Texas Power Company Admits to Regularly Overcharging Customers Because of “Smart” Technology Data Collection Errors

By B.N. Frank

Original utility analog meters lasted on average 40 years. Not “Smart” Meters and their grids. They have SO many issues associated with them including data collection errors. This often lead to customers paying higher bills. Another example of this was recently reported in Texas.

From the Houston Chronicle:

The manager of the Texas electric grid said Wednesday that it should not be forced to fix a data error that increased electricity costs by millions of dollars and reprice a block of wholesale power sales because generators submit erroneous data so frequently it would have to adjust prices as often as once a day.

(AS OFTEN AS ONCE EVERY DAY!!)

[…]

In its filing with the Public Utility Commission, ERCOT said it would be “imprudent” if it was forced to correct prices because on any given day the grid manager receives wrong information or data sent in error on power availability that affects wholesale prices. ERCOT said that it would cause increased price uncertainty and market instability if ERCOT were forced to reprice trades that move through the system.

(IMPRUDENT?)

Ed Hirs, an energy economist at the University of Houston, said ERCOT’s argument was astonishing for a regulator that has spent millions of dollars to build a computerized market model that prices power and measures capacity in 5 to 15 second intervals. ERCOT’s job is to create an orderly and reliable market, Hirs said, but the filing essentially described a built-in flaw that encourages any trickster to take advantage of it.

“This is a multi-billion enterprise that is unable and unwilling to repair mistakes,” he said. “How does it do its job?”

Well Ed, maybe its job is ripping off customers because they seem to be doing a bang-up job of that.

Reports keep being published about customers getting overbilled due to utility “Smart” Meter and Grid technology. Activist Post has reported about it as well:

“Energy News” Reports Low-income Utility Customers in Illinois Could Be Paying More For Their Smart Meters. Why This Could Be Happening Elsewhere.
Some Utility Companies Charging Customers For Extra Energy Needed to Operate “Smart” Meters. Is Yours?

Unlike original analog meters, “Smart” Meters allow utility companies to collect, store, and analyze customers’ utility use data 24/7. Some even share (or sell) this data with 3^rd parties. That’s why utility companies don’t want to give them up despite their many issues including fires, explosions, frequent replacement, and more. They simply pass the costs on to customers.