Did you get the notice in your mailbox about the upcoming installation of smart meters? Have you seen the ads from First Energy saying “the switch is on” to cleaner energy, renewable power and smarter technology? If so, you might think our electric utility is all in favor of “green energy,” but the truth is, they have no choice. Politicians in several states, including Pennsylvania, simply decided it was their duty to protect everyone from global warming by forcing utilities to reduce energy usage and to use electricity generated by wind turbines and solar panels. If you don’t like it, you’re getting it anyway, because your representatives said so.
What is Act 129?
If you go to the First Energy website, you’ll see they reference Act 129, Pennsylvania’s energy efficiency law originating as House Bill 2200. Did you know we’re already in Phase 3? You probably missed Phase 1 and 2 because the utility could satisfy the law without drawing your attention to it, but now they’re getting serious about reducing energy usage because that’s what these many phases are designed to do. In Phase 3, beginning June 2016, the utility must reduce usage by 2.6 to 4.0 percent, then also reduce peak demand by 1.8 percent which means they have to know how much electricity you’re using hour by hour, minute by minute, which is what the smart meter is for. They don’t want you to use electricity at the “wrong” time, so once they know your usage pattern, expect a gentle nudge with variable time-of-day rates to change your wasteful ways.
There’s no electricity shortage
Conserving electricity only makes sense if we’re running out of it, but electricity is something we simply generate as needed. That precisely regulated, always on electricity at your wall outlet doesn’t exist in nature, we make it, on demand, in our power plants. Our political class, however, has decided we must use less because, … global warming. They’ve also chosen wind and solar as the best electric power generating technologies so the law mandates increasing their use.
It’s funny how the wind and solar they’re forcing utilities to use are the same technologies the government subsidizes, the same technologies that fail in the marketplace because they don’t work reliably and cost far too much. They don’t produce very much electricity, either, so combined with the EPA forcing coal plants offline, without conservation, we really will run out. It’s a government created electricity shortage.
Do your state legislators really think they’re that smart?
Politicians are not physicists, no surprise there, but it doesn’t seem to bother them when voting on legislation requiring at least rudimentary knowledge of physics to evaluate properly, probably because they don’t even know what they don’t know. Combine scientific ignorance with everyday politics and we get energy policy like this that’s just plain ridiculous, … or worse.
Which of your Erie County legislators voted in favor of Act 129?
House bill 2200 / Act 129 was passed on October 8, 2008. One of the co-sponsors of this bill was Representative Pat Harkins of Erie County. Voting in favor of passage along with Harkins was John Evans, Flo Fabrizio and Curt Sonney, also of Erie County.
How do we fix this?
Turning this nonsense around will take time and a lot of effort, but there’s a change in the air (Brexit) and pointing out the arrogance and silliness of our political class is step one.
If you want to see what else our local and state officials have been up to, keep checking back, because we’ll be pointing out a lot more.
Suzanne Albright says
More hideous energy news! And yes, smart meters have been threatened here in NY as well, while our crooked governor continues to scream for 600′ wind turbines here along the shore of Lake Ontario, as there is need for more electricity downstate! I would just LOVE to see smart meters on the thousands of NYC skyscrapers whose trillions of lights are on ALL NIGHT EVERY NIGHT OF THE YEAR while their daytime occupants are home sleeping. That will never happen! Perhaps some energy conservation WOULD be a good idea. But scrutinize middle class Americans who can barely afford their electricity bills already? I would bet they aren’t the problem! Just look at every city in the U.S.- they are lit up every night like Christmas trees. I refuse to believe that much light is necessary! So, put the smart meters on skyscrapers and other massive energy abusers, stop charging U.S. taxpayers for worthless, filthy industrial wind turbines, and stop treating every day Americans like we are too stupid to see through the lies.
Chris says
Read Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver is the American people and the Lilliputians represent the omnipotent government and representatives headed up by corrupt politicians on the take.
Obama was not kidding when he said he wanted the American people to pay more for energy. Hillary is all in. Trump at least calls out wind as wasteful and in need of subsidies forever.
Just look to certain areas of Europe where “green energy” leads to electricity rates 3-4 times our own.
Get that checkbook out.
We need an “Americans First” party as I am tired of paying for all of the great ideas corrupt politicians are ramming down our throats. We are not at all represented by our representative government.
Alan Isselhard says
Please visit this web site: http://smartmeterlawsuits.blogspot.ca/
Smart meters are a horrible hoax and should be avoided at all costs. Google smart meters and read all about the grief they bring on several levels.
Kimberly H. says
They tell you that smart meters are equivalent to your smart phone regarding danger. Well WHO labels this a 2B carcinogen, which means probably evidence that humans can get cancer and sufficient evidence that animals, i.e., pets, will get cancer. I don’t leave in a smart phone. I can cut it off or keep it far from me. Something installed on private property, linked to health, fire and potential property invasion/theft … pass. HB 393, 394 & 395 (I believe are the bills) are trying to get heard but as I understand are being stalled from hearing!!! DANGER for all of us as our civil liberties are being breached again.