The Victorian smart-meter fiasco
Although the author of the below article does not mention many of the negative aspects of smart meters (he should see Take Back Your Power) he does point out significant policy errors (what he calls a fiasco) with the mandatory roll-out of smart meters in Victoria. Worth a read!
Don
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From the Conversation:
Smart meters, dumb policy: the Victorian experience
September 17, 2015 10.13am AEST
Excerpt
Smart electricity meters are a great idea. They offer opportunities for consumers and electricity retailers to develop innovative programs to save both power and money. Tied into smart appliances and the internet, smart meters are the way of the future.
Except in Victoria.
Unfortunately, in 2006 the Victorian government decided that it would mandate the roll out of smart meters. It would force every Victorian household to have, and pay for, a smart meter, whether it wanted it or not. It decided that we would all have the same type of meter, whether it suited our needs or not. It was a piece of central planning that would have made the old Soviet Union (or modern North Korea) proud.
The Victorian Auditor-General has just released a report that shows the flaws of this centralised roll out. Add a bit of economics, and it is easy to see why this policy is a disaster for Victorian consumers.
SNIP