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It's a violation of privacy - it makes it that much easier for people to see how much electricity or water you consume. It isn't necessarily a secret, but it is

It's a violation of privacy - it makes it that much easier for people to see how much electricity or water you consume. It isn't necessarily a secret, but it is not so easy to find out when you have to go to a meter directly.

jakemauer 5y ago
It definitely is enough of a matter of privacy that PGE wouldn’t reveal any details of the previous tenant’s usage patterns when I called concerned about the amount of energy we were using in our new place. If it’s too private to share in that context it shouldn’t be blasted out unencrypted to anyone with an antenna. (Also I realize we’re talking about Texas but I would assume/hope they have the same restrictions on sharing info as PGE.)
eldaisfish 5y ago
it isn't really. Most commercial meters that use this tech are encrypted. It is possible to obtain the key for your own meter but that's about it.
ArkanExplorer 5y ago
How could that possibly be a privacy concern? A lot more private information is already placed onto the street, in public: the contents of your garbage cans.
- unethical_ban 5y ago
  Now imagine a technology that scans the contents, listing the type, number, and mass of each item, and broadcasts it so that anyone driving by can instantly read it. It's not binary accessible v. non-accessible, it's level of effort.
tzs 5y ago
It often actually isn't hard for someone to find out even if you have one of the meters that has to be read by eye. It is quite common for those meters to be placed so that they are visible from a public street or alley, so that meter readers can read them without entering the property. Here is one electric company that talks about this in their meter reading FAQ [1]. > The numbers on a electric meter are clearly visible from six to ten feet away. And, by noting the position of the dial indicators, an experienced meter reader can accurately read an electric meter from as far away as twenty feet. We also provide binoculars and/or monoculars for readings beyond the range where the dials are not clearly visible. [1] https://www.snopud.com/home/homefaqs/faqmtrread.ashx?p=1285 https://www.snopud.com/home/homefaqs/faqmtrread.ashx?p=1285

jakemauer 5y ago

It definitely is enough of a matter of privacy that PGE wouldn’t reveal any details of the previous tenant’s usage patterns when I called concerned about the amount of energy we were using in our new place. If it’s too private to share in that context it shouldn’t be blasted out unencrypted to anyone with an antenna. (Also I realize we’re talking about Texas but I would assume/hope they have the same restrictions on sharing info as PGE.)

eldaisfish 5y ago

it isn't really. Most commercial meters that use this tech are encrypted. It is possible to obtain the key for your own meter but that's about it.

ArkanExplorer 5y ago

How could that possibly be a privacy concern? A lot more private information is already placed onto the street, in public: the contents of your garbage cans.

unethical_ban 5y ago
Now imagine a technology that scans the contents, listing the type, number, and mass of each item, and broadcasts it so that anyone driving by can instantly read it. It's not binary accessible v. non-accessible, it's level of effort.

tzs 5y ago

It often actually isn't hard for someone to find out even if you have one of the meters that has to be read by eye. It is quite common for those meters to be placed so that they are visible from a public street or alley, so that meter readers can read them without entering the property. Here is one electric company that talks about this in their meter reading FAQ [1]. > The numbers on a electric meter are clearly visible from six to ten feet away. And, by noting the position of the dial indicators, an experienced meter reader can accurately read an electric meter from as far away as twenty feet. We also provide binoculars and/or monoculars for readings beyond the range where the dials are not clearly visible. [1] https://www.snopud.com/home/homefaqs/faqmtrread.ashx?p=1285 https://www.snopud.com/home/homefaqs/faqmtrread.ashx?p=1285