Australian Government Proposes Compulsory Smart Meter Roll Out

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that  the Australian government is considering mandatory installation of “smart meters” in some Australian businesses,  so that electricity companies can remotely turn off “non essential” electrical devices such as deep freezers (fancy a freezer full of rotten food, anyone?) or “air conditioners”  (never mind that some people may swelter to death in the heat of an Australian summer because their electricity company considers  air conditioning to be  some of frivolous luxury!)

Medium sized businesses will be able to “op out” of the programme, while households will be given the chance to “opt in”.  The article states “The ‘opt in’ recommendation could avoid big price rises for households that do not change their usage.”

The proposed roll out, the Sydney Morning Herald reports, will be accompanied “by intensive public education” (presumably  propaganda to try to blindside the public into believing that “smart meters” are safe and essential) as well as “special protections for low-income households.”

There are interesting comments on this issue at this link:
Photos of Electricity Meters

Photos of Electricity Meters

This page features photos of different types of meters. The analogue electro-mechanical meters are easy to recognise as you can see a spinning metal disc inside.

 

There appear to be a number of different types of “smart” or “advanced” meters in use in NZ.  Please note that serial numbers, barcodes etc have been blurred so as to protect the privacy of the people who supplied the images.

 

The image above is a “smart meter” in an NZ home.

The image above is a “smart meter” in an office.

The image above shows a “smart meter” in an industrial building.

 

There are also new electronic meters that are not “smart meters”.  An example is given below:

 

Above:  A new electronic meter which is NOT  a “smart meter”.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who supplied the photos!