IS IT TRUE? January 18, 2012

IS IT TRUE that last week the City County Observer published a list of 10 Smart Grid predictions for 2012?…that at the same time that we invited Vectren to submit articles to us to let the public know to what extent that they agreed with the predictions and what if anything they may be doing in the Smart Grid space?…that yesterday we got a response from Vectren and that it was quite practical and God forbid in the best interest of the customer base?…that Vectren’s response in a nutshell was that they had indeed considered changing out all of the electric meters currently used for Smart Meters?…that Smart Meters really only make sense to the utility and its customers if the homes and businesses that are served have Smart Appliances etc. to take advantages of the information that can flow from a Smart Meter?…that the other things that need to be in place to make a Smart Meter worth it has to do with the local grid, the rate structure, and whether or not all of the communication devices are in place to utilize the capacity of the Smart Meters?…that neither of those conditions are in place in Vectren’s service area so the decision was made not to spend over $50 Million to have whiz-bang meters sandwiched between users and infrastructure that are not yet ready to use the Smart Meter to save money?…that we thank Vectren for their response and agree with their decision to wait until there is a real benefit to move forward with this advanced technology?…that doing so would be like selling a Ferrari to a 4 year old?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville should take lessons from Vectren when it comes to committing to Smart Meters?…that the City of Evansville in the last moments of the reign of the OLD BOSS signed up to spend $51 Million to install the water bill equivalent of Smart Meters?…that the paparazzi were not really impressed with the red carpet smiles stating that this $51 Million was really free and that examining the documents further shows that much of what was called saving is actually an opinion that the City of Evansville is now under billing for water due to bad old meters and human error and that the FREE SMART METERS will allow the city to collect more from its customers by measuring the water correctly?…that if there was a leak big enough in one’s yard between the meter and the house that there would be a big hole in the yard to show for it show we think the OLD BOSS bought a PIG IN A POKE to get his picture in the paper and now we have to pay for it?…that we strongly encourage the Winnecke Administration to suspend the $51 Million deal with Johnson Controls until testimony can be heard from other places that installed this and a cognizant recommendation can be made by people with no political agenda?

IS IT TRUE that this writer is learning a bit about the interactions between local and state government in California?…that it on the surface seems to be nearly the opposite of Indiana?…that in Indiana the state government has at least a recent record of frugality and practicality when it comes to budgets but many of the cities have squandered every dollar they could borrow?…that in California it is the state government that has spent the place into a deep hole and that many cities have not followed the state’s lead?…that the State of California recently abolished an agency that is the equivalent to Redevelopment Commissions in Indiana?…that the cities are now squalling like a smashed cat over the fact that new projects will have to be done the old fashioned way of the referendum and bonds?…that as has often been the case, California does things first and the rest of the country will hopefully learn by watching?…that watching the results of the unwinding of redevelopment commissions is worth the eyeballs of Indiana spending some time to see how this shakes out in California?

IS IT TRUE that speaking of shaking that there was an earthquake in Illinois yesterday?…that there have been no quakes recorded in California since the abolition of redevelopment commissions but we suspect that these things are unrelated?