Smart Meter info.

[BCrocker]

I am located in BC (interior) and so far have not seen anyone around here getting them installed.
Will update when they come by.

Prince George has recently been getting them, same with Delta near Vancouver. They haven't released a schedule yet, although I have been told they will start with Vernon.

I haven't changed anything I've been doing. I had a power bill that was almost 500$ last month. I just pay my bill ontime



mal

I think you are ok for a while, until everyone gets them.

 

[ttystikk]

I'm in Colorado, and they already installed my smart meter early last summer when my AC and hot tub and such were all rockin' the juice. Nobody asked any questions, and no one has had my place under surveillance. Then again, I do have this lil thing called a red card- which basically means that they don't have the right to assume I'm doing anything more than it says I can- and I can use a lot of power to grow 12 plants if I want! I mean, trees, bro! So much for probable cause- and if they don't have that, then they're dead in the water.

 

[TylerDurden119]

the way they work is a program flags any abnormal spikes or whatever they have set up for parameters for it to look for. It then sends the flags the property for human examination. This is where its foggy n im not too sure, but i think the police get some sort of outside evidence suggesting a grow they go to hydro to investigate if you have a flagged property they may obtain a warrant based on that info.

 

[claudacio]

The only thing I have going for me is the e-bill for my garden is pulled off of a commercial meter (also a smart meter) but I've been growing with the same equipment for months before the meter was put in, thats not to say they cant see the 12 and 18 hour time frames, thats what worries me more than anything.

I had no idea I had a smart meter until I read this thread 2 days ago, I was intending to run 3 1k lights for my current grow but I have since reneged and decided to keep only 1 1k going for now and switch to 6's or LED's before adding another light which sucks seeing I purchased 2 brand new 1k ballasts, XXXL hoods and a plethora of extra HPS and MH bulbs (Anyone looking for a deal on 2 sun systems 1k switchable mag ballasts? $275 +ship, boxes never opened). Also I am thinking about switching over to the lantern method where in veg you run lights on for 12 hours, go lights off for 5.5 and then on for 1 hour and off for the remainder. Its little more in depth than that but basically my girls can stay in veg with 12.5-13 hours of light a day but I'm not to keen on just throwing them into that after being on a 20/4 sch since germination.

I have one of those meters that tells you how much your appliances pull when they are running, I'm going to go around to all my gear and add it all up and see what the actual damage a day is, this is on top of the commercial ice machines, washers and dryers, giant restaurant exhaust fans, and an obscene amount of outdoor lights that are running constantly, hopefully my little mini op can stay hidden in the midst of it all. I am almost certain the meter that my op is on is a commercial meter (I live in a kind of industrial area), however that doesnt help with the 12/18/20 hour power consumption cycles my room has been on though.

Truthfully, after having a smart meter for the past year or so (un knowing), I'm more scared of the cable company/google and my internet postings. Since I started growing I've always kept grow journals....those stopped at the beginning of this current grow, if I have questions to ask I try to post as few pics as possible as well as deleted any kind of photobucket pics. Not that it matters as they could easily track us down via IP but less exposure is better I'm learning, hopefully not the hard way.

Over the next couple days I plan on doing what I mentioned about that meter and seeing what I use, I'll post my usage when I get all the info together.

 

[BCrocker]

I'm in Colorado, and they already installed my smart meter early last summer when my AC and hot tub and such were all rockin' the juice. Nobody asked any questions, and no one has had my place under surveillance. Then again, I do have this lil thing called a red card- which basically means that they don't have the right to assume I'm doing anything more than it says I can- and I can use a lot of power to grow 12 plants if I want! I mean, trees, bro! So much for probable cause- and if they don't have that, then they're dead in the water.

Ya there has been some people here in BC that have cards, license to grow, and still get kicked in by the RCMP. Huge power consumtions, and the cops always think they are growing more than they are allowed to.

The only thing I have going for me is the e-bill for my garden is pulled off of a commercial meter (also a smart meter) but I've been growing with the same equipment for months before the meter was put in, thats not to say they cant see the 12 and 18 hour time frames, thats what worries me more than anything.

I had no idea I had a smart meter until I read this thread 2 days ago, I was intending to run 3 1k lights for my current grow but I have since reneged and decided to keep only 1 1k going for now and switch to 6's or LED's before adding another light which sucks seeing I purchased 2 brand new 1k ballasts, XXXL hoods and a plethora of extra HPS and MH bulbs (Anyone looking for a deal on 2 sun systems 1k switchable mag ballasts? $275 +ship, boxes never opened). Also I am thinking about switching over to the lantern method where in veg you run lights on for 12 hours, go lights off for 5.5 and then on for 1 hour and off for the remainder. Its little more in depth than that but basically my girls can stay in veg with 12.5-13 hours of light a day but I'm not to keen on just throwing them into that after being on a 20/4 sch since germination.

I have one of those meters that tells you how much your appliances pull when they are running, I'm going to go around to all my gear and add it all up and see what the actual damage a day is, this is on top of the commercial ice machines, washers and dryers, giant restaurant exhaust fans, and an obscene amount of outdoor lights that are running constantly, hopefully my little mini op can stay hidden in the midst of it all. I am almost certain the meter that my op is on is a commercial meter (I live in a kind of industrial area), however that doesnt help with the 12/18/20 hour power consumption cycles my room has been on though.

Truthfully, after having a smart meter for the past year or so (un knowing), I'm more scared of the cable company/google and my internet postings. Since I started growing I've always kept grow journals....those stopped at the beginning of this current grow, if I have questions to ask I try to post as few pics as possible as well as deleted any kind of photobucket pics. Not that it matters as they could easily track us down via IP but less exposure is better I'm learning, hopefully not the hard way.

Over the next couple days I plan on doing what I mentioned about that meter and seeing what I use, I'll post my usage when I get all the info together.

Sounds like you have it in a good location. I wouldn't worry as much as you are. Honestly, the cable company/ISP , IP addresses, are not going to get you in any shit. At least here, postings on the net are not being used to locate anything production sites.

 

[fishwhistle]

Most of so cal has the smart meters and there are TONS of growers here,hydro shops are beggining to be like liquor stores and their parking lots are always full!I recently attended a class at one of the larger hydro stores and most of the people there were 55+ retired/grandparent type folks.If cops start kicking in doors here there gonna be surprised whos behind em,grandma,mom and dad!Im told by a buddy that works for edison that they are looking for the power thieves who tap their supply line pre meter and according to him they can tell when more power is being used than paid for.A friend of a friend has over 55 grow houses(rentals)ALL stealing power,he has a full time electrician and a plumber on staff with fully loaded contractor body trucks working full time.Im told most houses have 22,000 watts running,thats a shitload of power not being paid for,I think these guys are the ones that need to worry!

 

[SweetTooth]

Just wanted to add that the 93kWh per day that I posted applies to us Canadians. I am not sure what flags abnormal power consumption State Side. You will have to check your local laws of your State.

 

[cemchris]

In the US they cant get a warrant based only on your power bill. All that proves is you have lights on. Lights dont equal weed plants. Now they can use that along with monitoring traffic at your house, run a dog around your house, sift through your trash ect.

Other countries not sure about. The power bill alone wont get you busted. Shit growing up my parents ran up about 250 more than I do a month and that was 15+ years ago. Cops didnt come knocking looking for their weed plants.

 

[BCrocker]

In the US they cant get a warrant based only on your power bill. All that proves is you have lights on. Lights dont equal weed plants. Now they can use that along with monitoring traffic at your house, run a dog around your house, sift through your trash ect.

Other countries not sure about. The power bill alone wont get you busted. Shit growing up my parents ran up about 250 more than I do a month and that was 15+ years ago. Cops didnt come knocking looking for their weed plants.

They "can't" here in Canada either, but they will. It is very easy for law enforcement to make up an "anonymous tip". Therefore completing there affidavid to apply for a search warrant. If they want in, they will get in.

But, you are right. A power bill alone doesn't mean plants. If you are stealing power it is an invite to come in. Very easy to get a warrant, in Canada, for theft of power. That being said, while searching for evidence of theft of power, you stumble upon a grow op. Those charges dont' stick very well.

Anyhow, I am against the smart meters either way. Great technology, used in the wrong way.

 

[BCrocker]

Also, it's not like the power company is giving everyone's information to law enforcement if they hit a certain ammount of KWH's. From my understand is, if LE asks, the power company complies. Or if it is huge power in a residential area...
At the end of the day, the power company is a profit orientated business.

I was over 90kwh's per day for 5 months and I don't even have any lights! AC + computers.

 

[qupee]

Also, it's not like the power company is giving everyone's information to law enforcement if they hit a certain ammount of KWH's. From my understand is, if LE asks, the power company complies. Or if it is huge power in a residential area...
At the end of the day, the power company is a profit orientated business.

I was over 90kwh's per day for 5 months and I don't even have any lights! AC + computers.

There was a local law in Canada that provided for exactly that. The power company, as I understand it, reported anyone going over 93kWh at a residential address. Local LEO had discretion to search on that alone (and charged quite a sum for it iirc - upwards of $5k). But as far as I know that law was struck down officially.

One source, there's a ton of press on this issue around.

 

[claudacio]

I dont know, this thread made me think of this skit:




Edit:

I plead the fiziff

 

[cemchris]

Here here man me too. Sounds like the man is tryin to come down hard on yall.

 

[wantaknow]

all your balllest should be hooked to a large usp backup to prevent spikes

 

[qupee]

all your balllest should be hooked to a large usp backup to prevent spikes

That's not going to help anything.

Spikes aren't an issue.. Overall usage is.

 

[BCrocker]

That's not going to help anything.

Spikes aren't an issue.. Overall usage is.

I agree. The power company is not going to have one assigned asshole to watch your power usage during the day and see the tiny spike in power when it flips or something... Even computers fluxuate depending on load.

 

[Samson4]

I agree. The power company is not going to have one assigned asshole to watch your power usage during the day and see the tiny spike in power when it flips or something... Even computers fluxuate depending on load.

I agree. By the time that happens you're probably doing something else wrong.

 

[mmcan]

this is BS, Damn Harper

 

[St3ve]

So for you lads who already had the smart meter installed, have you changed what you're doing at all?

They have started installing them in my state and have planned to have the rest completed over the next two years.

Well I got notice today.. looks like the power company will be coming down my street in the next week to install our "upgrades". I'm kind of freakin as I'm not in a med state.