Our kitchen is upstairs but it was still a whole lot more than I expected, particularly considering that we already had a propane line there when we moved in.
I just got my electric bill. They have cutesy little notices about the green energy progress in with it. And comments about smart homes. I don't want a smart anything!!! Think of all the rewiring and outlet/switch replacement we will have to do. Hubby doesn't know it yet but I have plans of sealing off the upstairs and moving us into a very small area downstairs for winter if the insanity continues. He wanted this big house. Most of it will be a three season home, if I get my way.
We always tend to think of the term “smart” as the word smart when it is referring to technology; but in this use , SMART is actually an acronym for “Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology”. Once you understand that this is what these household appliances are designed for, it makes them even scarier than just thinking that they are called smart because they do things other appliances can’t do.
Of course they only point out the convenience that your refrigerator will be able to tell your phone that you need milk. No one mentions that your appliances and furnace can rat on you.
That's why we opted out of the smart meter, and they charge us $30.00 a month just to opt out. Also, they used to read meter from the road and after we opted out, they said they couldn't read them from the road anymore they have to send a guy in to read it each month and charge us a $20.00 a month access fee. It seems no matter what whether it's a stove, meter, a deductible, or whatever someone is out to clip you out of money.