High tech is coming to meter reading. Dayton Power and Light of Ohio has begun installing new electric meters equipped with microprocessors and other electronics that measure the amount of power used and transmit the data to company headquarters.
Not only will this eliminate human meter readers, but it can help the company detect fraud by customers who disconnect meters but continue using electricity.The meters also are said to have the capacity, properly wired, to enable utility companies to turn appliances in the home on and off so that homeowners could take better advantage of lower power rates in off-peak hours.
What's next? Probably a meter that mows the grass, lets in the cat, and takes out the trash.