[ItGrows]

Originally Posted by Strainhunter

I already stated previously I will NOT disclose my exact source of information although I hinted quiet a bit of it.

Is that clear enough for you!?

Take it for what it is, or don't.

Now that sounds like something my government would say. You just have to take my word for it... LOL

[Strainhunter]

Originally Posted by ItGrows

Now that sounds like something my government would say. You just have to take my word for it... LOL

Don't like it?

Don't take it for what it is.

Just stay safe, that's all what it really boils down to.

[poindexterous]

Originally Posted by Strainhunter

Good way of thinking although not how they do it.

First of all keep in mind it depends on who your electricity provider is.
Although I may have listed one or the other throughout this thread that does not mean they have not changed their policy.

Specifically in Florida there is @ least one electric provider who is "in bed" with the administration in charge of pursuing growing pot.
That company is actively participating in training exercises how to recognize "unusual" power consumption.
The above is valid as of today.

Now what does this have to do with your question?

If you are running a 4kw setup you are going through anywhere between a few hundred bucks in electricity a month up to 7 or 800 dollars (assuming 1kw costs the rough average of 11 cents/hour, much higher in Cali for example).
All depending on if your hoods are vented or not, if you have an AC & how much it is running, whether you have a dehumidifier - or not.
Those are the major power users.

Every time especially an inductive electricity user turns on you will have a power spike. Whether that be your fridge, your dish washer, your water heater, your TV, your house AC etc. blah blah.

If you are running 2kw on one set of bulbs for 12 hours and switch to another set after 12 hours...you still will have a spike firing up that second set of bulbs.
That spike will be xyz high depending on the ballasts (magnetic or not) and their efficiency, the wattage of the bulbs used and a few more factors.
In other words (and I am sure you have realized that yourself by now) what ever spikes your grow is creating they will be a very minor "giveaway" for your growing operation.

Your "12 hour cycle" is being "interrupted" by PLENTY spikes throughout the day and night.

On the good side:
You have been running your set-up without getting caught hence you have been paying your bill so just keep doing the same thing Smart Meter or not.
Depending on the type of Smart Meter you are going to get it might not even be programmed to be one of those "tricked out" units causing the electricity user "letting his pants down" about his/her usage.

Not that you have much of a choice in first place.....

What have you heard are the signs they look for to profile suspicious consumption? Is it entirely just total volume, or any other patterns, hours, etc?

I'm getting the kind of smart meter where I can go to their website and see "hourly" use.

[Strainhunter]

Originally Posted by poindexterous

What have you heard are the signs they look for to profile suspicious consumption? Is it entirely just total volume, or any other patterns, hours, etc?

I'm getting the kind of smart meter where I can go to their website and see "hourly" use.

No no it's not just "hearsay".

These are actual facts.

However it simply has to be taken for granted what I stated.
I will not disclose certain info about where I know this stuff from potentially leading to compromising my (previous) association with that place.

To answer your actual question:

"profile suspicious consumption" - I like how you boiled it down to that phrase!

But please realize I cannot speak for an entire country or even globally regarding how it is/can be done.

Some electricity providers don't do squat, no matter how much you burn through, Smart Meter or not.

Others have full fledged investigation teams (& software) who's full time job it is to look for those "profile suspicious consumptions" which MIGHT include patterns such as "total volume, or any other patterns, hours, etc."

You just won't know UNLESS you have specific knowledge from/about YOUR specific provider which keep in mind might change @ any given time.

Like another established IC member in this thread already posted some time back:

His brother works (or worked?) for a provider who just doesn't care...as long as you pay your bill!

[ItGrows]

My power company asked the government for stimulus money so they could put these things in. I doubt it has anything to do with tracking suspicious consumption. I think it has everything to do with getting free money to upgrade a old system. The government has easier ways of tracking our secrets. I think if you are a "big time op" that is worried about being tracked this way. Just keep moving your grow to new rentals.

[qupee]

Originally Posted by Strainhunter

No no it's not just "hearsay".

These are actual facts.

However it simply has to be taken for granted what I stated.
I will not disclose certain info about where I know this stuff from potentially leading to compromising my (previous) association with that place.

To answer your actual question:

"profile suspicious consumption" - I like how you boiled it down to that phrase!

But please realize I cannot speak for an entire country or even globally regarding how it is/can be done.

Some electricity providers don't do squat, no matter how much you burn through, Smart Meter or not.

Others have full fledged investigation teams (& software) who's full time job it is to look for those "profile suspicious consumptions" which MIGHT include patterns such as "total volume, or any other patterns, hours, etc."

You just won't know UNLESS you have specific knowledge from/about YOUR specific provider which keep in mind might change @ any given time.

Like another established IC member in this thread already posted some time back:

His brother works (or worked?) for a provider who just doesn't care...as long as you pay your bill!

You're not really giving us much useful information here.

Spikes are 100% completely irrelevant and excessive usage is the flag raiser. Great, but how does that leave me any better informed than I was prior to reading this thread?

If you have such specific inside information, why don't you explain in exacting detail exactly what constitutes excessive usage?

Every provider is different. So what. Give us some specific examples, especially since you're claiming to be in the know regarding at least one electric provider.

[Strainhunter]

Originally Posted by qupee

You're not really giving us much useful information here.

Spikes are 100% completely irrelevant and excessive usage is the flag raiser. Great, but how does that leave me any better informed than I was prior to reading this thread?

If you have such specific inside information, why don't you explain in exacting detail exactly what constitutes excessive usage?

Every provider is different. So what. Give us some specific examples, especially since you're claiming to be in the know regarding at least one electric provider.

You are missing the entire concept of the original post.


It is intended as a general guide of what's possible with Smart Meters and what is rather a myth:

specifically the use of Flip Flops NOT providing the often marketed and believed "safety feature" of avoiding the detection of spikes.



If you want a specific example for YOUR situation go right ahead and post who your electricity provider is and a non distorted close up picture of YOUR Smart Meter showing the serial number and I should be able to tell you more within 2 business days.
(no, please DO NOT do this under any circumstances, you will compromise your own identity and neither would it be TOU conform to do that!)

I think you get my point now, see the first part of this post:

As I already wrote this thread is intended as a general guide of what's possible with Smart Meters and what is rather a myth, I thought that would be pretty clear...but apparently to some it is not.

Variations to your own situation will apply.

[qupee]

ok ya, OP was about what Smart Meters can and cannot do... but if you have any knowledge of how any particular provider profiles, please please share for all our benefit.

My provider is Xcel. I don't have a smart meter (not that i'd post the serial, lol).

But really, any knowledge if they profile based on sudden jumps - maybe correlated with a new account holder at the address. Or being some factor above an average for similar sized houses, or houses on the same block.

There was a well known law in BC that allowed the city to search any house using more than 93kwh per month:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1882262/

Reading that raises many questions as to how my local system might operate. Like I was asking, is there a hard limit, or do we know how they perform comparisons to make unusual consumption stand out? Do we know of any providers that have procedures in place to regularly generate such reports and transmit them to enforcement agencies? Or like mentioned in that article do we know if it is on the agencies to request the information? Etc, etc.

Perhaps not totally on topic for the thread, but if you know, please share.

[poindexterous]

Alright I'm gonna start a new thread on this topic.......

[DutchBoy]

Thanks for the info, everywhere and everyone is just seemingly trying to scare.

I found this informative.