Out of Pod Experience

Leave my meter alone... buahaha

You mean
"Pigheaded redneck homeowners : 1, Logic and reason : 0"
don't you ?

I say the solution should be capitalistic in nature.
First, the meters are almost certainly the property of the electric company. So, the power company should sue everybody to get its old meters back. If they turn out to have lost ownership of the meters, then the power company should unilaterally cancel their power distribution contract (an option which any civilized country should allow in a power distribution contract) after the mandatory waiting period.
Then, the power company should give them a simple choice - whoever wants to keep being provided with electric power from that company has to allow installation of a smart meter. After all, there is no obligativity to allow each and every customer, or if there is, it shouldn't exist.
If a different company shows up that wants to use the old style meters, let those people who refuse to use the new meters sign up with that power company instead. Or let them create their own power company and create their own electricity if they think they can do it better.

On the other hand, they COULD just use on-the-power-line communication methods, the technology exists, and should actually be more reliable than wireless communication. After all, you don't need to communicate anything if you're not actually using power.
Heck, there's even projects (I actually worked as supervisor on such an implementation project several years ago when I was still working for the power company) to actually use the power lines to provide internet access to homeowners. The smart meter could simply be just one more device in the local power company network.

Like I said, they could just as well go with wired instead of wireless smart meters, but for some reasons (most likely cost is a factor) they don't.
They also COULD indeed just as well place those meters at the pole instead too, but cost is most likely yet another factor (higher chance of vandalism, theft for "scrapmetal" value, possibly also needing some rewiring other than just hooking the new one).
It can be done though. But as you can see, the "radiation" thing (which is HEAVILY overblown, but let's consider just for the sake of continuing the argument that it's somewhat valid) is just one of several objections people have to the smart meters. If you "fix" that one, you're still left with the others.

P.S. How much do you want to bet that the couple used to have a big-ass CRT TV in the old days and never complained it irradiated them ? Or that they actually use cellphones, and they don't even bother to use a bluetooth headset with it and just hold it next to their temple ? Or that their microwave oven (that they probably have) is not necessarily well insulated ? Or maybe they could even be smokers ? Or that their home has many other potential minor health hazards they might not even be aware of yet, and which they'd probably still NOT take any steps to remedy even if they became aware of it due to the low chance of something bad happening compared to the cost of eliminating the issue ?

I am asking for the ability to serve only select customers that agree to my terms of service.
It would only be a monopoly if there no other power company would be ALLOWED to operate in the area.
If such a monopoly actually exists, THAT monopoly should be broken.


Quite a bit of Europe has competing power companies over a lot of housing areas (and not just for electricity, but also natural gas, where available). Picking an electricity provider should be just as convenient as picking an ISP or a cellphone company. There probably was a day when you only had one ISP or cellphone company to pick in an area, but now there's truckloads. Why shouldn't electric power be any different (or gas, or water, or any other utilities) ? It's after all a service, for which I expect to be competition (which SHOULD be better for the consumer anyway).
The fact the USA has a majority of areas served by a single power company could even be considered a failure of capitalism - if a demand for an alternative power company that has different terms of service exists, such a company should have been created.
The only reason other than abusive and downright monopolistic regulations existing (if they actually exist, they should be mowed down ASAP) for not having such a competing company would be that such a company would not be sufficiently profitable for some reason. If that's the case, it is unreasonable to ask a power company to bow down to consumer demands for a business model that would make them make less money overall or even lose money with specific individuals.

How uncapitalistic of you guys

Yeah, but this one would actually be nice to be capitalistic in nature about.

Now that I have found and absorbed this knowledge I have undertaken all 53 of the necessary steps as outlined in Plan Orange.

Except 26 as I did not have easy access to a 7 foot long banjo.

Well in the last years Spain suffered the "liberalization" of energy market as per our EU overlords, ant it turned to be quite silly because a), base (minimum) energy prices still are set by the government, b), taxes on the energy also are set by the government, and c), power plants are pretty much monopolistic all around as every company used to owe every power plant on a territory, and none can afford to buy or sell them.

So it turns that most companies buy power/gas from other companies and then resell it for whatever margin they see fit, at the minimal price set by the government.

Which means that the average offer for the end user it's like a 5% discount on the hooking fee, which in turn it's about 10% of the actual energy bill... Obviously, the average homeowner won't bother to shift company for a saving of some 5 euros per year...

I dunno how it is over there in Amurika, but over hear we dont own the meters, the companies do. Hence why they are on the outside of the house.

If she doesnt own the meter i.e if its included in her bills, she had no right to stop the person.

Yet another reason why people with guns is a bad idea. fools.