What the hell is my Xcel power meter telling me? The American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee's recommended bills.
What the hell is my Xcel power meter telling me?
I finally got my new meter from Xcel.**
If you have yours (communicating or not) you may have faced the same problem as I did: what in God's name are all those numbers? Mine flashes between several displays and none of them are labeled, at least not labeled for a layman like yours truly.
Call me mistrusting, but I want to be able to read my meter and check that Xcel is doing its calculations correctly. I want to make sure that I'm getting the right credit for my solar production. I want to make sure my consumption is calculated correctly.
Gotta be able to understand my meter to do that, however, and my current meter is confusing. It toggles around in a series of 6 or so repeating numbers.
Most of those things are probably the same as the thousands of different cycle options on my washer: I'll never need them nor need to know what they do. The one I want is the total consumption so I can make sure my bills are right. It is the total consumption from month 2 less the consumption from month 1 that I pay for in the end. So which is of the flashing numbers is that?
It took two calls to Xcel to get an answer, but I think I finally have a handle on which of the numbers is my total consumption and I think I can safely share that with you in case you wondered.
The link at bottom is to Xcel's PDF on how to read their smart meter displays. If I understood the Xcel rep correctly, this should apply whether you have a communicating meter or not.
I highlighted the number I'm interested in red in screenshot 1 attached. The one in blue is one I used to double check my process.
Let me explain. The term in red will be your net total consumption since the meter was installed. Look for the number 10 to appear somewhere on the screen: the screenshot has it that there is a 10 in the upper left, my actual meter has it in the lower right, but the 10 will be there.
If you want to make sure you that you're reading right (like I did), look for something like the number in blue that I highlight in the screenshot. Look for a 40 somewhere on your screen and then see if the meter has the approximate right time of day. If you find both, you can be reasonably sure that you have this kind of meter and that you're understanding it correctly.
Worse comes to worse, you can do as I did and call Xcel to make sure you are reading right.
Good luck with yours if you're wanting to follow up on Xcel. God knows we need it out there.
**Whether you opt out of getting a smart meter or not, you will get a new meter from Xcel. Why? Good question. If my current meter doesn't communicate and my new one doesn't either, why bother? Ah Xcel, you warm my tired old heart.
P.s. what if you have solar and want to know about your net metering. I'm not an expert, but I think I have (finally--this too took some doing) figured that part out.
My old meter just ran up or down depending on whether I was in a surplus of production or consumption. So in Spring and Fall if I produced 100 units of energy and consumed 90, the meter read 10 less on that day. The reverse happened in Winter when I might consume 100 and produce 90.
If you have a new meter, I don't think you will get numbers that run up and/or down. You will still get credit for running a surplus (or a bill for a deficit), but it shows up on your meter differently now. Keep in mind that the screen flashing a 10 is your total consumption. That number will always go up. Put this in comparison with the screen showing the 20, that is your total production.
I.e. the difference between screen 10 and screen 20 will be your NET power usage. If this difference (as I've defined it) is negative, you're producing more than you consume. If it's positive, you're consuming more than producing.
https://www.xcelenergy.com/staticfiles/xe-responsive/Smart-Meter-Screen-Info-Sheet.pdf
The American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee's recommended bills.
I've posted in the past about interim committees of our state legislature (see the first link below for some context and links if you'd like), and after I saw the CPR article linked second below, I thought a look at what the American Indian Affairs committee is up to would be interesting.
It's a relatively new committee,. having been formed last April--see the third link below for the committee's page. The committee had been looking at 6 bills but, because they're only allowed to forward 3, they had to winnow the list down.
The bills that will be forwarded are ..
--one that extends the life of the committee to 2029
--one that (details needed obviously here but quoting the article) "increase protections for wild bison
--one that would require state agencies to enforce tribal court orders and arrest warrants (remember Indian nations are technically on sovereign land and thus their legal systems are separate from those of the regular state)
Those not passing were ...
--A bill requiring (again, details needed and quoting) "Native American cultural competency training for health care workers"
--A bill clarifying which Colorado laws apply to the Southern Ute tribe
--A bill adding Native American history to the state curriculum
It will be interesting to see what shakes out in the coming legislative session. Of all the ones that got forwarded,** the only one that gives me a pause or some concern is the one about bison.
I'm acutely aware of how wildlife can be used as a lever to accomplish environmentalist/social policy goals without having to directly give do said policy. As such, I can't help but wonder here ...
I suppose time will tell.
**It is still possible for the rejected bills and other bills dealing with Indian affairs to come up in the session, they would just be put forth by individual legislators.
https://open.substack.com/pub/coloradoaccountabilityproject/p/quick-update-on-taking-water-out?r=15ij6n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://www.cpr.org/2024/09/26/american-indian-affairs-committee-bills-bison-law-enforcement-state-legislature/
https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/american-indian-affairs-interim-study-committee/2024-regular-session