Theoretically, the smart electric meters found on Austin homes should aid in energy efficiency and conservation. The meters report your energy use wirelessly to the city, allow power companies to automatically ratchet back electricity when peak usage threatens blackouts, and offer configuration of air-conditioning and heating use based on the time of day.
But some 200 Texans showed up at a Public Utility Commission hearing on Tuesday (8/21) to object to their installation by state power companies in what is now 5.8 million Texas residences, including those serviced by Austin Energy, The Texas Tribune reports.
Objections include the fee that the companies are allowed to charge ratepayers for the installation, concerns about potential health hazards of the signals they send, and that they can be used to spy on us in our homes.
Perhaps the installers should provide hazmat suits and tin-foil hats with the new meters. They do reduce the labor costs of meter readers going yard to yard yet also cause a loss of jobs. Feisty dogs all over town are said to also be opposed to the reduction in their fun.