Well, I'm in Fla and FP&L is not in bed with Leo. And neither is where my brother works.
The article you posted is a little misleading in itself; It wasn;t the smart meter that tipped off the cops. They get a tip and subpena the electrical usage records to confirm the tip, not the other way around.
Also, monitoring excessive usage IS NOT an automated task with my energy provider, because what is the thresh hold for excessive usage? Theirs not set amount of juice the company allows and anything over automatically gets sent to leo. And that alone is not enough for a warrant.
We could go back/forth for days but I've yet to see anyone who got busted solely because of a smart meter. it's always because someone snitched or smelled something, THEN the go to your electric usage and 1+1= grow op, and thats how your usage gets you...
*EDIT*
Excessive usage around here is when your transformer blows. Up until that point, no one is watching anything.
Theirs a member here, in my state, whom i know personally and was using 10,000+ watts for Reef tank lighting/cooling/pumping/etc and never had so much as a phone call from FP&L. So what would be the thresh hold for excess usage?

[Strainhunter]

Originally Posted by Guest

Well, I'm in Fla and FP&L is not in bed with Leo.

......

Funny you mentioned FPL.

They even made an official statement they don't do that kinda thing.

Unlike LCEC - they refused to comment when they were interviewed on their policy about that part!

I don't see whay you're jumping on my shit, btw. 'Cause for the most part we agree on the same things. And I stated clearly that in MY state and in the state my brother works.
Also, when I lived in Orlando a smart meter was installed right smack in the middle of my grow. Lights went out and I go outside and see a tech switching out my meter.
Nothing ever came of it and I kept growing for two more years before I moved.
will excessive usage get you busted? Hell yes, when the cops subpena your records because they got a tip you're growing...

Forgive me if I took your post the wrong way. It's hard to convey feeling thru a computer screen...

[Strainhunter]

Originally Posted by Guest

I don't see whay you're jumping on my shit, btw. 'Cause for the most part we agree on the same things.

..........

Jumped on your shit???

I think I was not only polite with my reply...but as you said also agreed with that last post.

Maybe you're just having a bad day or something?

Like I said, forgive me if I took things wrong. Not easy to read emotion on a computer screen.

[Strainhunter]

Originally Posted by Guest

Like I said, forgive me if I took things wrong. Not easy to read emotion on a computer screen.

Sorry man did not see that when I wrote my last reply.

It's all good, never took it offensive in 1st place.

[GrowForIt]

Great post a definite must read, thank you for taking the time to put it together.

[Strainhunter]

Originally Posted by GrowForIt

Great post a definite must read, thank you for taking the time to put it together.

You're welcome!

It took me all afternoon (~4 hours) to do that...

The misinformation floating around about this subject and potential resulting busts was worth spending that time.

[EclipseFour20]

May I add a unique wrinkle...Southern California Edison offers a special pricing plan for "Time of Use" TOU customers, which requires a smart meter. Most meters measure total consumption--not when the power is consumed. TOU rates allow for super expensive rates during peak daytime (M-F 10AM-6PM) and super low during off peak hours (6PM-10AM) and all weekends/holidays.

The savings are huge and we are not talking peanuts...my $1200 electric bill dropped to the low $600's. I understand the program is now "over subscribed", so you might have to ask for a waiting list. In my particular situation, I told the SCE that I work from home and I use my "machine shop" at night--and it took about 2 months for them to install and bring me online.

One of the benefits--no more meter reader, the usage data is uploaded via wireless-satellite connection. Now if I add some solar panels...maybe I might get under $300/month for my "garden".