Much ‘smarter’ about smart meters

I thought I was pretty smart on smart meters and the electric system, but now I am a whole lot “smarter.” On March 7, I attended the forth installment of public open houses for the Naperville Smart Grid Initiative, hosted by volunteer citizen ambassadors for the program.

Some things I learned included: 1) We moved here a year ago, and I didn’t know that the electric company is community-owned, not a private profit-making corporation. So, anything they do to save money results in lower (or less-costly) electric rates to us.

2) The smart meter that is about to be installed at our house is not “hazardous” as some have made these devices out to be. The wireless transmissions from the meter outside my house to the nearby pole-mounted router are far less than my microwave oven and Internet router. The readings from the meter are highly encrypted data, far safer than my own emails and online banking information. I’d much rather have my meter read electronically than by hand; nobody trampling through my yard, misreading the meter, etc.

3) The data, after it has been read at my house, is now safer in the city computers; the billing computer is really no different from the current paper-based system. However, Naperville’s data center is now under far more security measures than ever before, so I trust they will store my readings safely.

4) The smart grid system will now allow me to choose when to run major appliances, so we can optimize lowest electric rates. It’s a win-win for consumers as well as our citizen-owned utility company.

If you don’t see the benefits of this consumer-saving program, don’t protest, simply opt-out and be ready to pay $25 per month to have your meter read manually. The welcoming green sticker is on our door.

Doug and Gayle Hitchcock

Naperville