Has anyone turned down the PEPCO Smartmeter? [PEPCO Smartmeter Opt Out]

[Anonymous]

PEPCO tried to install the smartmeter last week and I declined it. When I researched further on my rights to decline the smartmeter, I found that if you are in Maryland, you can opt-out of the smartmeter by submitting a written request. The instructions are pasted below, but basically, Maryland is investigating whether PEPCO has the right to install this meter.

After a little more digging, I found that new electronic devices constantly sends data to PEPCO on your power usage. Additioanlly, new electronic appliances and devices in your house "talk" with the smartmeter track your use of dishwashers, TV's, appliances, etc. All of this is sent through the smartmeter to PEPCO, where someone can see your household patterns, habits, etc. This is a bit too Big Brother for my tastes.

With all of PEPCO's power issues, it is really alarming that they are spending money on collection our data. It is the cost of the meter, the labor to install, and the administration of the installation and data tracking.

If the meter is already installed, you can still opt out and they are required to disable the data-sending function of the smart meter. You can opt out by mailing a letter to PEPCO or submitting a request by the following avenues.

ONLINE OPT-OUT:
https://www.pepco.com/contact/online/default.aspx

MAIL OPT-OUT:
Pepco
MD Opt-out
701 9th St. NW
Mail Stop EP7642
Washington, DC 20068

The general Maryland Opt-Out information:

On May 25, 2012 the Maryland Public Service Commission issued an interim order stating that, effective immediately:

Until such time as the Commission issues its final decision on these issues, the utilities [Pepco, BGE and Delmarva Power] shall refrain from installing a smart meter in the home or business of any customer who notifies the utility in writing that they do not wish to have a smart meter installed, and
For those customers that inform their utility in writing that they have already received a smart meter but do not wish to have one, the utility shall refrain from activating those customers’ smart meter transmitters until such time as the Commission issues its final decision on these issues. (Order no. 84926)
The Company is complying with the Maryland Public Service Commission’s interim decision, and we look forward to the Commission’s final decision.

Customers are required to make opt-out requests in writing. Please submit your request by clicking here or by mailing the request to:

https://www.pepco.com/contact/online/default.aspx

Pepco
MD Opt-out
701 9th St. NW
Mail Stop EP7642
Washington, DC 20068

[Anonymous]

I will be opting out of BGE's smart meter. Haven't done it yet though- need to.

[Anonymous]

If you are going to opt-out don't delay after they make contact with you. They showed up in my neighborhood to do conversions on a Saturday. We declined because we were busy and didn't want to be bothered on a weekend. I asked to make an appt and the guy gave me a paper with contact info to call. About a week later the guy showed up at our house while I was taking a nap so I didn't answer the door. He switched out the meter on his own, without any kind of okay from me and left (this of course involves cutting the power so it would have been particularly annoying if you were working from home or using your desktop). I had been planning to call but hadn't had the chance. At the first visit he made the point that the meter belonged to Pepco, implying that they could do whatever they wanted. Now I know about some of the reasons why people might decline and am annoyed. Make sure you make a point of it if you refuse.

[Anonymous]

OP, the meters are not constantly sending data and the RF energy is exceedingly low. Most utilities send maybe a millisecond of data once an hour. Moreover, the smart meters and any other transmitters all have to be certified by the FCC, which imposed radiation requirements on devices to protect human health. And I highly doubt you have appliances that are communicating with the meters - I don't even think the standards have been finalized for appliances, and if so they probably haven't been manufactured yet.

All this to say I think you've bought into the fear mongering that some people are creating in this area about smart meters.

[Anonymous]

Smart grid can actually help in recovery from power outages, be careful what you reject on minimal information

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/epb-chattanooga-cuts-outages-in-half-after-recent-storm/

[Anonymous]

How on earth do these smartmeters "talk" with your appliances???



I think you undermine your cause by saying such obviously untrue things. All a smartmeter knows is how much power is being drawn.

One of my listserves is being spammed about this subject from one determined individual, and I wonder whether this is the same person.

[Anonymous]

i wonder if the last three posts are from the same person. hmmmm. maybe a PEPCO exec or a PEPCO consultant that helps with forcing this meter on everyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the meters are not constantly sending data and the RF energy is exceedingly low. Most utilities send maybe a millisecond of data once an hour. Moreover, the smart meters and any other transmitters all have to be certified by the FCC, which imposed radiation requirements on devices to protect human health. And I highly doubt you have appliances that are communicating with the meters - I don't even think the standards have been finalized for appliances, and if so they probably haven't been manufactured yet.

All this to say I think you've bought into the fear mongering that some people are creating in this area about smart meters.

Exactly. We are reaping the fruit of collective science illiteracy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Smart grid can actually help in recovery from power outages, be careful what you reject on minimal information

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/epb-chattanooga-cuts-outages-in-half-after-recent-storm/

this is just BS. the delay comes from having enough crews to service to poorly maintained physical wires, poles, transformers, etc. it is actually pretty easy Pepco to find the location of the repair locations. fairly negligible time in the scheme of things.

your link is just a bunch of smartmeter babble not applicable to the problems we all face with pepco outages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the meters are not constantly sending data and the RF energy is exceedingly low. Most utilities send maybe a millisecond of data once an hour. Moreover, the smart meters and any other transmitters all have to be certified by the FCC, which imposed radiation requirements on devices to protect human health. And I highly doubt you have appliances that are communicating with the meters - I don't even think the standards have been finalized for appliances, and if so they probably haven't been manufactured yet.

All this to say I think you've bought into the fear mongering that some people are creating in this area about smart meters.

wow, PP, you must be very well versed on this topic and combing the internet on behalf of the Power companies? or smart meter manufacturers to attack concerns of local consumers.

It is clear that the OP says nothing about RF issues. OP makes no reference at all to the emission of bad stuff through the air an into homes, and here you are defending this issue unprompted. You pile on with all the pro-smartmeter CR*P that the power industry is feeding people. you are the low of the low that you have a job to comb these boards to mislead.

fear mongering is really not the issue here. the consumer has the right to decide whether this kind of personal data can be taken and distributed.

[Anonymous]

I do not work for Pepco and I am not in the energy business. I am I the business of communications technology policy. I posted the link to the chatanooga piece. I am actually well informed about chatanooga because of the power company's (epb) phenomenal broadband network. It is a huge benificiary of the technology used to build the smart grid there.

Are you an expert in the engineering and maintenance of a power grid because if not you should read up more. If so, please direct me to the evidence that smart grid technology does not actually make the network more reliable and efficient.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the info OP. I will definitely opt-out. What is the benefit to me to having one installed?

Personally, after my last 5 years of dealing with PEPCO, I have zero trust in them.

[Anonymous]

Could be a coincidence but a neighbor of mine had several appliances damaged because of a mega surge, including sparks, after install. However they also had updated the underground wiring in our neighborhood around the same time so who knows which was which. Pepco was at his place for weeks fixing it.

[Anonymous]

I am the OP. This thread is really here to inform people of their rights to opt-out. For me, I like my privacy, and I was surprised that PEPCO can just show up to install this equipment that distributed my usage patterns to who-know-where.

There is plenty of other information on the internet about the harms of the devices and the benefits of the smart meters that everyone should research for themselves from valid sources. I agree that these threads are influenced by those who monitor them for corporate gain. This is no secret.

But if you ask me, PEPCO can just as easily put a device on your block (and not your house) to get local but not individual information to help out with the continuity of service stuff. And commonsense tells me that they must already have monitors out there already to see what certain zones are doing. I think there is a bit of smoke and mirrors in this and modern business tactics. But that is a topic for another thread.

I mainly wanted to share with everyone what I learned about being able to opt-out until you can learn for yourself what the smartmeter actually does for you or what risks may come with it.

No one should be able to simply add a tap to your house to extract information, without getting you permission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i wonder if the last three posts are from the same person. hmmmm. maybe a PEPCO exec or a PEPCO consultant that helps with forcing this meter on everyone?

Sorry, you guessed wrong.