Customers Report Overbilling after Utility Installs “Smart” Water Meters

By B.N. Frank

Opposition to costly, privacy-invasive, and hazardous utility “smart” meters – electric, gas, and water – has been worldwide since they started being deployed. Experts continue to prove that these horrible devices aren’t accurate, essential for “energy efficiency”, or safe (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Nevertheless, utility companies continue to install them leading to more problems and of course, more complaints.

From KXAN:

Austin Water leader responds to KXAN Investigation over customers’ smart meter complaints

by: Mike Rush

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Following a KXAN investigation in September showing customers’ concerns of suspected overbilling with Austin Water’s new smart meters, the director of Austin Water is defending the digital meters’ accuracy and how the agency collects and responds to complaints.

Customers complain of suspected inaccuracies with Austin Water’s new smart meters

“It’s a big city and a big job but we have a lot of professionals here who are committed to excellent customer service,” Austin Water Director Shay Ralls Roalson told KXAN Investigator Mike Rush.

Even so, more customers reached out to KXAN after our initial investigation with similar concerns.

Kimi, who did not want to disclose her last name, is one of them. The Northwest Hills resident said, ever since her analog water meter was replaced with a digital meter, “This water usage is just way out of whack.”

She said she noticed a big increase based on the meter readings Austin Water sent her.

“For maybe 10, 12 hours at a time there’d be zero and then there were days where for an eight-hour stretch it would go up to 220,” Kimi said of the gallons the meter indicated she used in an hour. “There’s nothing that I do that has that kind of high-water usage.”

In September, KXAN spoke with Gabriela Olivares in north Austin, who said her water bills shot up after the smart meter was installed.

Continue reading at KXAN

American opposition to smart” meters has been increasing for over a decade, even inspiring a documentary film. Ongoing issues associated with them include

billing errors and higher bills (see 1, 2, 3, 4)
cybersecurity risks, hacking and disconnection (see 1, 2, 3)
fires and explosions (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) as most have no built-in surge protectors
installation mishaps (see 1, 2)
harmful radiation emissions (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
mechanical and operational problems
privacy violations and
short lifespans

Despite all of the above, utility providers continue to force “smart” meters on consumers (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) so they can remotely control and/or ration utility use (see 1, 2) and collect consumer usage data to sell and/or share with 3^rd parties (see 1, 2). Adding insult to injury, consumers who are permitted to “opt-out” of “smart” meters are often required to pay expensive fees as well as accept meters that aren’t as safe as traditional analog meters.

If you oppose “smart” meters, Children’s Health Defense has made it easy to contact American lawmakers and ask that they introduce and/or support utility meter choice legislation. Click here to learn more.

Activist Post reports regularly about “smart” meters and other privacy invasive and unsafe technologies. For more information, visit our archives and the following websites: