Where Have All the Analogs Gone?

The analog electrical meter: the long-lived workhorse of the residential customer’s electrical system—safe, generally reliable, simple, mechanical. It is something many of us never gave much thought to, until something happened along to replace it, that was everything the analog was not…

The “smart” meter has shown itself to be dangerous, unhealthy, unreliable, complex beyond usefulness, and vulnerably electronic, rather than mechanical. Also, its life span is only half that of an analog meter. We never knew what we had till it was (mostly) gone.

Many of us want them back, or are holding onto the one we have for dear life. For those fighting to get an analog restored to their homes, one of the stock answers that PG&E gives when groups or individuals is: “We have no analog meters.” Or, “No one makes analog meters anymore.”

So, after installing millions of “smart” meters, replacing analog meters both old and new, one has to ask PG&E: Where did all those analog meters GO?

Many of those meters had not reached anything like their life term, which is an average of forty (40) years. For people sick from “smart” meters, relief in the form of a slightly-used analog would be immensely welcome. One man, Mr Chandu Vyas, recently asked the CPUC for just that—and he was granted it by President Peevey.

However, when PG&E technicians came to his house later that week, they installed NOT an analog, as ordered, but a non-transmitting digital meter. We hear that Mr Vyas has not recovered his health yet, and we wonder why the simplest solution, the one that would have been complying with CPUC orders, was not followed: install an analog meter, even one slightly used and refurbished.

And refurbished is indeed what is done with these meters. As we heard from Monise Sheehan, during her recent trials trying to get PG&E to honor her request for an analog, the PG&E executive Sidney Bob Dietz told Monise that there is a refurbishing facility in Fremont CA. We have no doubt that there are many, many analog meters there, all recently pulled from houses by “smart” meter installers.

Yesterday David Wilner, a EMF consultant and one of the parties fighting the unconscionable terms of the PG&E op-out proposal, filed this document (pdf) “Emergency Motion to Require PG&E to Retain Analog Meters”[Click: MotiontoRetainAnalogMeters] with the California Public Utilities Commission. He is asking them to make provision for those who want and need analog meters to preserve their health and well being, before, one supposes, PG&E disposes of them. This is sensible and far-seeing. Because although we don’t believe that right now they really have “no analogs,” they may be working quickly to make that a reality. They must not be allowed to do so.

In addition, Mr Wilner filed these statements to support his motion, including just how possible it is to obtain analog meters:

I, David L. Wilner, declare as follows:

1. I am familiar with the record in this proceeding, and am prepared to competently testify as to the matters set forth in this motion if requested to do so.

2. I have been informed by Hialeah Meter Company in Florida that it reconditions  and calibrates electromechanical electrical meters (analog meters) to conform with ANSI standards.

3. This firm can supply 100,000 or more reconditioned analog meters at competitive rates over a reasonable period of time.

4. I have also been advised that this firm, and others that are qualified, can recondition analog meters taken out of service by electric utilities on an ongoing basis. As such, there would be an ample supply of analog meters in the future.

5. PG&E has advised me that it has approximately 552,600 analog meters in service, and no longer has the capability to recondition and recalibrate analog meters as it has done in the past.

6. PG&E has also advised me that a General Electric licensee located in Taiwan may be manufacturing analog meters as well.

7. PG&E has also stated that there is another domestic company (Vision Metering) in South Carolina that also refurbishes analog meters.

8. The information stated about PG&E’s failure to provide an analog meter to Mr. Vyas, and the fact that the digital meter that PG&E installed instead did not solve his problem is accurate.

DeclarationofDavidLWilner

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17 Responses to Where Have All the Analogs Gone?

  1. Redi Kilowatt says:

    Once again, PG&E is a lying sack of dung.
    Of course there are analog meters still in use, but what did they do with the ones that they changed out ? Did they put them on a ship to Taiwan to be recycled ? There are not many precious metals in those old electro-mechanical meters, so maybe they can resell them to another country.
    The corporate global order is to automate and cut jobs for the big corporations.
    In some industries, this can be a good thing only that it can eliminate dangerous, hard , repetitious and health damaging work for humans to do. But there is a huge cost to pay for the lost jobs, and the initial investment for the automated equipment.
    The electrical power industry is exactly the same as the oil and gas industries. They want to automate whenever they can, and maximize profits.
    The electrical power and oil industries are not interested in investing in any technology that would reduce the requirement of their products by the consumers. In fact, they spend billions of dollars per year of their customers money fighting any technology that would be more efficient.
    It is all about being market driven to sell their products. Take the auto industry, they have figured out that by spending money on R&D, they have been able to vastly improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine. They now build 2000cc engines that put out 280 horsepower. That was unheard of even 10 years ago. Why did they do this ? Because they want to sell more of their products (autos), not because the oil industry wants it.
    As for appliances, especially air conditioning and refrigeration systems, they do the opposite. They know that people will still buy their essential products and not question the efficiency. They get federal stimulus money (taxpayers) to install monitoring chips to let the customers know how much energy the device uses, but not to improve efficiency at all.
    The truth is, appliances could be made to be much more efficient, but the corporations have ordered that no money be spent on R&D, because that would hurt the electric corporations profits. They figure that they have no competition to increase efficiency, and would not want to step on the power corporation’s toes.
    If technology is the way of the future, we all must fight hard to make it useful in reducing energy and fuel use, not wasting money on monitoring chips that consume more energy and are basically useless in reducing anything at all.

  2. After testing a digital (non-transmitting) meter for 5 months, we asked for our analog back. We got a brand new analog meter with 0 KWH on it. They do exist.

    • Redi Kilowatt says:

      Yea !
      Just curious, why did you get an analog meter put back ?
      Did the new digital meter have inherent flaws that could not be corrected ?
      Or was it causing power quality and condition problems interfering with your personally owned equipment ?
      Perhaps all the new meters are flawed, and we know that the whole program was a fraud. The very worst thing about the program is that they claim that by automating the meter reading, that they are doing their part to use energy more efficiently, save energy, reduce global warming and are helping save the planet. All 100 percent completely false advertising.

    • Russia has never abandoned it’s non-electronic analog mechanically-based engineering technologies especially for military use and for key critical industries and public utilities that are deliberately engineered to be ultra-simplified and mechanically automated and using mechanical and electro-mechanical automation and electro-mechanical servo-mechanical technology based-instruments and instruments and devices and gadgetry of all kinds and types. We use precision machine tool engineering of our aerospace industries that are all manually and mechanically controlled using mechanical precision engineered jigs and fixtures and dies and tool holders and tool bit cutters and aligners and positioners, and precision engineered mechanical measuring instruments and rulers and calibrators and slide rules and abacus (computers only last for a few years but an abacus and slide rule can last for centuries)

  3. I actually haven’t seen much difference in power quality between the old analog, the non-smart digital, and the new analog meter. Our utility (Central Vermont Public Service) has set a $10/month opt-out charge, so for that kind of money, I thought we should probably have the safest meter possible.

  4. Linda says:

    Can someone tell me what a smart meter is so I can find out if I have one please?

    • admin says:

      @ Linda, and all—to see what the difference between analog and ‘smart’ meter, please click “Frequently Asked Questions” at the top, then click”The Basics.”

    • Josette Vettel says:

      Linda

      go to “dark side of Smart Meter on utube and see just what smart meters are and how dangrous they are
      also
      cancer survivors fight smart meters
      also
      Federal department and smart meters
      that should let you have a closer view of the killer monster looks like
      I had thirty seven treatments of radiaton two year back
      they placed a smart meter on the outside of my bedroom wall
      I ended up with radiation burns on parts of my body

      the radiation that leaks from the meter connected with my radiation that fills my body

      there you go get back to me and let me know what your comments are
      jvettel

    • Smart meters can be tampered to cheat you but analog meters only measure the amount of electricity and water and gas you have used and are manually check by visual inspection by the technicians the reads the mechanical read outs of the amount of electricity and water and gas you have used and the starting date and ending date of said amount used, and writes it on his billing chart using a pen and paper. Smart meters gives no proof of paper trail and you can be cheated easily.

  5. Janet Ash says:

    The “communication manager” of our so-called electrical co-op here in Hawaii told me that analog meters are able to send signals to report electrical usage. Is this possible through an RF attachment? He told me all electrical meters require electrical input to function. Please comment on this statement.

    Is it possible that some smart meters are disguised as analog meters to quiet complaints about smart meter installations?

    How do the traditional analog meters without any RF attachments operate without any electrical input?

    Do digital meters such as the Itron emit harmful RF radiation in the home? I have just come up with an irregular heartbeat and wonder if my Itron is responsible. Please comment on this possibility. I would like to have my Itron changed over to a traditional analog meter if there is any evidence elsewhere of this problem.

    Many thanks, Janet

    • If it’s a true electromechanical only analog then it is unable to “send signals” That is why they have meter readers. All electrical meters function using the electricity from the grid- it’s the ones with ELECTRONICS you have to be wary of- they have a switch mode power supply and can introduce dirty electricity onto the wiring. The presence of electronics allows for different transmission and digital recording (and spying) as well as a range of RF broadcasting equipment. So if you don’t have any electronics, and it is a pure electromechanical meter (electricity directly moving the mechanical parts) then you are safe. Electronics in any meter should be suspect at this point.

    • Yes the Itron device may be responsible for your heart symptoms. Demand an analog meter, have it independently verified, and don’t take no for an answer from these suckers.

  6. Janet Ash says:

    I currently have an electric Itron digital meter . I suddenly find myself with an irregular heart beat although I have a history of excellent heart health. Do you have any information on this possible type of reaction to a digital meter?

    Are certain smart meters disguised as analog meters to try to quiet smart meter opponents?

    Are there any mechanical electric meters which operate on electrical input and if so, do such meters emit RF radiation?

    Thanks for your information.

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