Magic Devices

‘Smart meters’ just a first step toward a smart power grid - Nashua Telegraph

While you were sitting in the dark last week, waiting for power to be restored (I was only out two days and can’t complain), wouldn’t you have liked to have a magic device that would automatically let PSNH know your status?

Over in Maine, many electric customers will have such devices next year, due to the most sweeping “smart meter” program in the Northeast, and maybe in the country.

As time goes on, these boxes have the potential to help frugal users save money, and even improve the efficiency of the whole power grid. For the moment, though, let’s concentrate on what they can do in power outages.

Smart meters look pretty much like the electric meters we all have on our houses, although they’re digital, with no more slowly spinning dials. The big difference is their radio-frequency transmitters that send out signals about your power usage.