually went down to the barn.
she also cited an old grape arbor we were in the process of removing...