Meter Reading Device

[SamSpade]

Black and Decker makes a nifty device which can track your electricity usage in real time. You can flip something on and read the cost to you immediately.

Amazon.com: Black & Decker EM100B Energy Saver Series Power Monitor: Home Improvement

This would be MUCH better than the Kill A Watt device I purchased.

On the other hand, it works by mounting a sensor on your meter, and not all meters are compatible. Do all SMECO customers have the same kind of meter? Does anyone still have the rotating dial kind?

 

[Graymatter]

rotating dial kind

 

[betty99]

Black and Decker makes a nifty device which can track your electricity usage in real time. You can flip something on and read the cost to you immediately.

Amazon.com: Black & Decker EM100B Energy Saver Series Power Monitor: Home Improvement

This would be MUCH better than the Kill A Watt device I purchased.

On the other hand, it works by mounting a sensor on your meter, and not all meters are compatible. Do all SMECO customers have the same kind of meter? Does anyone still have the rotating dial kind?

SMECO customers have several different types of meters and many do still have the rotating dial format. I personally would suggest you do not spend the money on this device. There are several options to help you control your bill without spending the money on more devices.

You could read your meter yourself and use the rates on your present bill to give you an idea of your current pending bill. Reading the meter dials is not simple, but the device is also not known to be completely accurate. (How to read your meter: About Your Electric Meter). If you need help with learning to read the meter (I know I have a problem with figuring out my dial) an energy analyst from SMECO can help you.

There are also programs available where they will come to your home and do a walk-through to see where you can cut energy usage. This is one of SMECO’s new EmPOWER Maryland programs, the Quick Home Energy Check-up. Visit Quick Home Energy Check-up for more information and to sign up. I had mine done last week, and he told me where I had duct leakage, which of my doors and windows had issues, installed pipe insulation on my water heater pipes, and gave me six CFLs.

Also, SMECO is in the pilot phase of rolling out Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). It won’t happen overnight, but it is a current initiative that will render your device unnecessary in a few years. For information on AMI: SMECO Newsletter

Additionally, this device would have to be installed. It is illegal to tamper with your utility’s meters because it is extremely dangerous.

 

[SamSpade]

SMECO customers have several different types of meters and many do still have the rotating dial format. I personally would suggest you do not spend the money on this device. There are several options to help you control your bill without spending the money on more devices.

You could read your meter yourself and use the rates on your present bill to give you an idea of your current pending bill. Reading the meter dials is not simple, but the device is also not known to be completely accurate. (How to read your meter: About Your Electric Meter). If you need help with learning to read the meter (I know I have a problem with figuring out my dial) an energy analyst from SMECO can help you.

There are also programs available where they will come to your home and do a walk-through to see where you can cut energy usage. This is one of SMECO’s new EmPOWER Maryland programs, the Quick Home Energy Check-up. Visit Quick Home Energy Check-up for more information and to sign up. I had mine done last week, and he told me where I had duct leakage, which of my doors and windows had issues, installed pipe insulation on my water heater pipes, and gave me six CFLs.

Also, SMECO is in the pilot phase of rolling out Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). It won’t happen overnight, but it is a current initiative that will render your device unnecessary in a few years. For information on AMI: SMECO Newsletter

Additionally, this device would have to be installed. It is illegal to tamper with your utility’s meters because it is extremely dangerous.

I've done all that. I've had SMECO come out and I've had their audit. They gave me the same bulbs. And it's not hard to read a meter. What IS hard is checking devices in the house over any period of time and evaluating their individual impact on your overall bill. I really would not want to run in and out of the house with a pad of paper and a stop watch to gauge my power consumption.

What I need to know is just how much power is consumed when a device is at peak usage AND over a period of say, a month after regular, normal usage (for example, it does me no good to know the wattage and amps of my washing machine if I don't know how much it gets used each month). Standing outside reading a meter won't do that - not unless I plan to write everything down continually. One of the things I'd like to know is, how much power is consumed by the powering up of my pump from the well. I need to see that WHEN it happens. Another is the overall power consumption over the course of a month of several small devices when on standby.

I've also thoroughly read what this device does and is capable of doing. For example, you can get an instantaneous reading of power consumption just in the few seconds a device powers up. The setup is non-invasive. You just rest a sensor on top of the meter. You don't tamper with the device anymore than simply resting it on top of the meter. If you can park your beer can on the top, you sure can put a sensor on it.

On the other hand, it appears to NOT work with any meter which relies on radio signals broadcast from the meter. That would be the kind I have. I think mine must be similar to the advanced meter which frankly would not provide any additional useful functionality to me as a consumer and would definitely not obsolesce the device I'm talking about.

 

[betty99]

I've done all that. I've had SMECO come out and I've had their audit. They gave me the same bulbs. And it's not hard to read a meter. What IS hard is checking devices in the house over any period of time and evaluating their individual impact on your overall bill. I really would not want to run in and out of the house with a pad of paper and a stop watch to gauge my power consumption.

What I need to know is just how much power is consumed when a device is at peak usage AND over a period of say, a month after regular, normal usage (for example, it does me no good to know the wattage and amps of my washing machine if I don't know how much it gets used each month). Standing outside reading a meter won't do that - not unless I plan to write everything down continually. One of the things I'd like to know is, how much power is consumed by the powering up of my pump from the well. I need to see that WHEN it happens. Another is the overall power consumption over the course of a month of several small devices when on standby.

I've also thoroughly read what this device does and is capable of doing. For example, you can get an instantaneous reading of power consumption just in the few seconds a device powers up. The setup is non-invasive. You just rest a sensor on top of the meter. You don't tamper with the device anymore than simply resting it on top of the meter. If you can park your beer can on the top, you sure can put a sensor on it.

On the other hand, it appears to NOT work with any meter which relies on radio signals broadcast from the meter. That would be the kind I have. I think mine must be similar to the advanced meter which frankly would not provide any additional useful functionality to me as a consumer and would definitely not obsolesce the device I'm talking about.

Ok. I must have misunderstood the original post.

 

[SG_Player1974]

Issue with SMECO

I am sure this is not new to ANYONE on this thread.... or this forum for that matter. SMECO definitely needs to do something about it's "estimating" of power usage. The current way of doing business as far as meter reading is NOT WORKING!!
I know numerous people who have been overcharged for power due to this estimation process. I have personally had SMECO send out a reader after a $250 increase in power consumption from one month to another only to find out that I actually owed $33 LESS!
It would not be a problem if the "overcharge" was refunded at the end of the year or quarterly however, this money is gone in their pockets.
Bottom line is that they need to read meters MONTHLY!
If someone comes to my home and reads my meter and says that my bill is gonna go up $250 then that is fine by me but, to just estimate based on usage from last year is insane!

 

[SamSpade]

I am sure this is not new to ANYONE on this thread.... or this forum for that matter. SMECO definitely needs to do something about it's "estimating" of power usage. The current way of doing business as far as meter reading is NOT WORKING!!
I know numerous people who have been overcharged for power due to this estimation process. I have personally had SMECO send out a reader after a $250 increase in power consumption from one month to another only to find out that I actually owed $33 LESS!
It would not be a problem if the "overcharge" was refunded at the end of the year or quarterly however, this money is gone in their pockets.
Bottom line is that they need to read meters MONTHLY!
If someone comes to my home and reads my meter and says that my bill is gonna go up $250 then that is fine by me but, to just estimate based on usage from last year is insane!

My only beef is, I can't for the life of me figure out where the electricity is going. I know that with a heat pump with electric emergency heat, I'm gonna get slammed in the cold months. But we still consume a LOT of electric in the fall and spring when the need for cooling or heating is near zero. SOMETHING is wasting power, and I'm weary of guessing. The house is usually underlit, a little cold and quiet (as nothing is running besides the major appliances). HOW that translates into obscene electric bills I can't guess.

 

[DAMNIFUDO_DONT]

I am sure this is not new to ANYONE on this thread.... or this forum for that matter. SMECO definitely needs to do something about it's "estimating" of power usage. The current way of doing business as far as meter reading is NOT WORKING!!
I know numerous people who have been overcharged for power due to this estimation process. I have personally had SMECO send out a reader after a $250 increase in power consumption from one month to another only to find out that I actually owed $33 LESS!
It would not be a problem if the "overcharge" was refunded at the end of the year or quarterly however, this money is gone in their pockets.
Bottom line is that they need to read meters MONTHLY!
If someone comes to my home and reads my meter and says that my bill is gonna go up $250 then that is fine by me but, to just estimate based on usage from last year is insane!

There are time when they can't read all the meters such as bad weather. :shrug: So then they estimate your meter based on your useage over the last year. As far as the money going into their pockets I do think you are wrong on that because on the next read your bill will work out because it will be less.

 

[jules12]

Hmmm...could someone please clarify what SMECO actually does when they 'estimate' your monthly usage. We also have electric heat, and in the winter months it has been insane the last few years, which we expect. This year we have a kerosene heater and have used it SO much. I was expecting our bill to be about the same as november, or december (whichever month the bill was for) and it was almost $200 more. Truthfully I dont pay attention to the bill that much so I was looking, and it said we used more electricity than last December. This made NO sense to me. So after reviewing the bill several times, we finally saw that it said 'estimated usage'. Assuming it was from the last snow storm (we have a nasty driveway) and they couldnt get to the house, I just let it go thinking they would make up for in in the next month. How does this work? Someone please help, I dont want to get ripped off for $200. Thanks!

 

[SamSpade]

Hmmm...could someone please clarify what SMECO actually does when they 'estimate' your monthly usage. We also have electric heat, and in the winter months it has been insane the last few years, which we expect. This year we have a kerosene heater and have used it SO much. I was expecting our bill to be about the same as november, or december (whichever month the bill was for) and it was almost $200 more. Truthfully I dont pay attention to the bill that much so I was looking, and it said we used more electricity than last December. This made NO sense to me. So after reviewing the bill several times, we finally saw that it said 'estimated usage'. Assuming it was from the last snow storm (we have a nasty driveway) and they couldnt get to the house, I just let it go thinking they would make up for in in the next month. How does this work? Someone please help, I dont want to get ripped off for $200. Thanks!

You'll probably be just fine - sooner or later they have to read the meter directly. If they overcharged you, the difference will be smaller in a month with a direct read.

 

[aps45819]

Black and Decker makes a nifty device which can track your electricity usage in real time. You can flip something on and read the cost to you immediately.

What's the point? Will you throw out you plasma TV and get a new LCD that uses less power?

 

[SamSpade]

What's the point? Will you throw out you plasma TV and get a new LCD that uses less power?

I'm guessing you're simply trying to be funny. I don't own anything like that. But if I learn that something is needlessly siphoning power and I don't really need it, I'll get rid of it. For example, we have a small fridge we keep to cool drinks for guests - if it costs less than 5 bucks a month to keep it on, we'll keep it. If it's more like 20 or 30, it's going off.

There's this thing they refer to as "vampire power" - the wasteful consumption of energy by things such as chargers for cordless devices, cell phones and so forth. Some of these things consume energy even when they're not in use, and use up electricity heating the ballast or transformer or whatever that rock is called. Other waste is in numerous devices that remain in "standby" mode, such as a TV, which may draw power all day so that you don't have to wait an extra 20 seconds for it to power on in the evening when you watch it.

Then there's trying to find which appliances actually do waste energy due to age or simply deterioration. Some appliances such as refrigerators don't typically consume a lot of power, since once they achieve their temperature - and if they're reasonably insulated - they don't need to continually run to keep the interior cool. But they can be wasteful if they've gotten old.

There are also old televisions and computers that just eat power - in their day, they were ok, but they've become obsolete. LCD monitors are cheaper to use than the old CRT monitors, which people usually leave on to drop into standby mode.

And there's some sense to seeing monitors run continously. If you could see the dollars and cents tallying up because you left two TV's running as you did chores about the house, or while running the dryer for a single article of clothing, you might take greater pains to turn them off. I just purchase two devices that will kill the standby mode for TVs - it beats having to hit the rocker switch on the power strip.

Since my bills have been high all the years I've lived here, and I've seriously made an effort to curtail electric usage, my suspicion is that it is not poor habits but rather inefficiency.

 

[aps45819]

I'm guessing you're simply trying to be funny.

Since my bills have been high all the years I've lived here, and I've seriously made an effort to curtail electric usage, my suspicion is that it is not poor habits but rather inefficiency.

No.

My point was you can get the info you need from the energy usage ratings and I don't see the need for a meter to tell me what's listed in the owners manual. Items like the TV should also list their stand-by power consumption.
I don't see the need for the meter.

... and how is it different than an amp meter?
Amps x Voltage (115) = power (watts)
Just clamp it around the power lead

 

[SamSpade]

No.

My point was you can get the info you need from the energy usage ratings and I don't see the need for a meter to tell me what's listed in the owners manual. Items like the TV should also list their stand-by power consumption.
I don't see the need for the meter.

... and how is it different than an amp meter?
Amps x Voltage (115) = power (watts)
Just clamp it around the power lead

I could do that. But it's based on a lot of assumptions. For instance, if I really wanted to check, I could meter it out and check it against the manual, because we both know that a ten year old device doesn't measure to specs. I'd also have to gauge how many minutes I use it, because obviously it doesn't cost anything if it's off. Usually.

It means checking every device one by one, including my shaver recharger. A whole house monitor serves as a useful reminder of energy usage. It's also helpful if you have family members who aren't particularly into moving meters around the house to check their energy usage (such as kids - or guests).

I could for example, make useful estimates of how much time I spend on each task during the day and keep running totals - or I could just wear a watch. Some things are just easier to use.

Think of it as a meter running *inside* with a dollars and cents tally instead of kw/hr. The only reason it's outside is so a guy can read it. It would be great to read it indoors. I've found it almost universally true that when people are continually reminded even though passive devices of how much something costs or how much time has transpired, it tends to improve their use. Consumer tests on similar devices such as this one show that people tend to curtail their electrical use as much as 10%, almost without effort.

 

[SG_Player1974]

You'll probably be just fine - sooner or later they have to read the meter directly. If they overcharged you, the difference will be smaller in a month with a direct read.

Its funny you say that because I have EVERY monthly SMECO bill from last year and EVERY one of them has "estimated usage" on it! So my question is this..... If they estimated my bill for the entire year, then where exactly did someone find a "mistake" and credit me?
In reality, there is no crediting. Once you get charged... you get charged. The only way to get this corrected is to call them and have a reader come out. Once the reader takes an ACCURATE reading of your meter, then you have to begin the fight with SMECO to get your bills adjusted. I know this from personal experience. And you can forget about previous months.

Bottom line is DO NOT TRUST ANYONE! If you suspect you were overcharged then call SMECO out. Have them come out to read your meter and watch over their shoulder like a hawk! Worse come to worse you will be out $25 for the fee of reading the meter. Still better then getting over-charged $150 to $200!

 

[kom526]

Its funny you say that because I have EVERY monthly SMECO bill from last year and EVERY one of them has "estimated usage" on it! So my question is this..... If they estimated my bill for the entire year, then where exactly did someone find a "mistake" and credit me?
In reality, there is no crediting. Once you get charged... you get charged. The only way to get this corrected is to call them and have a reader come out. Once the reader takes an ACCURATE reading of your meter, then you have to begin the fight with SMECO to get your bills adjusted. I know this from personal experience. And you can forget about previous months.

Bottom line is DO NOT TRUST ANYONE! If you suspect you were overcharged then call SMECO out. Have them come out to read your meter and watch over their shoulder like a hawk! Worse come to worse you will be out $25 for the fee of reading the meter. Still better then getting over-charged $150 to $200!

Send them a check for your "estimated use".

 

[SamSpade]

Its funny you say that because I have EVERY monthly SMECO bill from last year and EVERY one of them has "estimated usage" on it! So my question is this..... If they estimated my bill for the entire year, then where exactly did someone find a "mistake" and credit me?
In reality, there is no crediting. Once you get charged... you get charged. The only way to get this corrected is to call them and have a reader come out. Once the reader takes an ACCURATE reading of your meter, then you have to begin the fight with SMECO to get your bills adjusted. I know this from personal experience. And you can forget about previous months.

Bottom line is DO NOT TRUST ANYONE! If you suspect you were overcharged then call SMECO out. Have them come out to read your meter and watch over their shoulder like a hawk! Worse come to worse you will be out $25 for the fee of reading the meter. Still better then getting over-charged $150 to $200!

You know, I don't recall if I've seen that many "estimates" on my bill. I do know that in high use months where we've made serious efforts to use less than the previous year, it's shown up on the bill as reduced cost. Since they have to eventually come clean with the kilowatt totals, sooner or later an actual read is going to cost them if they're wrong. The meter reading is like an odometer - it's cumulative. If they overestimate continually, sooner or later they will have to PAY YOU.

 

[ICit]

You know, I don't recall if I've seen that many "estimates" on my bill. I do know that in high use months where we've made serious efforts to use less than the previous year, it's shown up on the bill as reduced cost. Since they have to eventually come clean with the kilowatt totals, sooner or later an actual read is going to cost them if they're wrong. The meter reading is like an odometer - it's cumulative. If they overestimate continually, sooner or later they will have to PAY YOU.

Or find out like the rest of us that he has really has an outrageous electric bill. and then he will have something to over.

 

[sparkyaclown]

I seriously doubt that even when the bill states that they read the meter that they actually have done it. I am forever getting bills from them where one month it seems ridiculously low only to get an obnoxious one the following month. My bill for January was almost triple what it was in December. Granted the December bill was shockingly low, as in I hadn't seen a bill that low since I lived in a house half the size of my current one. I truly wonder WTF they are basing their estimates on. It makes it impossible for one to actually budget an electric bill when such wide discrepancies occur month to month.