Digital Power Meters

[Lugen]

I have a digital power meter, I know they record the times etc of your power usage, what does this mean for using a timed light? Unless they are looking at your power spikes and times, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

I have only had analog meters on the house before and never gave a shit about them....this new digi meter makes me a little nervous.

 

[Graham Purwatt]

well,everyone says that they can tell not only how much you're using but what you are using also as in what brand of what type of device.scary as hell.there is a thread somewhere here about this.we get them in a couple more years and i'm scared shitless and moving because of it.good luck

 

[igrowone]

i have one of these beasts on my electrical service, would prefer not, but that's how it is
i do tiny grows, so they can look over my usage to their heart's content
from what i understand, these meters give them the capability, but they don't necessarily make use of it
check out your utilities web page, they may have some details on how they use them
i'd think there is a way to defeat this monitoring, but with some extra cost
with a battery powered back up power supply, you could shift the off/on times that the meter would see
i can see products coming on the market to veil the home grow from the electric police

 

[pearlemae]

As long as you pay your bill in full each month there shouldn't be a problem. They are in the business of selling electricity, they don't care how much you use as long as your current on your bill. The power company isn't going to say anything to anyone about the power usage at an address, if the bill is paid in full each month.Do you notice a pattern here? Make sure the bill is paid each month.

 

[Ajunta Pall]

I know that there has been a lot of propaganda posted on here about these meters, but I doubt a lot of its veracity. Ya'll act like its the power co. who wants to bust you when its your local asshole cops who are behind this. If busting grow houses isn't a priority with your locals, then don't worry about it.

 

[Panama Red]

These new digital smart meters are the shiznit.

My electric company monitors everything.

They're even nice enough to call when the laundry's done or the buds are 20%-30% amber.

Seriously though, the new smart meters aren't all that smart.

They report back usage to the main office in timed intervals, say every 15, 30 or 60 minutes.

Your bill will show you when you use the most/least so you can adjust your usage to the cheapest part of the day.

There are appliances that can communicate with some of these meters and adjust their own on/off cycles but are slow coming to market for a number of reasons.

1) Every manufacturer has their own unique protocols for communication.
2) Most consumers are too dense to set them up.
3) A lot of stoners think their Cuisinart is going to email their probation officers.

 

[oldblue]

Actually, you may want to call the power company and ask about their "time of use" plan, just to see if u have a meter that can tell all that. I have a digital meter, and called inquiring about switching to a "tou" plan and asked the lady to look up my acct to see it it'd be a smart option, and she told me that the digi's don't show when you use the power, just how much u use. She said that they'd have to come and install a special digital "tou" meter for that. So, i don't know if that's the same everywhere, but i wouldn't think they'd be installing the special more advanced "smart" meters, without paying for the special plan. It cost $20 a month for the special "tou" meter extra.

 

[asher1er]

Digital Power Meters

Just cause you have a new digital meter (commonly with blue face) does not mean you have the "smart meter"

Pay your bills fellas n don't sweat it

 

[Traveller01]

And for couple years new version of digital meter will communicate with every appliances at your home and someone will give decisions how much electricity you can use per day;remainds me at war days our town had 15 hours of electricity every 30 days.
During visit to Holland i remember that one person which work at the police (good friend from my country) told me that electric company can read electricity for every houshold which have smart meter from remote location and "thanks" to that they (police) have list of all grows;they won't go instantly to action for numerous reasons;one is that they have "montly quota" which must be fullfiled (penalties).So if local police station did not reach monthly quota they radnomly decide which grow to bust nor they not get extra bonuses to salary if they make more busts,parking penalties etc.etc...

 

[oldone]

3) A lot of stoners think their Cuisinart is going to email their probation officers.

Thanks for the laugh Panama, I needed it,

OO

 

[greentrich]

As long as you pay your bill in full each month there shouldn't be a problem. They are in the business of selling electricity, they don't care how much you use as long as your current on your bill. The power company isn't going to say anything to anyone about the power usage at an address, if the bill is paid in full each month.Do you notice a pattern here? Make sure the bill is paid each month.

So what exactly are you saying here? C'mon, be straight man!! LOL...j/k.

The only real threat I see with these is the same threat when posting grow info/pics here on ICmag. I doubt they will be used to bust you (i.e. the power company contacting LEO regarding timed spikes), but if busted...they can harvest the info to use against you in court to back their case.

just my thoughts.

 

[Strainhunter]

As long as you pay your bill in full each month there shouldn't be a problem. They are in the business of selling electricity, they don't care how much you use as long as your current on your bill. The power company isn't going to say anything to anyone about the power usage at an address, if the bill is paid in full each month.Do you notice a pattern here? Make sure the bill is paid each month.

No bro.

It's NOT like you wrote.

I could show you dozens of articles like the one below with higher and lower usages than in the article and those people were still ratted out by the electricity company


********************

GARY, Ind. (STMW) -- A tip from NIPSCO led federal officials to discover almost 500 marijuana plants and arrest three Gary men.

According to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Hammond, Jairo Fernando-Valdez, Obed Ornelas and Luiz Carlos Gamboa-Chavez were all arrested Wednesday after officials raided a house at 107 Bridge St. in Gary.

Officials' suspicions were first raised when NIPSCO said Monday that the house had averaged between 2,300 kilowatts per hour to 2,700 kilowatts per hour in the past four months. An air-conditioning wall unit uses about one kilowatt per hour, meaning the house was using the energy of what amounted to running 2,300 to 2,700 air conditioning wall units per hour.

The officials soon discovered what was sucking up all that electricity: an elaborate irrigation and lighting system used to grow 493 marijuana plants, according to the complaint.

Agents found the system in a back room and basement and it included high-intensity light bulbs, aerators, pumps and filters.

Ornelas, who was at the house when officials searched it, asked the agents if they found out about the house because of the high utility bills. According to the complaint, Valdez told police this was his first attempt at growing marijuana and that they were still processing the first batch for sale.

"If you're going to do it, you might as well go big," he said according to the complaint.

Gamboa-Chavez told officials he had lived at the house for three months and it appears in the complaint that he denied knowing anything about the marijuana.

The men appeared before Judge Andrew Rodovich Wednesday, and he ordered them to remain held in detention until a probable cause and detention hearing set for Friday.

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

im getting a digi meter next week.... cant wait !

2,300 kwh? thats insine!!

 

[Strainhunter]

im getting a digi meter next week.... cant wait !

2,300 kwh? thats insine!!

Yeah it is and I still wonder if that is a typo....

 

[igrowone]

^^^ that has to be a typo, or just some kind of misdirection
a house drawing over 2 megawatts of power, love to see the electrical cable that carried that kind of load
i'd be surprised if a smaller warehouse setup would have an electrical service that could accommodate that load
great article, but strange content

 

[pearlemae]

I'm sure that any house yhat goes from a "normal" power usage to 2300 kw is sure to get the attention of the meter readers ie:the utility company. I still say that if your not growing a warehouse full of weed that most utilities would rather have the money that bust a customer. If the mexicans got busted by the power company then maybe they, weren't paying the bill,Stupid but then there's plenty of that going around. But the report didn't say if that was what brought them to the attention of the company.

 

[Strainhunter]

^^^ that has to be a typo, or just some kind of misdirection
a house drawing over 2 megawatts of power, love to see the electrical cable that carried that kind of load
i'd be surprised if a smaller warehouse setup would have an electrical service that could accommodate that load
great article, but strange content

Good point abut the cable thickness.

It would have to be a "arm thick" cable in order to be able to carry that amount of current.
2.3MW sounds more like 20 houses with an AC each running 20 1kw lights each. But not in just one house. Don't work like that.

 

[Strainhunter]

Haha I was just thinking how 2.3MW would look like on that persons digital meters diagram.

Below just an example how those look like depending on which model and the options enabled:

 

[asher1er]

Digital Power Meters

I can tell u that in 98.5% of the times it's the Feds calling the power company to join them when it's time for a raid.. When it's the other way around the meter man saw/heard/smelled something fishy.. The transformer on the lines or in front of the homes/business humming like no tomorrow is usually what does it. And even then the Feds aren't usually called right away unless there's more dead givens, a snoop meter is put in place before further action is takin.
When them big sweeps came about in my area the power company was handed a list of houses where they needed assistant in cutting the power to prior to the raids...

 

[Strainhunter]

I can tell u that in 98.5% of the times it's the Feds calling the power company to join them when it's time for a raid..

........

Gotta correct you there:

Many power companies are in bed with the cops.
If a customer has unusual and continuous high usage he is above the radar.

Plus of course what you listed already.