We've had our smart meter for a few months now, and I don't know why people complain. Especially in the case of these two idiots who have an alternative, if they're willing to pay for it.
Once the new meters are fully installed (let's say >90% to give it a number) across the utility's service area, they will then be in a position to begin time-based rates, just as it was in the beginning of power generation and distribution in the early 1900s, but now for different reason. Then it was because of limited generating capacity, now it will be because of limited demand.
With the huge build-out of solar and other technologies underway that are not part of a utility's generation capacity, namely businesses and HOs who install their own solar or wind power generation sources, it becomes more expensive for them (the utility) to operate their base load generating stations and peaking stations are called on less and less, meaning when they do run their maintenance costs are distributed over a shorter run time which brings the operating cost up per KW.
During the day, when it is sunny and there is a nice breeze, all those alternate power sources are cranking out KW and supplying power to the owner and then any excess is FORCED on to the grid (by law) and the utilities must accept it. Since electricity cannot be stored the power generated at any moment in time must be adjusted to meet demand. This means the utilities will take generating stations off line of throttle back those that they can control output on (which are few) to meet demand. Its not easy (economically feasible I should say I guess) to control output on most large generating stations because you end up using almost as much fuel as you do when running at 100% output. Back in the days when gas turbine peaking units were plentiful they were switched on/off as need take to take up the slack or power was purchased through pre-arranged agreements between neighboring utilities. Large generating stations need to have maximum up time to be efficient and hold prices down. When demand is less than your base generating capacity; base meaning here your minimum demand needed 24/7 from across your service area; some units must be shut down. The cost of maintaining these units goes up plus many of these units cannot be switched on/off at a moments notice. A nuclear plant for instance can't sit idle all day then be 'turned on' so to speak when the sun goes down. They are not designed to work that way and it takes too long to go through the startup process to be efficient. Plus the strain put on various equipment caused by repeated heating up and cooling down will result in increased maintenance again driving operating costs upward.
So I am saying all this to tell you that once the utilities have the capability of metering your consumption in real time, they will be in a position to begin billing at different rates. So just as in some areas of the country you have summer and winter rates, you will also have a day and a night rate. You will learn to adjust you power use to when it is least expensive, or pay for the privilege of doing your laundry or cooking whenever you want. Some uses such as A/C or heat or well pump use will be trapped in whatever rate applies when that equipment is needed, and you will pay whatever the rate is at that time of day. Now when they get down to installing modules on each piece of equipment they will be able to exclude such uses as heating or other essential use from being charged the higher rate or they will institute a rate structure composed of KW used times the type of use adjustment factor with recreational uses costing more.
To make ends meet people will be forced into installing their own solar or wind sources and you will see use of onsite storage battery banks with inverters increase as the next big thing in the alternative energy market.
Actually that is the next big thing in the power business. Whoever develops a method to safely store and retrieve gigawatts of power, even if only for a short period like 48 hours, will rule the world.
