A misguided, wasteful project

It is no surprise that the smart meters do not count as renewable, as they do absolutely nothing to reduce emissions and environmental pollution (Smart meters don’t count as ‘renewable’,” Oct. 2). They are simply passive devices that measure consumption.

As a matter of fact, the expenditure of the stated $70 million for Glendale to replace the perfectly functional (and cheaper) existing meters is a monumental demonstration of misplaced priorities.

To my understanding, the main beneficiaries of this project are the vendors of the new meters and the contractors who install them. Glendale Water & Power may derive some benefit from real-time usage information and also save a few bucks on operations. The homeowners and renters will get nothing, as very few people can, or bother to, read the meters; and even those who do can do little to improve their life and energy consumption.

Additionally, I have heard of many horror stories resulting from the installation of such meters in other parts of the country, such as Northern California.

As to the statement that some of the monies spent on this project comes from grants, let us focus on the idea that grants or all other monies spent by the Glendale Water & Power comes from taxpayers.

In my opinion, this has been a misguided and wasteful project.

Theodore Polychronis

Glendale