Why Your Electricity Meter Sucks | EcoGeek | Power, Electricity, Plants, Peak, Use:
My electricity meter is about fifty years old, and it’s likely that yours is too. Even if it’s new, it probably uses the same ancient technology as mine. Those meters were created for a world with cheap, abundant power. Well, the world has changed…so why hasn’t my electricity meter?
It turns out, that if all United States power companies were to upgrade to new electricity meters today, America would save roughly $35 billion in energy costs over twenty years and it would eliminate the need for around 625 power plants. How could something as simple as an electricity meter suck so bad?
The most significant (though not only) problem with old electricity meters is that they charge you the same amount no matter what time of day it is. Electric utilities must keep