How to Monitor a "Smart Meter"?

[TomW]

Like most folks our utility "Co-op" recently installed smart meters. We used to read our own and send it in the mail and they audited the total occasionally.

A big part of the hype surrounding this upgrade was being able to monitor your own use but it must have just been the snake oil side of the pitch as they have not produced the goods on this bit.

I know I can go out there and look at it but being high tech I wonder if it is feasible or even possible to read it electronically? Seems they do it wireless so perhaps there is an interface or other option to read it myself?

Just on my "wish I could do it" list.

Thanks.

Tom

[Westbranch]

Tom, there might be something here for you to digest..

http://www.ti.com/solution/docs/appsolution.tsp?appId=407

[TomW]

Tom, there might be something here for you to digest..

http://www.ti.com/solution/docs/appsolution.tsp?appId=407

That should keep me reading awhile.

Thanks.

Tom

[zoneblue]

Or from our local dude:

https://nicegear.co.nz/blog/electricity-meter-usage-over-mqtt/

Some sticky tape, a photo sensor and a microcnotroller.

[toothy]

Hello Tom

Call me cynical, but why read their data?  I don’t have one of those meter things anymore, but if I were in your position and was concerned, I would monitor independently and compare the results.

My buddy is always trying to get me to get a monitor that records circuit by circuit, I don’t remember the name but he sells them so I can find out if you want. I’ve seen the data from the one in his house and it’s seems pretty detailed.

A few days ago I had a load anomaly or some such, could have been beer induced, and it made me think data would have been nice to have in the AM, it would have been great to know if I was crazy or not! Or at least crazier than normal.

Wade

[zoneblue]

Yeah toohy has a point. Get a couple of inductive type clamp on ac current sensors and feed that into something with ADC, arduino, cai webcontrol, labjack, type of thing. The ac sensors put out decent voltage , say 2v so you shouldnt need to amplify it first. Talk to ross, he sort you out with a webcontrol. The kind of sensor you need is something like this:

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11005

[TomW]

Lots of good ideas in here. But not quite what I was hoping for.

Thanks everyone.

Tom

[Photowhit]

I'm sure being mostly off grid for the last 13 years, I've not kept up with things, but I thought the utilities usually allowed you to see the info online? ...or maybe I've found some really good crack...

[TomW]

I'm sure being mostly off grid for the last 13 years, I've not kept up with things, but I thought the utilities usually allowed you to see the info online? ...or maybe I've found some really good crack...

As I mentioned, they used that in the carrot and stick routine to ease it past the customers but it never materialized.

They claim to be a "co-op" but they are just a pimp for Touchstone Energy now.

After going a bit further on looking it appears it would be some violation of some part of my "agreement" to access it directly. Funny, I don't recall signing any agreement at the time? Probably like my credit card, they change it at will and you consented because you used it?

Tom

[GHOSTNH]

these so called smart meters are now being used in the court system to prosecute  people because they have data that shows when u got up showered turned on the tv cooked a meal etc  ...  they say you can OPTout of them .. In my case I would rather just get rid of the SNOOPS all together 

[TomW]

these so called smart meters are now being used in the court system to prosecute  people because they have data that shows when u got up showered turned on the tv cooked a meal etc  ...  they say you can OPTout of them .. In my case I would rather just get rid of the SNOOPS all together

I would really just prefer to get off their grid completely, put on my tinfoil hat and move further back in my cave....