The smartmeters are also a profit center: remotely shut off the power if yo= u are late on your bill, then when you pay the bill plus $160 service charg= e they instantly turn it back on. Bob ________________________________________ From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu on behalf of Chris = Smolinski Sent: Tuesday, August 1, 2017 6:49 AM To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. Subject: Re: [OT]:: Detailed and expanding commentary on the ability to bui= ld an 'energy grid' with an extremely high renewables content FWIW, we've had smart meters here (I'm in Maryland in the USA) for several = years now, and no real issues. Billing is accurate, and you can log onto th= e utility website to view your past usage, down to hourly resolution. They = also use it to help immediately identity power outages and their coverage (= without waiting for people to call in to complain their power is out), and = identify the probable location of the fault. --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .