Unlike Europe our Smart meters will not be able to ‘shop around’ for alternative power suppliers. A most interesting difference here. Interestingly though the rush to jump in is vastly different. “Nearly half of European United countries have decided against a large scale rollout of smart meters, calculating that the new technology can be poor value for money.”
Germany bucks the EU push for Smart Meters. Too expensive, no payback in savings
As here however, EU households are being pressured into getting smart meters. No surprise.
Complaints have been made that meters are being exchanged without giving the consumer a chance to opt out. Same here. Unlike here the regulator bodies of the EU insure that the OPT out plans are FREE, not so onerous that people are blackmailed into signing up.
In most EU countries the utilities have been reminded by the regulatory boards that smart meters are NOT obligatory and those doing so are in in breach of Unfair Trading Regulations. Seems they also have the power to launch criminal prosecutions against those that do.
In most of Europe “Smart meters are not compulsory and customers shouldn’t feel pressured to have one installed if they don’t want one.” This of course is changing as the pressure by the companies like EON grow.
Quite often the change is made when the OLD analog meter fails and the company simply sneaks in the new replacement, often justifying that the old meter is no longer available. Not true – also utilities like the PUD often trash the old meters working or not. They are not stored for future re-installation should the NEW develop issues.
Even sneakier they will also post misleading or false messages such as ““Your meter is being phased out. Please go online or call us to book your appointment… We need to install smart meters in all homes as part of a nationwide upgrade program.” Be Green and do your part. 🙂
Without a doubt you will NOT be getting such a letter by the PUD, that smart meters are not compulsory or options how customers could freely opt out of having them installed.
The European and the PUD argument is that smart meters are more accurate and will help the consumer lower their energy consumption. This however is based on many questionable studies by the industry itself and nowhere are the true costs of towers, repeaters, shorter meter lives and or health issues raised. Much less the hack ability or privacy concerns that these meters create.
ALL PUD customers deserve to have the right to have, to opt for a classic analog meter should they prefer one. That is what a PUBLIC OWNED utility should be doing – to communicate and be responsive to the public !!!
Edit: Today our wave internet provider crashed once again. There is a lesson here:
The issue of government (and the PUD is one) snooping and gathering Intel about our daily lives is a given. Often with our own blessing. That is one thing, I have opted out of most of those tech devises but this one will be done without my permission and the punitive cost to opt out is blackmail pure and simple. 
True privacy sadly is a game that the citizen has lost when we signed over on the political follow up of 9/11. Homeland security, airport body scanning, border walls and even financial reports by banks regarding our transactions all are done as matter of fact.
As I pointed out to the PUD, they (and WE) would be better off if they spent the money on existing infrastructure, and address the local energy consumption by offering low income vouchers to low income rate payers. They further need to improve the voltage surge issue that is resetting our appliances all the time and giving us mini brown outs. Substation improvements and new power suppliers should also be addressed so that our growing community has the needed power in the future. Instead they spend the money on an 8 million dollar overbuilt high glass monument few residents could get a permit to build. 
s.
The smart meter is much like the probably outdated modem on your internet – it will become constipated as the available frequencies get saturated. Soon the smart meter 900 MHz area will be filled as well and no matter how many frequency channels you can jump there will always be future issues with RF transmissions.
Please join me and others at the upcoming PUD ‘Advanced Meter Workshop’ to discuss this issue as well as their OPT OUT charges. At the main Carlsborg Office at 1:30 p.m, or 5:30 this February 4. A Monday.
Or come to my place to sign a petition at 1080 W. Hendrickson Rd. Sequim.
My website: http://sweetgeodes.com/senft/are-smart-meters-smart-no/ has more information about what is happening and will have previous commentary
(This IS private) as I delete email addresses of all who post.
Please add your own thoughts and concerns. I will also be updating the different KINDS of smart meters soon.
Feeling a bit defeated today on this issue. One fellow beekeeper opted out and he had the technical electrical expertise to question things.
Another beekeeper and two other friends simply stated that they would be glad to not have a meter reader intrude on their property (once a month or less. Aside from not even intersecting with said meter readers unless you are home all the time – you are trading that for a 24/7 monitoring of your power usage and activities..
Mostly they feel it is a DONE DEAL – nothing to be done about it and will not even come to the meeting.
Is this really the feeling of the community?
BTW – one other OPT OUT issue and their charge. 35 PER meter, – NOT SITE reading! Seems paying another 35 dollars for a 200 walk from one meter to the other is the going PUD rate.
Often, when people say no to the utility employees who come to install the meters, they are told that the meters are MANDATORY. “There is no stopping them.”
According to the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, which is the bill that is behind the smart grid and smart meters plan and the question. are they mandatory?
Many people have questioned this and many municipalities and even counties such as Santa Cruz in CA have totally challenged the mega corporation PGE. They like our own Pt. Townsend and Port Angeles are without smart meters.
The AARP has also come out against the ‘mandatory’ switch over.
http://gophouse.org/glenn-smart-meter-bill-top-10-priority-aarp/
And once again, even the utilities that have installed them and put in an OPT OUT plan only charge 10 dollars, if that.
Mind you bills have been proposed and passed to instruct utilities to REMOVE un-desired smart meters and replace them with analog ones.
“House Bill 4220 would allow customers to keep their old analog meter and replace already-installed smart-meter technology with an analog meter.” I am sure many more like that will follow.
Even the Eagle Forum, a conservative organization that prides itself in fighting for property, and privacy rights is a supporter in this.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 made the smart meter issue VOLUNTARY as it is in Europe. Here is just one response and link to a fellow partisan.
https://rense.com/general95/smrt.htm
Most references that I have found may indeed “encourage electric utilities to use “time-based metering” and “time-of-use pricing.” The supposed goal of this is that if you know exactly how much it costs to operate each of your appliances at different times of the day, you will tend to run them when it is cheaper. That is a very debatable conclusion.
As I read these laws and regulations I do not find any MANDATE to install smart meters in homes. It only mandates the utilities to “offer” them and to install them “upon customer request.
IMO, smart meters should only be installed “upon customer request.” You are the customer and you do not request them. You refuse them.
Moreover – You POST A SIGN above the meter you have!!!!
Mine will be laminated so it is better protected against rain. It states: Dear PUD: We refuse to allow you to install a smart meter on our premises. We object to this because of privacy and health issues. Signatures ________________________________ the date ______ .
Also, the obscene 35.00 Opt out fee is based on each METER. I have two – it should be SITE charged, not per meter. I doubt that the 150 fifty foot walk between the two meters is worth another 35.00.