As for the cost, one of the articles said it would charge customers $2.35 per month for the meters for 11 years, so that is about $300. Once again, assuming off peak rates are substantially less, the payout will be immediate, meaning I expect that I could save more than the $2.35/month.

Hope these come to my area soon. Looks like Duke, my electricity provider, is doing it in other States, so hopefully it will come here.

Too bad it takes a non-US Company to build these. Where is our technical capability. These meters are simple technology.

This is a HUGE missed opportunity. If our smart house can understand real time usage, a tidal wave of innovation will be unleashed saving billions in energy. Imagine coordinated appliances scheduling themselves.

As it is, “Not so Smart Meters” do away with meter readers and help out with load leveling.

Now if we are lucky, the utility will share useful information… or perhaps make it into a “profit center” selling you your information.

Smart consumers need access to their real time usage information to make real time decisions.

The story is suspiciously vague about the technical side, in particular about HOW the utility company will interface with the new meter.

In the Netherlands we have a debate about a plan to let these smart meters send the power consumption data via the Internet to the utility company each 15 minutes (!!). That is excellent information for burglars! The suggestion was even made to use electricity during one’s vacation, just to give the impression that someone is at home.

Be forewarned!