We still have our good-old Analog, Non-Detent Single Stator Watt-Hour Meter with Mechanically Geared Registers fixed to a Mechanical rotating Register!!!
The old Sangamo KWh Meter fell victim to the "Bowling Pin-like action" of a run away 10 foot stick of 2" GRC.
The way that Pipe Pachinko-Balled off everything , it totally appeared as if the GRC intentionally attacked the Meter!!!
The Sangamo CL200 4-Terminal was replaced with a similar CL200 Rr=6-17/18 Analog-Mechanical non Hybrid, non Detent KWh Meter made by Landis & Gyr.
I hope the new Meters never arrive!
The usage recorded by our Mechanical KWh Meter tallies up in the Readout Dials as Consumption over time...ONLY!!!
There is no Clock involved, and the Register does not ever consider the time of day!!!
We can have a High Demand Load drawn between 10:00AM and 3:00PM, and the Meter does not place any TOU (TIER Levels) considerations on the Consumed True Power!
That is what the Pocos love about Smart Metering: Application of Time Of Usage Demand rates, along with selling True Power at Demand Peaks per the Market Rate at the Time Of Usage (primary benefit for central office meter reading).
In California, the same People that could not wait to vote Yes for Deregulation of Public Electrical Utilities, are now responsible for endless complaining, nasty grams, Troubleshoot calls, Dale Gribble Theories, rendering the services of Exorcists, etc..., due to their excessively high Billing Statements.
On average, I get asked maybe twice a month, to evaluate someone's Smart Meter - due to excessive monthly charges.
Reviewing the Billing Records removes all the Bandini quite well! (at least for me it does...)
High level consumption penalties, heavy usage during peak periods - or worse, during critical periods (like summer week day peak hours) and the penalties assessed to those TOU's, usage billed per Delivery Charges AND Generation Charges - within Delivery Charges are Transmission Charges, Distribution charges, taxes, and all that fun stuff!
Looking at an average Daily consumption rate of 191 KWh for 32 Days, their $850.00 Billing Statement does not Shock Me, especially compared to the $100K + Monthly Billing Statements from some of my larger Industrial Clients.
Typically, when things have progressed this far, there are only Two paths of travel:
Path A - The Least Traveled Path:
Ask me what may be done to reduce the True Power Consumption.
My usual response being:
"First off, turn off some of these frikken Lights!!!"Followed up with the next most common:
"Eliminate the Fight For Dominance between the Floor Heater(s) and the Air Conditioning!!! Turn off either the Heater, The A/C, or BOTH!!!"However, as I said, Path "A" is least Traveled... and we go to good 'ol Path "B" Appropriately named too! since the smell of Bull Fecal Matter is the Omen to whats coming next!!!~:-O
Path "B" is a slap in the face to anyone who studies our field, its theories, and takes our Profession seriously.
Path B turns the Person that ask for your advise on the matter in the first place; into an instant Electrical Engineer with >20 Years experience, holding an MSEE; who will now inform you of your many, many errors and misunderstandings!
Instant EE continues to say:
"All may be corroborated by my Friend:
'Mr./Mrs. XXX' at 'the power company' (or lives next to the brother of a friend who's Gardener used to shop at the same Supermarket of the Dentist who knew a guy from the same City as this Lineman who mentioned something about low voltages taking much more power than they should, because there is more amperage drawn, so therefore its more power).
Call this Person if you want to learn about Electricity!"
That is when I walk away.
BTW, tonight's rant was brought to you by someone playing the "Path B Card" no less than 30 Minutes prior to me logging on to ECN!!!
Please pardon the heat, and if you got scorched by some of the flames, I truly apologize!
Whew!!! That was bad!
OK, rant mode is disabled now! Need a new Asbestos Vent stack.
Time for
--Scott (EE)
