Insidious Causes for Outrageous Utility Bills

By Vicky Davis

Do you have high utility bills?   Do you have a smart meter?   Regardless of your answer to these questions, you’ll want to read this exhaustive study by Debbie Niwa on the status of the nation-wide implementation of smart meters.

The smart meters are one component of the utility industry’s installation of a multi-billion dollar Information Technology System over the top of the electric grid.  Fragile new technology is not always better than inexpensive, reliable and consistent mechanical devices.  Debbie’s ground-breaking report is just the tip of the iceberg exposing the problems of the smart meters and smart grid.  Has it made the system more reliable?  No.  Quite the opposite.

The smart meters that can be used to read your electricity use remotely, can also be hacked.  There is growing evidence that the smart meters can cause fires.  The smart meters cost significantly more than the mechanical meters and they have to be replaced more often because they are computers attached to the outside of your home.  The data generated by the smart meter provides 24/7 surveillance of the activity in your home.  What time did you turn the bathroom light on in the morning?  What is your pattern for washing clothes?  Do you run your air conditioning system while you are away from your house?

Ultimately, the idea of the smart meters is to control your use of electricity.  The smart meters are devices on the Internet of Things and they will be able to control the electrical devices in your home – when you use them and for how long.  The smart meters are akin to the prisoner’s ankle bracelet that reports back to the parole officer but they are even more invasive than that because they report activities – not just location.  The smart meters constitute electronic home invasion – the spy that never leaves.