John Valdez installs Westar Energy's new SmartStar meters Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011, at the Graystone Apartments in Lawrence. by Mike Yoder
In two weeks, Westar Energy plans to begin its mass installation of smart meters throughout Lawrence.
Westar has set Oct. 17 as the day that meter installation will begin, Westar’s SmartStar director Hal Jensen said.
The installations are expected to start in the southwest corner of the city. By the end of the year, Westar hopes to be predominantly finished with all of the 44,000 meter exchanges.
Part of the $39 million smart meter project includes upgrading computer and software technology used to operate Westar’s customer base. Integrating smart meter data to flow between the company’s departments, such as customer service and billing, has taken longer than expected.
Those delays have pushed installation of the meters back by almost six months. However, Jensen stressed that the difficulties haven’t been with the meters themselves or communication between the meters and Westar’s main technology hub.
“That is proven and tested technology,” Jensen said.
In January, [Westar installed several hundred smart meters][1] in a pilot project in the Deerfield neighborhood. So far, about 25 percent of the customers in the pilot neighborhood actively access the online information, and a few of those customers have signed up for other online information, such as budget alerts and weekly and monthly summaries of energy use.
Before the next round of meters goes in, installers will knock on customers’ doors to inform them of the switch. Those customers’ power will be off for one or two minutes.
When the installation is finished, a packet will be left on the customers’ front doors explaining how to access data online. If Westar is unable to exchange the meter, workers will leave a note on the door asking for the resident to call the company and set up a time for the exchange.
A day after the new meters are installed, customers should be able to access online information. With the smart meters, customers will be able to go online and track their energy usage by the hour.
The idea is that the information can help customers make better decisions on energy consumption. One day, the meter could provide the data needed to establish a new pricing structure in which energy is most expensive when demand is at its highest.
More information about smart meters and Westar’s installation plans can be found online at WestarEnergy.com/SmartStar.
[1]: http://Westar installed several hundred smart meters
Tagged: Westar, smart meters
Comments
chzypoof1 1 year, 7 months ago
"One day, the meter could provide the data needed to establish a new pricing structure in which energy is most expensive when demand is at its highest"
ONE DAY??? That's what this whole process is for. They are going to start to control our habits by over pricing the power. This is not about "saving the environment", it's about control. It's ridiculous that this is a mandate in the first place.
Sad....
poof
gudpoynt 1 year, 7 months ago
bwahahaha!! be afraid... be veeeery afraid of the insidious energy-usage-control conspiracy to which we will all be subject upon the completion of this so-called "smart meter" rollout.
kansanjayhawk 1 year, 7 months ago
The question for Westar is this: is this program part of the reason you are asking for your 5th rate increase (in the amount of 5.8%) in less than 5 years? We need energy conservation but it should be coupled with a true respect for the electric consumer who is consistently asked to pony up and pay the bill!
vocal 1 year, 7 months ago
Why weren't we given a choice? If Westar is a private company functioning as a PUBLIC provider--there should be some recourse for the public...maybe we should have asked for other companies to come in and offer competitive pricing and services...isn't that what the free market is all about? I mean if these guys are the only game in town and all their crownies are on the board that regulates what they do, how do the average consumers have an opportunity to object to processes like this? Its none of your business when and how much I use energy, especially when the only reason you are installing these is to charge us more when we need the energy most! What a racket!
LogicMan 1 year, 7 months ago
"there should be some recourse for the public"
Visit the Kansas Corporation Commission's website.
dontsheep 1 year, 7 months ago
After 10 months of use in the Deerfield area, what's the conclusion from a "savings" standpoint? Remember, that's what we've been told...these are great because you will save $$$.
Chzy's point is right on. Proof of which is that only 25% of people with them already installed actually check usage and only a few have signed up for additional online information.
If you believe we are killing the planet through our wasteful behavior, then you have to get people to change their behavior. The only way you can get people to change behavior is by causing pain. Education and more information won't do it. If it did, then we'd see more than 25% of people checking their electric behavior online and Westar saying "look how much energy Deerfield saved the last 10 months." The only way you cause enough pain that people lower usage is by raising the cost. Smart meters offer the perfect solution.
LogicMan 1 year, 7 months ago
"I love Big Brother."
nut_case 1 year, 7 months ago
Yay - we can now be tracked on everything we do inside our own homes. Info on everything from when we wake up, make a piece (or three) of toast, take a shower, run the vacuum, laundry, cleaning, TV watching, and going to bed can now be sold to the highest bidder.
Smart meters can even tell which TV programs / movies you watch because every show has a fairly unique pattern of light/dark scenes and TV's draw a bit more or less power depending on which is showing.
http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Smart-meters-reveal-TV-viewing-habits-1346385.html
RobertWilliams 1 year, 7 months ago
SMART METER PRIVACY VIOLATIONS. 1. Must-See 4-minute youtube video on Smart meters http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...
SMART METER HEALTH PROBLEMS AND CANCER.
The WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION May 31 2011 placed the Non-ionizing radiation coming from Wireless smart meters (and some other wireless devices) on the Class 2-B Carcinogen List. http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf
The NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH Feb 2011 found biological changes in the brain after only minutes of exposure to non-ionizing radiation. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/8/808.abstract
LABORATORY SCIENTISTS have observed (1)Human Cell Damage (2)DNA Chain Breaks (3)Breaches in the Blood-Brain Barrier from levels of non-ionizing radiation lower than emitted by WIRELESS Smart meters. http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/cc-video/
INSURANCE COMPANIES Hired Independent Laboratory Scientists. These scientists also observed Cell Damage & DNA Chain Breaks. Now the Insurance Companies will NOT Insure Liability damage from Wireless Smart meters & other wireless devices. TV Video (3 minutes) http://eon3emfblog.net/?p=382
Cell Phone use & other devices are Voluntary and can be shut off at the user’s discretion, but Smart meters mounted on homes are emitting radiation 24/7 and can not be shut off.
WIRELESS SMART METERS – 100 TIMES MORE RADIATION THAN CELL PHONES. Video Interview: Nuclear Scientist, Daniel Hirsch, (5 minutes) http://stopsmartmeters.org/2011/04/20/daniel-hirsch-on-ccsts-fuzzy-math/
WIRELESS SMART METERS – CANCER, NERVOUS SYSTEM DAMAGE, ADVERSE REPRODUCTION AFFECTS.
Video Interview: Dr. Carpenter, New York Public Health Department, Dean of Public Health, (2 minutes)
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?p=3946
Youtube Video (6 minutes, 1st minute is sufficient)
Stratford smart meter 1 by martinwea
NOTE: many of the tests on non-ionizing radiation (the type of radiation emitted by smart meters) have been done using instruments other than smart meters because smart meters have only been in people’s homes for a very short time.
But as a Wireless smart meter emits 100 times more radiation than a cell phone, it is not difficult to project. If a machine gun (smart meter) fires 100 bullets in the same time that a pistol (cell phone) fires one bullet, it is not difficult to project the harm that the machine gun can inflict, even if the tests were done with the pistol.
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