Smart Electric Meters

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A read in the paper today (Long Beach, CA) about a new type of eclectric meter, which could be read off site rather than a meter reader. This would eliminate the need for meter readers, which can be a good thing for dog owners as they wouldn't have to worry about a stranger coming by and going into the backyard every month and agitating the dog. It can also reduce incorrect readings as the readings are automated and not dependent on human eyes. Especially true for dog owners and readers are forced to read the meter from the neighbor's yard. The real savings for consumers, however, comes from the fact that consumers will be made aware of how much energy they are wasting, thus prompted to save, thus saving money. The practical benefit of saving electricity, is avoiding balckouts and delaying the need to build additional power plants, and reducing pollution to the environment. In our service area, the customers will have to pay for the installation of these new meters. The electric company says that will be offset over 20 years by the cost we will save by using less electricty. My question is for those who live in areas with smart meters. Have they helped you conserve energy and save money? Does automation still lead to billing errors?