Comrades, a heatwave hit the Colorado region Tuesday with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees.
Indoor temperatures began climbing, and when formerly free-range residents attempted to adjust their air conditioning, they discovered they were locked out from control in their own home as the power company took over.
(Denver ABC7) – […] when thousands of Xcel customers in Colorado tried adjusting their thermostats Tuesday, they learned they had no control over the temperatures in their own homes.
[…] “I mean, it was 90 out, and it was right during the peak period,” Talarico said. “It was hot.” That’s when he saw a message on the thermostat stating the temperature was locked due to an “energy emergency.”
[…] Xcel confirmed to Contact Denver7 that 22,000 customers who had signed up for the Colorado AC Rewards program were locked out of their smart thermostats for hours on Tuesday. (read more)
Comrade Citizens, it is important that we support the needs of the energy collective. All good thinking citizens put the needs of the state ahead of their selfish desires.
As the national energy emergency now begins to unfold, the officials in charge of energy resource equity remind everyone how critical it is to remain compliant with all ministerial energy objectives. Compliance is expected from all correct thinking citizens.
As long as you remain compliant, there is no reason for concern. Do not attempt to adjust your household allocation of energy. Energy advisors will be made available for enhanced personal education to explain the benefits of our Green New Deal. Your cooperation is appreciated Comrades. Please report any non-compliant energy consumers to your local energy enforcement agency.
Your UBI digital account is ready, but be careful, it is programmed with equitable allocations of food, consumable, and energy use. Please do not try to exceed limits. Your social credit score will be checked in real time to determine if any subtractions should be made due to naughty behavior.
Repeat after me, your loyal AI, “I’m happier without my former savings and 401K.” “I own nothing and I’m delirious”.
This country better get serious about nuclear power in a hurry, or
the Glorious World of Next Tuesday may not arrive after all
“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for an energy-grid infusion today”
ISWYDT, yes, I am that old.
Only the old ones remember Wimpy. Or The Master Cylinder.
Sounds like that hamburger guy in Popeye cartoons.
As has been stated before, “it’s not about going green, it’s about going without”.
I hate this state so much.
Colorado is fast becoming yet another Democrat run third world s***hole. We plan to leave it for another state but given that so many red states are being taken over by the left (primarily big cities that vote deep blue and then end up running the whole state) finding another place to go is getting increasingly difficult.
There is no place to go. You have to clean up you own house. Put Colorado back to the beautiful state that it was.
KICK OUT THE Cali’s and you will get the state back!!!!!!!! When the rich started building “chalets” in the ski areas — It was down hill from there!!!!!!
Pun Intended!!!!
Idaho and Montana are right behind y’all.
I live in Montana. My wife’s family came out here in a covered wagon and homesteaded here. We have gone from a Blue State to a Red State over the past 100 years.
Joe lost big here.: 57% to 40%. He won only 7 of 56 counties – the two college counties, Butte/Anaconda and some Indian Reservation Counties.
The refugees we are getting are from CA, WA, OR and CO. They are fleeing and 80% are not Democrats.
We will be fine.
We visited Green Mountain Falls, CO, in 1982, and back then the locals complained about that very thing. They said people who had lived there all their lives were being priced out of their homes.
We moved out of that overpriced state 1.5 years ago. Everything is so libtard. So glad we left. We will miss the natural beauty though…Good luck to you.
Very often the prison we are in is of our own making.
Try living in New York. I sympathize with you.
I live in Florida and I love it.
For now.
I read an article that stated because of the massive flood of
people moving to Florida that insurance, taxes, utility bills,
etc. were rising and costs were expected to continue going upwards.
You can be sure they will plot to destroy Florida the same way they have taken over Georgia. Sometimes I think its better to live in a rural red part of a blue state that is blue only because of a few counties and city.
Oh sure the program is voluntary…for now.
I wonder how many people opted out after reading that message and experiencing the heat that can be trapped in a home during the day. I pity the dogs that were left in the house while their owners went of to work thinking that their AC would keep the interiors nice and cool.
The first thing I thought of….the poor pets. I live on the Gulf Coast. Yikes.
Pets are a luxury and indulgence. Get with the program, serf!
Yeah I have family on the Gulf Coast and I know it gets hot there.
Joe Doeslittle will announce tonight he is paying everyone 100 bucks to have the thermostats installed. That would be $35 billion spent for the week which is the norm.
“I’m sorry, Dave.”
We just completed installation of a whole house propane fueled backup generator. I dunno what we’ll do we they limit propane purchases.
Damn the Green Meanies.
Yep, build redundancy in all your energy needs. That should help until lefty bureaucrats figure out how to beat it.
Some propane companies offer a discount if you purchase a full tank from them in the summer and have it delivered to your home between Sep – March 2023.
I would start making some calls.
Good for you for installing a home generator!
I did the same in 2021.
There are many ways to conserve on your propane.
Visit a couple of preppers websites. Loads of creative ways to conserve.
Take a breath, God’s got this!
didn’t Obama install a massive, something like 500 gallon,
propane tank on his oceanfront property?
… they always find ways!
“Gasification“. It’s a process whereby burning wood releases flammable gas that in turn can be used to run motors, including generators. You can find vids of trucks in WWI with large wood burning cylinders on them which are producing flammable gasses that run the truck. There are energy plants turning out electricity by burning trash, also. See utube vids.
Haven’t watched this full length yet but it’ll get the point across.
…..and some of them were apparently surprised by this?
What did they think the purpose of that technology was? Probably just thought it was a way for them to feel superior to those who didn’t sign up for it.
Wouldn’t do that any more than I would get the shot.
Virtue signalling dumb masses.
Exactly. I read my FPL pamphlet about opting into using energy only during off hours to lower costs. I said no way that gives them license to cut you off. Looking for a really big faraday cage….maybe chicken wire or something.
Probably got a ‘discount’ for being ‘energy savers’.
A large number of people do NOT read the pamphlets, with understanding. … Some people only see the opportunity to save money. … ‘Helping the Earth’ is a canard. … The energy suppliers obfuscate the purpose of the supplier ~control of the thermostats.
…….. The pamphlets are rarely direct with statements, such as, “Use our thermostat, and we will have the ability to SHUT OFF YOUR AIR CONDITIONING” on the HOTTEST days of the year, to reduce the consumer demand for electricity.
22,000 Karens.
…were seen driving their EVs in reverse hoping to charge their depleted batteries.
HA!
“driving their EVs in reverse hoping to charge their depleted batteries”
Stunning blonde is pulled over for speeding
“Miss – why were you driving so fast?”
“Well, Officer — I’m almost out of gas and was trying to make it home before I ran out”
ba-dum-chish
“I’ll be here all week, folks”
“Try the veal …”
It’s bad enough to be abused…..but some people actually asked to be abused?
Nuts.
worked at a gold mine for 12 years…they signed up with SCE for voluntary power shutdown during high peak use times……it gave them a reduced rate but we had to fire up back-up gensets and reduced operations in production when it occurred
Good grief.
Pulling at the sweater string……i am imagining all sorts of things now.
So are the leftists….
Let the blue on blue clashes begin. It’s always a fun watch.
22k liberals sweaty, crying and suffering from what they voted for……… priceless!
Lol! That’s quite a visual!
.
It looks like the page for the rewards program has been redirected. I was curious as to the “offer” and to see what the terms were. Ooops.
.
.
Addendum: It’s redirected but still there, you just have to click on a state to “explore”.
People need to learn to stay away from Internet of Things.
.
Sign up for stupid rewards, win stupid prizes.
I would have a manual bypass toggle installed to cut out their control unit.
Probably would arrest you for some reason.
Having agreed to save money by using energy only when it is not expensive and having agreed to let them control your energy use, you have violated all agreements, bypassed their control, and used energy when it was expensive.
Maybe even deny you future energy use.
You energy wastrel you. Energy thief. Fraudster. /s
I wonder if this garbage is conditional on status too. Like you won’t be allowed to own a gasoline powered car, but they can have a fleet of fuel driven cars and jets. Your lowest summer temp is 78 and max winter temp is 68, but the elite get a lowest summer temp of 68 and a max winter temp of 78.
Remember the introduction to The Twilight Zone? Do not attempt to adjust your TV set.
Actually that was the Outer Limits. 😉
We control the horizontal. We control the vertical…
Yup. That’s about where we are. We don’t even need those shows anymore. We are living them.
… I did notice this. Remembering life back to the early fifties, I see what we have lost in terms of liberty and government invasion of our lives. Younger people just cannot fathom the difference.
Mind you that many lefties from my time love to see what is happening and they are actively involved in the ongoings… to them, this is a dream come true”
Outer Limits?
I am the proud owner and user of a 1980 vintage analog thermostat, and will never change.
I have a digital thermostat but it’s not wifi capable.
You can still buy basic manual thermostats at your local hardware store, or fancier programmable ones that are still not connected to the outside world.
The less “bells and whistles”, the better!
Being involved with electronics and semiconductors for 45 years. From making 4K EPROMs to repairing multi-million dollar machines, I know where my line is drawn
Technology and the gadgets are one thing – fascinating – however I didn’t get a cell phone until 2014.
Seems many are simple minded enough to go along with the flow, but too much technology has a downside especially with the “I want to be connected to everything mindset.” And, now we have the control from outside.
SOLUTION: Get a normal thermostat and be happy
An old one wired in parallel.
Indeed. We just had to purchase a new furnace and a/c, weren’t expecting that huge expense, but they told us we quality for this new smart thermostat, hubby immediately said, no thank you, they tried to convince him blah blah and finally he said NO I am keeping my old reliable one. So glad we did not go along with their crap. It is free, they said again and smart. Bye have a nice evening was my reply as hubby was getting hot under the collar from their pushing for it.
The installer most likely got $200 or so for everyone he installed, just like our Congress.
Yep, kickbacks…hmmm, what other profession pushes products?/sarc
I want to go all Battlestar Galactica on stuff in my house. I don’t want anything to really talk to anything else, and nothing that doesn’t have to be hooked up to the Internet hooked up.
Just one more reason why I don’t sign up for anything anymore. I don’t even care that I might not receive any discounts or digital coupons.
I’m the same. I consider it a small price to pay for a little bit more freedom.
Yup! I don’t care if it’s a rewards program or what, I don’t want it.
When all the stores (Tractor Supply, I’m looking at you) started pestering people for their phone numbers, I told them to shove it! Then one day I bought something (without giving a phone number) and then tried to return it (without giving a phone number) with my receipt, and the fool of a manager raised hell. I told her to put her own damn phone number in there if she needed one. She did. I got my money back, and that idiot doesn’t work there anymore.
These days, “No” means “HELL NO”!
When they start installing electric utility “smart meters” in your neighborhood, you’ve officially been put on notice.
Smart meters were being deployed in San Diego around 2009. They were equipped with 4G/LTE cellular chipsets with a small battery backup, so power enable/disable to homes could be controlled, even in a blackout.
It was controversial just 13 years ago, but now widely accepted.
Yeap. Power company contractors showed up one day without notice slapped in a smart meter. Arrogant a holes walking all the way around the outside of the house even though the meter was in sight from drive. Gut reaction thoughts were about ordering them off but the power company has easements on most deeds….
Later a bucket truck installed a wireless connector on the service pole to the house. They can now remotely read not only my meter but any other smart meters in the area with line of sight connectivity.
Of course it’s a sure thing they can probably turn off and on that new meter remotely now also at will.
My future answer is a Pico hydroelectric setup. They won’t purchase any power that I over produce but my goal is a zero sum consumption. A big loud fu to Appalachian Power.
Ultimate goal is backup storage capability for the looming green new steal as blackouts are inevitably coming.
Adapt and overcome.
The magic phrase “line of sight” becomes out of sight before they act.
If the power company can turn off your electricity via wireless, then so can an adversary.
This is a crappcident waiting to happen.
In subdivisions, the meters can talk to each other and are a seperarate internet of their own. Using this they can send in you your consumption reports without having a meter reader person. I always have always assumed that
this was also meant to hook up to the microphones in your new dishwasher and microwaves. I remember David Petraeus warning us about that just before obama fired him from heading the CIA.
The wireless antenna is for the smart meter is basically how 5G works, the meters communicate with each other and any appliances that are “smart”.
There is no probably about the ability to turn your power on or off, they don’t need to pull the meter anymore, next door was late paying regularly, off went the power. He would call in with c card when he hung up power was on.
FPL a few years back made it that if you didn’t allow a smart meter you had to pay for the meter reader person.
A few years back a friend set up a home solar with batteries, FPL didn’t like that, said he was a generation source. Choice was remove batteries or million $$$ liability policy.
Here’s a fun one…there is a switch/metering device that is installed now, during the day excess power is sold back to FPL at a fixed rate, night or cloudy days you buy from FPL. The switch has to sense the power company connection.
So during a power outage, lets say after a hurricane, sun is out, air is clean solar panels doing there thing but you still have no power because there is not power coming from power company lines.
You still need a generator for those days before power is restored.
Pretty neat deal right?
PSEG in the penal colony also known as (DPR)NY ran a similar program – nice rebate per thermostat – to get people to buy smart thermostats they could control. But, you could opt out of the control portion for a smaller rebate. I ended up with two ecobee lites (no Alexa the NSA wh0re) for a decent price. The ability to set schedules across both units from a single console as well as managing temperatures when away definitely saved some money.
Plague was called the black death.
This plague should be called the Green death.
Cut off our noses,
Wind, solar and EV hoses.
“Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.”
We have a brilliant guy in Australia named Professor Ian Plimer. He wrote a book called Green Murder. I’ve never read it – but considering what he is always talking about, I’d say it is about death due to green policy.
He is still saying that he’s waiting for someone to provide evidence that people are causing an impact on climate. I see him around a bit being interviewed, and he’s always amazing with his knowledge. He also says Australia is already at net zero because we have so much nature that counts against our carbon emissions. Of course, we’re still signing up to losing power and everything that comes from that.
Well now good commie, you made this bed and it’s yours to lay in. I’m smiling knowing you won’t be getting much sleep in the future 🙃
Come on down, reap those rewards with smart meters, smart thermostats, and smart curtains
I dare you to install the app that monitors your “good driving habits” as well 😀
Can take a bet to how long before that bites you in the butt.
How long before Ikea determines your curtains should be closed all day.
I hate all the smart technology. People act like I am archaic. But in reality, I just love my personal freedoms and privacy.
I redid my kitchen a year ago. The appliance store was astounded that I didn’t want smart appliances. A lot of people fall for the bs.
My son had to buy a new range this summer. The one with the features he wanted is iot capable but he refuses to set it up. He did put a password on it so no one would mess with it if they knew the default password lol
I used to design packaging machinery, some with touchscreens for adjustments. There can be more than one password and different passwords for different levels of access.
Smart oven says:
– “Hey I noticed you look a little bit upset today, do you want me to cook you some bacon & eggs?”
😀
Add to that if you’re in California in 2026:
– “Aw shucks I can’t turn on right now, how about some raw bacon and raw eggs?”
Home of the future.
“Hal, it’s starting to get very warm in here.”
“I’m sorry, Dave. China needs energy more than you do. If you complain now, it will only get colder this winter. Maybe put on a sweater.”
They can shut off my AC. They can shut off my heat. I’ll figure out how to mange. I’ll figure out how to outlast them. I’ll figure out how to beat them. They won’t like the ending.
My thermostat has only heat/air, on/off and up/down buttons.
My door bell goes ding followed by a dong.
My home security system will take a bite out of someone’s @ss. 😉
“As long as you remain compliant, there is no reason for concern.”
And compliance seems to be the selected course of the American Body Politic, some humorous jibes notwithstanding.
It was the same in the Soviet Union. Gallows humor reigned supreme. Of course the Russian citizenry never had liberty as Americans once did, only to let it slip away.
Nor did they have a well-documented precedent to study and learn from since they were Patient One in the Bolshevik experiment.
Never has a nation catalogued its slo-rolling demise with such 20/20 blogo-twitfeed-vision as has America.
Out with a whimper and a few bad jokes.
But wait, there’s one more tantalizing rationalization for remaining in morbid spectatorhood and watching to see ‘how things pan out’. That’s a 77-year-old guy who’s about to get railroaded by a bunch of meritless Deep State indictments.
Should we lose Trump via incarceration or mortality (he’s no spring chicken and besides, why should he keep dragging the civic hammocks on his back?), what will the tick-tockers seize upon next to keep us in our seats?
Maybe by then the TV room will have shifted to an internment camp.
“Thank You Sir May I Have Another “
That’s the point. How many of those 22,000 homeowners will now opt out of the controlled thermostat program. And how many will say “Thank you, can you ban my gas combustion auto now?”
Oliver Twist here – not taking it anymore!
Worth noting: Colorado Xcel customers saw a jump in their recent bill when Excel “adjusted” their natural gas rate from .460/therm to .880600/therm. This is on top of a myriad of additional fees and charges also on the bill. Excel has erected God only knows how many worthless bird killing windmills across the beautiful prairies of this state.
NY doing same thing. Stinking solar panels littering the land too. People don’t realize the emf damage that comes from those things is as bad as cell towers.
That’s why I you should shun “smart” appliances.
I had to replace my 40 yro refrig a couple yrs ago (turns out the timing was good considering supply issues today). It has some wifi nonsense and I will not ever connect it to my internet, tho I suppose in the future they could take control via however cellphone coverage works?
I was told about a range of hearing aids the other day. The more expensive are all attached to smart technology. I said I don’t like that and the audiologist said it can be turned off.
Off isn’t enough for me. I want it to not be installed or inbuilt in the first place.
I just had to replace a 7 yo Samsung washer because the 2 repair people I called said it would cost more to repair than just replace.
The one part needed was over a third the cost of a new washer.
I hate these people.
About 1985 my 76 Celica catalytic converter rusted out. I had purchased the car in California but then lived in Georgia which did not require them yet. Toyota quoted me $900 and 9 months delivery. I assumed it would never be built again. A hacksaw, a piece of pipe, and $20 to a welder made me a Georgia catalytic converter.
This is not a new thing; in California it has been at least one decade that the power company took control of A/C units.
Each customer had opted in, had agreed to the installation of a ‘smart meter’, and had the ability to opt out.
When my mother in CA chose to allow installation, I advised against it. I had, but she had not, read all the literature provided by the power company. Instead, she decided based only on the glossy hype.
There were multiple but short in duration interruptions of power. They were always inconvenient (power not there when needed the most) but it was one particular event which prompted her to action.
That was when her A/C was unavailable for a continuous three days during a heat wave. When she complained, she was directed to the option to opt out, an option which had been there all along.
If the same is in CO, it is that every of the 22,000 had voluntarily opted in. That stupid should hurt is a best remedy to acting stupidly.
Remember how people laughed at AOC when she first talked about the Green New Deal? At the time, I thought she was dangerous and that should be nipped in the bud. Now, we know. It has grown into more ridiculousness. You got an energy saving electric car and you don’t have electricity. These green people can’t pro and con and think through situations. I suspect it all will get worse with old battery disposal; no batteries, etc. etc. …and life was all thought out and simple.
The people pushing the Green New Deal do have it all mapped out and know the end result.
This spring when Tucker changed to Hannity, I started watching rodeos for the first time in my life. Before I could not watch more than 5 minutes of it, but anything was better than Hannity.
One announcer was talking about some bulls who enjoyed bucking men off in front of crowds. You know when the crowds are tired of them, they are heading for the same slaughterhouse as their brothers and sisters.
I wonder if AOC realizes this or did her mother tell her she would always be special.
They voluntarily joined a program knowing this is what the program meant. This didn’t happen to regular power users. Your commentary is getting ridiculous.
A pretty bad opening remark by the author. The heatwave hit on Tuesday? It’s been 90 degrees for the last week in Denver. And, not to mention it was August, which is in the heart of summer. It is always 90 degrees in August. The rest of the story stands. That’s what having smart meters and everything else “smart” allows–to be controlled by the authorities. Agenda 2030 couldn’t be found for comment.
I grew up in Southern California – not at the beach – and 90 is nothing. We lived with it.
I grew up and spent many years in the High Desert of S CA….Aug temps are regularly in the 120s
We were 20 miles east of the ocean. In the hot days we’d close the curtains and windows in the mornings and then open up at night. I remember running cool water over my wrists…my mother’s solution if we felt too hot.
The smart thermostats were installed in SW suburbs of Chicago a few years ago. A homeowner told the installers she did not want it, they kept working, she tried to stop them…the police took her away in handcuffs from her own backyard.
Christ, Marx, Wood and Wei led us to this perfect day.
Wrap a hot towel around and over the thermostat.
^^^^ This. Even smart thermostats are still dumb.
Convince them that it’s 95 in your house and they’ll believe it.
I assume these customers had voluntarily signed up for a rate that offered a discount or monthly stipend or perhaps in the worst case got a “free thermostat” with the rate.
That’s today of course.
Our future will include no such opt-in feature. Eat da bugz.
hahaha, this is too funny, soon they will only allow you to flush once a day as well, oh and maybe one bullet a month… hahahah
Bu-but, Buy an EV!
I’d be curious how many people chose to opt out of that program!
Our electric bill has skyrocketed, but we sure aren’t giving up the ac here in. the south.
F the Hippie snowflakes. They voted for this.
Central Planning turned off your AC so the Marijuana Lamps could keep shining!
Very, very true
Over 10 years ago, in the early days of my work against Agenda 21 in local governments (ICLEI and Local21), there was a pervasive and odd priority on “smart meters” for city water and at state/regional level for power meters. Many use cellular (2G/3G) to monitor real time power and water usage. The data is sent to computing centers where is analyzed. They can tell the difference between taking a shower and running a dishwasher. They can tell an AC startup from a water heater.
I went around explaining this to political groups, politicians and staffers. I told them there could be one and only one reason for this type of technology and usage analysis. ONLY ONE.
I was politely mocked, of course. Now I fear the herd will just start to accept it.
It could be worse! Think about how Germans are going to feel the chill this winter …
Years ago Rush talked about smart thermostats and by having one you’re allowing the government to control them.
This isn’t a new thing. In 2017 we lived in a rental house in CO while we were transitioning on relocating to TX after selling our house. It had an Xcel smart thermostat and during both cold winter days and hot summer days it would say it would be throttling and it would keep the house at 62 degrees or 85 degrees. Complete insanity and not conducive to comfortable living. I called Xcel and I could not remove the feature. They said once installed it could not be replaced/removed and it transferred to new owners. NEVER sign up for this insanity. Of course since living in TX we learned you don’t even have to have a smart meter, they can just turn your power off like they did in Feb of 2021 for days on end in freezing temps. Basically you have to build your own backup infrastructure if you want to guarantee power. Like what we saw Obama did a few months ago, installing a large generator with natural gas. Everyone in TX that can is getting generators and rain water systems etc.
Yes. Over 30 years ago there was primitive version of this opt-in program on hot water heaters where I lived in Florida. The power company could send a radio signal out to shut off power to water heaters when there was a high demand for AC. folks tried it and soon disconnected them after their first cold shower.
Opt-in and opt-out are temporary – for now. In the early days of automotive emission control most systems could bypassed for better power and fuel mileage. Now they are all in software and able to be monitored over 2G/3G.
The “smart meters” are worse because they cannot be bypassed or optional. Integration with major “smart appliances” will soon be mandatory. You can rest assured though that the homes of the political class are exempt due to their exemplary social credit value.
It gets even better. I’ve seen the new estimates for solar generation in 2040-2050. They know it won’t be able to meet demand without fossil fuels so how do they fill the gap. They predict 40% of loads will be met by demand response. What does that mean? Basically that they will control your energy usage like this article outlines. You’ll have less energy or no energy and like it.
Vote AOC for president or live without power.
We got talked into one of these smart atrocities in our old home. Spent two years fighting with the thing…it literally had a mind of its own.
Never, never again.
First, we bumped into a couple from Boulder, and they said it was unlivable.. (we are in North Georgia)
Second, good news,,, you can now buy variable speed window AC units that use the same technology as the split duct systems, at a fraction of the cost. I have one just for the bedroom, instead of running the whole house ac at night. There is always a workaround.
Last, I have to wonder if people received some kind of rebate or discount to sign up for that centralized control thing.. I did a quick looksee and yup… here, if you are interested… https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/residential/heating-cooling/smart-thermostats
That being said, I doubt the customers that signed up really understood what they were getting.
You can bet all those indoor pot farms kept the AC on! Maybe they have something to do with the strain on the grid….”ya dont say”
I wouldn’t allow the power company, Siri, or Alexia control of my home. The people having this happened seem to have volunteered to allow this to happen.
There appears to be an opt out feature. Do we know if anyone was refused the ability to opt out and take control of their home?
That is the ultimate example the gentle walk to totalitarianism.
EDIT: I found more on this opt out feature. They charge an Opt out fee and a monthly service fee to read the meter.
Colorado opt-out fees
Residential and C-rate commercial customers have the option to opt-out of a smart meter and instead receive a non-communicating meter.
To cover meter reading costs, customers who opt out of receiving a smart meter in the metro Denver or Boulder areas will pay a monthly charge of $11.84 per meter. Customers in all other areas of Colorado will pay a monthly charge of $23.84 per meter if they choose to opt out of a smart meter.
Colorado customers who do not opt out prior to receiving their smart meter but later decide to opt out will pay a trip charge of $46 to exchange the smart meter for a non-communicating meter and be assessed the monthly meter-reading charges listed above.
All Colorado customers who opt out of a smart meter will incur a $46 charge to remove the non-communicating meter and replace it with a smart meter when they either opt back into receiving a smart meter or move from the premise where the non-communicating meter is installed.
For more information on the fees associated with opting out of a smart meter, see our Colorado opt-out fees info sheet opens a file in a new window.
https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/customersupport/s/projects/smart-meter-installation
I pay FPL $13.00 a month to read my Meter. At first I was pissed, but now…….?