Speaking of “Smart Meters”... (this is a trigger for us! LOL!)
Quite a few years ago now when they first came out here in my home state of Maine, I’d heard some horror stories about them, everything from their causing some real sensitive people to get headaches from them to catching homes on fire. Yikes! Plus we were perfectly happy with our old analogue meter. Add to that, because of the smart meters, they would be cutting out many jobs for those who came out monthly to “read the meters”. My husband who is a mathemagician when it comes to numbers was always able to read our meter after the reader came out. He’d do a double check. Those who opted for the smart meters, or didn’t know they had a choice, later were getting screwed royally on their electric bills. So much so that we have a face book page all about how many people our local CMP (Central Maine Power) has not responded to many of their customers complaints about the new meters jacking up their bills. It all came to a head a couple years ago when the Public Utilities Commission was forced to investigate. But it was like the wolf checking in on the sheep. Nothing much came of it. As it stands our Electric company has most of their shareholders in Spain. We have a hard time trying to figure that one out! But I digress... long story short, even though our Electric bill is high, at least we still have our old analogue meter. The reader comes and reads it every month. With the implementation of smart readers, they were coming only every 3 months to read our analogue. When the bills were not adding up right, we complained and they now come every month like they used to.
The interim election last week, we tried to vote CMP out, in favor of “Pine Tree Power” where the people of Maine would eventually own the power company like a co-op. Sadly it got voted down. The big conglomerates in Spain had way more money to throw into the ring than PTP. Also, the Unions voted against it. And so progress and improvements as always move at a glacials pace.
Gosh, Gail, I'm so sorry to hear about your smart meter nightmare! Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
We'd been resisting having a smart meter for ages, and when we finally gave in to what had evolved from encouragement from the electricity company to a full-on onslaught of communications. When they had first turned up a few months ago to fit the smart meter on which they had been so insistent, they took one look at our motherboard and refused to touch it. They insisted that the supply company come and check it over and send them a report, and when THEY then turned up they had no idea what the electricity company had been talking about.
The onslaught continued - culminating in a threat to take our old meter away entirely - and we gave in last week. We are very fortunate in that we have been able to keep our old tariff - we have Economy 7, which is a much cheaper overnight rate, so we run the dishwasher and washing machine then. Others we know with smart meters have had to change tariff, so we count ourselves very lucky!
🤗 It sounds like you had a bigger issue surrounding your meter than we did. I wish our country had this “Economy 7” rate you speak of. It seems I do remember years ago reading to do our laundry and other electrical usage during “off peak” hours. But I have an electric stove and was not about to start preparing my meal at ten o’clock at night.
Now if our Electric company offered cheaper rates for converting to the smart meter, I’d maybe consider it. I would love to invest in solar for our home. There are a lot of solar farms around here, but hooking into them, I have not had a good explanation as to how our rates would be cheaper even though we would still have the same transmission from our electric company. We would have to pay the solar company and get a small discount of sorts because we are using them, but then we’d still get a bill from CMP. So it would be two bills a month instead of one. But if we bought our own solar panels, we could pay it off, like a monthly car payment, and it would be ours after about 5-7 years plus get a small stipend back from CMP. It’s all rather confusing and we’re still looking into it.
As I understand it, the Economy 7 tariff isn't available any more if you're changing contracts/meters/providers/moving house etc etc, but we've been on that rate for yonks and yonks and my husband is a jolly good negotiator! They'd told him at first that we were no longer eligible for it, the cheeky so-and-sos! Jim told them otherwise... 😁
My parents have solar panels, so they do the reverse of what we do by timing all THEIR heavy electrical use for day light hours! 🤣
Hey Rebecca, you could save a lot of money if you just did the dishes yourselves. Forget the dishwasher. I don't use one. My hands work just fine for the small amount of dishes I have with two people (My Mom). 🤣 Unless you two have a huge amount of items.
Thanks, Matt! In fact I do wash up the odd bits and pieces during the day (glasses and mugs, mostly), but I'm an avid rinser, so I use the dishwasher for the larger-scale stuff like plates, pots, pans and Tupperware, and I know that using a dishwasher uses less water than if I were to wash and rinse that kind of stuff by hand. Like you, we're a household of two, but I do a huge amount of large-volume cooking so as to have a stock of homemade ready-meals in the freezer. I love to cook!
Really? Before we had a dishwasher I did the dishes, and it added up to a couple of hours each day. My readers were complaining about the lack of new material. Life's too short, Matthew.
This is what I don't understand about companies in the US. Why don't they have shareholders in our own country? It seems like other countries are trying to take us over and make us play by their rules. It doesn't make much sense to me. And you would think that the actual citizens that use the service would have a say. But that turns out not being the case.
This is what we were trying to do, get rid of a greedy company that raises rates arbitrarily, and has a power outage rate higher than some other states. But it got voted down in the special referendum. The big corporation in Spain had mega spending power and Pine Tree Power was grass roots. But they did get a lot of attention. It’s not over til it’s over and the grass roots are still growing.
The bit about counting? Superb. The T and E meeting? Also superb. (My brain? Currently winding down for bed - not superb!!). That video!! Of the ice!!! Wow!!! A fun read, as always. Thanks SO much. 🤗🤗😘😘🌼🌼
There's so much goodness here, Rebecca, and good-hearted teasing. But, the SYMMETRY!! Do we need an intervention? I shouldn't presume that for you, but sometimes I think it for me. Wonderful read. The correspondence is such fun.
"forgive me: I cannot possibly review such a volume on the brief pages of this letter, for the very idea of so exhausting a task has given me quite the headach¹. Upon my word, sir, I feel a pressing need for my phial of aromatic vinegar." Superb!! And, PLEASE, toss out that smart meter! I mean, really, Rebecca, is life so full of comfort we can now deny ourselves light and warmth!. All these diabolical little devices incessantly nag at us -- it can't be good for the soul.
I love books with scribbles and annotations, especially Jane Austen's who seems to always have a protagonist who steps out for a walk in the rain and catches her death, or near-misses! Despite the so-called smart meter, do stay nice and cosily warm...💛
I thought that was cool too about offering the repair man tea. 👍 A few times when I've had servicemen at my place for repairs, I've offered them bottled water. They were sweating and it was only natural for me to offer it.
No, there were prominent people who wanted to standardize English spelling, but I don't think there was widespread acceptance of that until later in the 19th century.
I hope this finds you well and planning another outing either with the Honourable James your husband, or your friend the estimable Lord Terence of Castle Freedman.
I must offer profound apologies for taking as long as I have to make commentary. Simply, the house has been in uproar and much unravelling of sensibilities has occurred.
It took time to wind them up again and proceed in a calm manner. I refuse to bore you with the detail. Much nicer to think of things like Jane Austen's writings, and of the Puddlegate Affair.
Did you know that Jane Austen's books are much loved by me and I often think I would like a sprigged muslin gown and Spencer jacket to wear on my sojourns through the park.
I fancy that the hem of my gown would not appreciate Lord Terence's Puddlegate.
My kindest regards to the Honourable James and to yourself and I have fervent hopes that one day, we are able to meet in The Tearooms.
I took the delivery of your missive with such delight, and reciprocate wholly your most generous compliments!
And nay, your apologies are indeed superfluous. Please do not trouble your fair mind with such unnecessary sentiments, for I understand completely the irritations of those household pursuits which so drain time which would be oh so much better spent on dancing, reading and needlepoint.
We are verily quite the prettiest ladies in our tastes for sprigged muslin, dear Prue! I so enjoy how my lace-trimmed skirts skim the flowers as I walk in summer. And lo, I find myself aghast at the thought of staining their hems in the unpleasantry of puddles.
As I write this I am imagining your traverse across the ballroom in red chiffon, a remembered portrait of you which pleases my sensibilities immeasurably. I wish you and the members of your esteemed household a delightful Sunday, and anticipate your next letter with equitably fervent enthusiasm.
My dear Rebecca, I revel at being called Prue and not the dastardly 'Aunt Prudence', and thank you for your swift reply.
The footman who delivered the missive was quite inordinately breathless and I gave him a quick snifter to restore him for the return journey with this lightweight missive.
I shall write longer in due course but must write to my friends, Sabrina and Elizabeth, with whom I am sure you are familiar. Take care, dear friend. Do not get lost again.
The sweet attention you paid to the wellbeing of your footman does you great credit, for his breath had been quite restored by the time he delivered your note to me on his silver salver. I fear that another snifter so soon might be damaging to his efforts, so might I suggest you caution him to rest awhile and to send any further missive via your under-footman.
I just saw something on "The Weather Channel" here in the USA about clear ice. It was amazing seeing the rocks underneath. The person was walking across the ice and you could hear it cracking. They said you had to be careful when you did it.
We have resisted the call to install a smart meter. We've been threatened (subtly), blackmailed (subtly) and advertised to (unsubtly) but we like sending in our readings and having full control.
I will be reading Mansfield Park next.
More importantly though: how could you write in a book with a PEN???????😱 Sacrilege! Philistinism! I am writing to The Times about it.
LOL - we'd resisted for ages, and then they started threatening to just take out our old meter so that we'd HAVE to.....!!! Mind you, I'm going to set Jim up on an exercise bike if he gets any more stringent with his terms and conditions surrounding our electricity use.... Holden Heights will soon be powered by leg-propelled dynamo! I'll report back.
Re writing in pen - I was a kid. Sorreeeeeeeeeeee....... It was a really silly pen to use, actually, because of bleed-through. Biros/ballpoints/fibretips etc etc were banned at school, so in terms of pen choice it had to be fountain pen or no pen at all. Okay, yes, a pencil would have been a) fine on such absorbent paper and b) permitted under school rules, but to be honest the pen would have been the most convenient implement I'd had to hand at the time.
Any future annotations will be made in pencil. Forgive me!
Exercise bike is a good idea. We had one, and we got loads of exercise moving it from one room to another. Hooking it, and Jim, up to generate electricity is a great idea. I haven't told Elaine yet, but I'm planning to erect a water mill in our garden and have the cats walk round and round generating power, just like in the old days.
I thought it was illegal for them to just come and take your meter away. They have to get in to the property first. Just put a sign up saying Beware of the dog.
I think the point that EDF had been trying to make was that our old meter would have very soon become obsolete, 'and then you won't have one at all, will you, Mr Holden?' *sighs*
LOL re moving your exercise bike from one room to the next! I can only imagine! 🤣
Thanks so much! 🤣 We have such fun writing these letters - and I never know where they're going to go next! 😊
In fact I can claim no credit for the line - I'd quoted it from Terry's letter to me!
https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/reply-to-rebecca-24
Typical.
😂
Always enjoy your banter with Terry!
Speaking of “Smart Meters”... (this is a trigger for us! LOL!)
Quite a few years ago now when they first came out here in my home state of Maine, I’d heard some horror stories about them, everything from their causing some real sensitive people to get headaches from them to catching homes on fire. Yikes! Plus we were perfectly happy with our old analogue meter. Add to that, because of the smart meters, they would be cutting out many jobs for those who came out monthly to “read the meters”. My husband who is a mathemagician when it comes to numbers was always able to read our meter after the reader came out. He’d do a double check. Those who opted for the smart meters, or didn’t know they had a choice, later were getting screwed royally on their electric bills. So much so that we have a face book page all about how many people our local CMP (Central Maine Power) has not responded to many of their customers complaints about the new meters jacking up their bills. It all came to a head a couple years ago when the Public Utilities Commission was forced to investigate. But it was like the wolf checking in on the sheep. Nothing much came of it. As it stands our Electric company has most of their shareholders in Spain. We have a hard time trying to figure that one out! But I digress... long story short, even though our Electric bill is high, at least we still have our old analogue meter. The reader comes and reads it every month. With the implementation of smart readers, they were coming only every 3 months to read our analogue. When the bills were not adding up right, we complained and they now come every month like they used to.
The interim election last week, we tried to vote CMP out, in favor of “Pine Tree Power” where the people of Maine would eventually own the power company like a co-op. Sadly it got voted down. The big conglomerates in Spain had way more money to throw into the ring than PTP. Also, the Unions voted against it. And so progress and improvements as always move at a glacials pace.
Look forward to your next posts. ❤️
Gosh, Gail, I'm so sorry to hear about your smart meter nightmare! Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
We'd been resisting having a smart meter for ages, and when we finally gave in to what had evolved from encouragement from the electricity company to a full-on onslaught of communications. When they had first turned up a few months ago to fit the smart meter on which they had been so insistent, they took one look at our motherboard and refused to touch it. They insisted that the supply company come and check it over and send them a report, and when THEY then turned up they had no idea what the electricity company had been talking about.
The onslaught continued - culminating in a threat to take our old meter away entirely - and we gave in last week. We are very fortunate in that we have been able to keep our old tariff - we have Economy 7, which is a much cheaper overnight rate, so we run the dishwasher and washing machine then. Others we know with smart meters have had to change tariff, so we count ourselves very lucky!
🤗 It sounds like you had a bigger issue surrounding your meter than we did. I wish our country had this “Economy 7” rate you speak of. It seems I do remember years ago reading to do our laundry and other electrical usage during “off peak” hours. But I have an electric stove and was not about to start preparing my meal at ten o’clock at night.
Now if our Electric company offered cheaper rates for converting to the smart meter, I’d maybe consider it. I would love to invest in solar for our home. There are a lot of solar farms around here, but hooking into them, I have not had a good explanation as to how our rates would be cheaper even though we would still have the same transmission from our electric company. We would have to pay the solar company and get a small discount of sorts because we are using them, but then we’d still get a bill from CMP. So it would be two bills a month instead of one. But if we bought our own solar panels, we could pay it off, like a monthly car payment, and it would be ours after about 5-7 years plus get a small stipend back from CMP. It’s all rather confusing and we’re still looking into it.
As I understand it, the Economy 7 tariff isn't available any more if you're changing contracts/meters/providers/moving house etc etc, but we've been on that rate for yonks and yonks and my husband is a jolly good negotiator! They'd told him at first that we were no longer eligible for it, the cheeky so-and-sos! Jim told them otherwise... 😁
My parents have solar panels, so they do the reverse of what we do by timing all THEIR heavy electrical use for day light hours! 🤣
Hey Rebecca, you could save a lot of money if you just did the dishes yourselves. Forget the dishwasher. I don't use one. My hands work just fine for the small amount of dishes I have with two people (My Mom). 🤣 Unless you two have a huge amount of items.
Thanks, Matt! In fact I do wash up the odd bits and pieces during the day (glasses and mugs, mostly), but I'm an avid rinser, so I use the dishwasher for the larger-scale stuff like plates, pots, pans and Tupperware, and I know that using a dishwasher uses less water than if I were to wash and rinse that kind of stuff by hand. Like you, we're a household of two, but I do a huge amount of large-volume cooking so as to have a stock of homemade ready-meals in the freezer. I love to cook!
Really? Before we had a dishwasher I did the dishes, and it added up to a couple of hours each day. My readers were complaining about the lack of new material. Life's too short, Matthew.
🤣 Dare I say slowpoke.
😂
🤣
Even with a cat for a dish sponge and two even more absorbent felines to use as tea towels, Terry? Come on!
They wriggle, that's the trouble
This is what I don't understand about companies in the US. Why don't they have shareholders in our own country? It seems like other countries are trying to take us over and make us play by their rules. It doesn't make much sense to me. And you would think that the actual citizens that use the service would have a say. But that turns out not being the case.
This is what we were trying to do, get rid of a greedy company that raises rates arbitrarily, and has a power outage rate higher than some other states. But it got voted down in the special referendum. The big corporation in Spain had mega spending power and Pine Tree Power was grass roots. But they did get a lot of attention. It’s not over til it’s over and the grass roots are still growing.
The bit about counting? Superb. The T and E meeting? Also superb. (My brain? Currently winding down for bed - not superb!!). That video!! Of the ice!!! Wow!!! A fun read, as always. Thanks SO much. 🤗🤗😘😘🌼🌼
Awwww, thank you so much for your lovely comment, Beth! Thank YOU for reading - you're such fabulous support! 😊
Hope you had a good night's sleep! 😴
There's so much goodness here, Rebecca, and good-hearted teasing. But, the SYMMETRY!! Do we need an intervention? I shouldn't presume that for you, but sometimes I think it for me. Wonderful read. The correspondence is such fun.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth! 😊 And, well, let's just say that symmetry is very much a THING... 🫣🤣
"forgive me: I cannot possibly review such a volume on the brief pages of this letter, for the very idea of so exhausting a task has given me quite the headach¹. Upon my word, sir, I feel a pressing need for my phial of aromatic vinegar." Superb!! And, PLEASE, toss out that smart meter! I mean, really, Rebecca, is life so full of comfort we can now deny ourselves light and warmth!. All these diabolical little devices incessantly nag at us -- it can't be good for the soul.
Thanks, Sharron! I had such fun channelling my inner Austen for that paragraph! 🤣
It was good, I'll give you that. Austen lives!
And I thought I'd only turned 49... are you telling me that I was actually born in 1775? Should my cake have had 247 candles?! 😲
🎂🔥🧯🚒
Yes
🙄
You know how much I love glimpses of your notes, Rebecca! Your marginalia was a treat :)
You're so kind, Jillian - that means so much to me! Thank you for reading! 😊
I love books with scribbles and annotations, especially Jane Austen's who seems to always have a protagonist who steps out for a walk in the rain and catches her death, or near-misses! Despite the so-called smart meter, do stay nice and cosily warm...💛
Thanks, Mya! I agree with what you've said about Austen's treatment of her delicate heroines - it's a wonder so many of them survive! 🤣
Rebecca, Love this. Also a tip and a shoutout: You'd love https://austenconnection.substack.com
Mary, thank you so much! I'm going to be exploring The Austen Connection in depth - that's brilliant! 🤩
Ooh, that might be useful to me, as I've started on an Austen binge. I'll check it out. Thanks
You always give me a giggle Rebecca! And what a nice gesture to make the repair man a cup of tea...hope it's up and running. :)
I thought that was cool too about offering the repair man tea. 👍 A few times when I've had servicemen at my place for repairs, I've offered them bottled water. They were sweating and it was only natural for me to offer it.
Hi Matthew,
I hear you. What a kind and generous act...to pay attention and notice others.
Cake, too....! 🤫
What a lovely gesture to offer water, too - that's kind. 😊
I’m just teaching Northanger Abbey this week--so much fun.
😃
I've recently started reading it. Loving it! Do you write about it? I'll have a look
I haven’t yet, but I will in a few weeks in my “clapping back to misogyny” series.
jolly dee, cos I've just subscribed!
Thanks!
By all accounts, Austen was either an atrocious speller or a devotee of the creative spellings of the day.
Yes! I certainly need to look at some of her words twice, that's for sure!
Were all the spellings standardised at that time?
No, there were prominent people who wanted to standardize English spelling, but I don't think there was widespread acceptance of that until later in the 19th century.
My dearest friend, Rebecca,
I hope this finds you well and planning another outing either with the Honourable James your husband, or your friend the estimable Lord Terence of Castle Freedman.
I must offer profound apologies for taking as long as I have to make commentary. Simply, the house has been in uproar and much unravelling of sensibilities has occurred.
It took time to wind them up again and proceed in a calm manner. I refuse to bore you with the detail. Much nicer to think of things like Jane Austen's writings, and of the Puddlegate Affair.
Did you know that Jane Austen's books are much loved by me and I often think I would like a sprigged muslin gown and Spencer jacket to wear on my sojourns through the park.
I fancy that the hem of my gown would not appreciate Lord Terence's Puddlegate.
My kindest regards to the Honourable James and to yourself and I have fervent hopes that one day, we are able to meet in The Tearooms.
My dear lady,
I took the delivery of your missive with such delight, and reciprocate wholly your most generous compliments!
And nay, your apologies are indeed superfluous. Please do not trouble your fair mind with such unnecessary sentiments, for I understand completely the irritations of those household pursuits which so drain time which would be oh so much better spent on dancing, reading and needlepoint.
We are verily quite the prettiest ladies in our tastes for sprigged muslin, dear Prue! I so enjoy how my lace-trimmed skirts skim the flowers as I walk in summer. And lo, I find myself aghast at the thought of staining their hems in the unpleasantry of puddles.
As I write this I am imagining your traverse across the ballroom in red chiffon, a remembered portrait of you which pleases my sensibilities immeasurably. I wish you and the members of your esteemed household a delightful Sunday, and anticipate your next letter with equitably fervent enthusiasm.
Yours ever,
Rebecca
My dear Rebecca, I revel at being called Prue and not the dastardly 'Aunt Prudence', and thank you for your swift reply.
The footman who delivered the missive was quite inordinately breathless and I gave him a quick snifter to restore him for the return journey with this lightweight missive.
I shall write longer in due course but must write to my friends, Sabrina and Elizabeth, with whom I am sure you are familiar. Take care, dear friend. Do not get lost again.
With affection,
Prue.
The sweet attention you paid to the wellbeing of your footman does you great credit, for his breath had been quite restored by the time he delivered your note to me on his silver salver. I fear that another snifter so soon might be damaging to his efforts, so might I suggest you caution him to rest awhile and to send any further missive via your under-footman.
😂
I just saw something on "The Weather Channel" here in the USA about clear ice. It was amazing seeing the rocks underneath. The person was walking across the ice and you could hear it cracking. They said you had to be careful when you did it.
I'd never heard of it before - absolutely amazing! 🤩
We have resisted the call to install a smart meter. We've been threatened (subtly), blackmailed (subtly) and advertised to (unsubtly) but we like sending in our readings and having full control.
I will be reading Mansfield Park next.
More importantly though: how could you write in a book with a PEN???????😱 Sacrilege! Philistinism! I am writing to The Times about it.
LOL - we'd resisted for ages, and then they started threatening to just take out our old meter so that we'd HAVE to.....!!! Mind you, I'm going to set Jim up on an exercise bike if he gets any more stringent with his terms and conditions surrounding our electricity use.... Holden Heights will soon be powered by leg-propelled dynamo! I'll report back.
Re writing in pen - I was a kid. Sorreeeeeeeeeeee....... It was a really silly pen to use, actually, because of bleed-through. Biros/ballpoints/fibretips etc etc were banned at school, so in terms of pen choice it had to be fountain pen or no pen at all. Okay, yes, a pencil would have been a) fine on such absorbent paper and b) permitted under school rules, but to be honest the pen would have been the most convenient implement I'd had to hand at the time.
Any future annotations will be made in pencil. Forgive me!
Exercise bike is a good idea. We had one, and we got loads of exercise moving it from one room to another. Hooking it, and Jim, up to generate electricity is a great idea. I haven't told Elaine yet, but I'm planning to erect a water mill in our garden and have the cats walk round and round generating power, just like in the old days.
I thought it was illegal for them to just come and take your meter away. They have to get in to the property first. Just put a sign up saying Beware of the dog.
I think the point that EDF had been trying to make was that our old meter would have very soon become obsolete, 'and then you won't have one at all, will you, Mr Holden?' *sighs*
LOL re moving your exercise bike from one room to the next! I can only imagine! 🤣
I meant to say: "Holden Heights":😂
ok, forgiven.
this time