Appreciation post: The neighbor kid who changed my mind about smart meters

I was dead set against smart meters for like two years. Thought they were just a way for the power company to spy on us. Then my neighbor's kid, who's like 12, showed me his dad's usage data on his phone from last Tuesday. He pointed out how a $0.50 surge at 3pm matched the AC turning on and that saving 15% meant $22 a month off their bill. That specific example made me realize it's just data, not spying. Has anyone else had their opinion flipped by a simple demonstration like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_drew1mo ago

Totally agree with you... I had the same kinda moment with my nephew showing me the time shift on their dishwasher load. It's wild how one real example just clicks everything into place.

casey3931mo ago

Just read that some utilities have been caught sharing that data with marketing companies, so the spying concerns aren't totally off base even if the meter itself is just measuring usage.