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| Community Conversation: The Truth About Smart Meters Thursday, September 22, 2011 7-9 pm Grace Point Church 1320 East Chicago Ave, Naperville | | Mass deployment of Smart Meters in Naperville is set to begin in November. Smart Meters have risks - Inform Yourself Every home, business, school, and church in Naperville will receive a smart meter, putting privacy, financials, security, property, and health at risk. Come to our presentation and Q&A session to be fully informed of the risks of smart meters and what you can do about it. Be smart, be informed, be moved to action. Click here to learn more about the results of our previous community conversation. |
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| Business Case: FAIL
| | Governor Quinn recently vetoed SB 1652 because it would be a nightmare for consumers. His comments, in addition to Lisa Madigan, CT Attorney General, George Jepsen, and Excelon CEO, John Rowe lend further credibility to the argument that the smart grid and in our case, smart meters, just don't make sense for consumers.
The NSGI business case did not score well among residents that have analyzed its financials. There is no shortage of powerful minds in our community and here is what they have to say: The $22M price tag for this project is inaccurate. The numbers just don't add up. What will it cost?
Our estimates show a total price tag well over the $22M.
Additional expenditures include:- $3.9M in interest over 18 years on the bonds sold to cover the initial outlay of cash.
- $7.6M in operational costs over the next 15 years.
Where is the money going?- $13.6M for the smart meters
- $3.1M in consulting fees to a vendor with no experience in smart grid/smart meter roll outs
- $1.3M in customer outreach and education to a PR firm aimed at quelling any dissent from the Naperville community.
What are the benefits?
One of the main benefits of smart meters to the utility is time of use pricing, however, Naperville has opted not to use this feature for the first 3 years.
The HAN (home area network) is another reported benefit to smart meters, providing users the ability to view usage data via a web portal. But that's not included in the price tag, customers who want that feature will have to buy the additional equipment themselves.
The investment in substation automation and distribution automation is good, but not connected to smart meters. Consumers can be in support of the smart grid upgrades and not be supportive of smart meters. The two are not one and the same.
Ratepayers will be paying for the smart meters over the next 18 years. Their useful lifespan is only 15 years.
Their warranty from the manufacture is for 5 years.
Benefits from the NSGI
(as arrived by West Monroe Partners - the $3.1M consulting firm): - $6.9M in operational benefits, but don't forget the additional operating expenses of $7.6M. A negative difference of $1M.
- $19.3M in conservation voltage reduction - a function of the grid, smart meters do not provide this benefit.
- $20M in time of use load shifting. Sounds great but do you really want to do your laundry at 10 pm?
- $16.4M in societal benefits. We are wondering who defines that? Besides, improved service reliability is as result of substation automation, again a benefit not provided by smart meters.
Improved meter reading accuracy is being touted as a benefit to smart meters. Current analog meters are already 99.95% accurate according to the city.
Electric Vehicles: What? Plugging your car into the grid has nothing to do with smart meters.
Service Control Switch (a.k.a. KILL SWITCH): That means the smart meter can turn your power off if you exceed the load limits set for you - automatically and without warning. That's right, AUTOMATICALLY, and the city requested this as an additional feature of the smart meters.
Smart meters do not add a single transformer, add capacity, provide redundancy, or prevent downed wires.
They do give the city unprecedented access to what goes on inside your home, 24/7; they do carry risks of radiation exposure; they are not secure; they do have the potential to raise your bills significantly,
and they sure cost alot.....
In the end, the planning has been poor and the financial justification is weak.
The business case fails according to our experts.
Be smart, be informed, be moved to action: Tell the city to stop the install of smart meters in Naperville. |
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| Sign the petition to stop smart meters in Naperville | Signing the petition provides a collective voice from residents and business owners to tell the city we do not want smart meters in Naperville. All residents are encouraged to sign, including multiple adults in the same household. - $22M project
- $11M bond + $3M interest expense paid by ratepayers = increased property taxes
- $1.35M paid to PR and management consultants to help quell the dissenters
- time of use pricing
- minute by minute surveillance of your electricity usage
- radiation exposure
- cyber security concerns
- Contractual obligations with the DOE = ratepayers to be guinea pigs for the DOE
- penalty charge to protect your safety
- no referendum
- KILL SWITCH
Do you still need a reason to oppose smart meters? The following steps are necessary to protect yourself:
Sign the petition - click here
Email Bernie Saban at the utility to opt-out - click here
Send a certified letter of No Consent - click here |
| | Naperville Smart Meter Awareness is a group of concerned citizens educating the public about the risks of wireless smart meters. We are comprised of lawyers, technology professionals, health advocates, accountants, business owners and parents in our community. Smart meters are to be installed in Naperville starting this summer and pose risks in the areas of privacy, costs, security, and health. Our mission is to educate the residents of Naperville by bringing all pertinent information to the public and in doing so, advocate for a smarter solution in Naperville. |
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