Smart meter horror stories
Where the money comes from-
Sometimes, things are really not what they seem to be. A good example is the theory that the new smart meter will save the customer money and give them control over their energy usage, in addition, the customer will not have to be concerned about the risk factor of the new meter. One additional issue that we will deal with is the large amounts of government funding from the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act which totaled $4.2 billion dollars, and most recently a $600 million dollar grant directly from the Department of Defense that went to a cell phone manufacturer.
Smart meter billing issues-
Recently several billing issues involving smart meters have come to my attention and if the totals involved were not so ridiculous, it would be funny. The following story comes from Great Britain concerning overbilling. The British Broadcasting Company brings us the following stories concerning billing problems:
“Problems with smart meters have affected high-profile consumers. In December, artist Grayson Perry complained of a £39,000 bill he received on a smart meter. In the same month, broadcaster Jon Sopel revealed his device handed him a £19,274 bill.
Holiday park owner Patrick Langmaid said there was pandemonium in the office after the fee of £250,000 was taken via direct debit from his business account.
Regulator Ofgem said customers should not be "wasting hours" on their cases.
The Turner Prize-winner, Sir Grayson Perry, told the BBC in December his difficulty in getting answers was "an interesting fable of the technological age".
Evidence that he was far from alone includes:
The demand for nearly £250,000 from Mr Langmaid, about 100 times greater than his normal monthly bill.
A church charged £40,000 - with sufficient funds in its account only because it had been left from someone's will. The supplier said two errors led to the bill.
The owner of a property who received a "catch-up" bill for £16,000 which was eventually wiped.
You can see that problems with the meters take many forms and have been turning up all over the world.
Smart meter problems that have not been repaired-
The following issues present problems that have been identified involving the smart meters by engineers and researchers and have still not been repaired. The following information is provided by Ms. Nina Beety, an investigative journalist—
Vulnerabilities include: • Inadequate surge protection • No direct path to ground • No circuit breaker • “Catastrophic failure” • Overheating • Inferior materials • Faulty remote disconnect switches • Circuit boards • Meters don’t fit sockets • Thinner meter blades • Malfunctioning temperature alarms and sensors • Switching mode power supply (SMPS) surges and transients damaging appliances and electrical equipment • RF signal and transients routed onto building wiring • Interference with AFCIs/GFCIs • Flammable Lithium batteries in digital electric, natural gas, and water meters • No Protective Device Coordination Study • Poor installation quality and Inadequate installer training • Vibration and heat caused by RF emissions • Violation of FCC Grants of Equipment Authorization, just to name a few.
Conclusion-
If there are any questions that I can answer for you regarding the above, please contact me at the address indicated below.
Respectfully,
Norman Lambe
nwlambe@gmail.com