Smart Meters Start Getting Hacked → Re: Not a smart meter problem

So what. The utilities already have to pay more during peak hours. They're just passing on the cost where it belongs instead of having everyone subsidize peak usage.

That's why they add the "Fuel Adjustment" fee to the bill. I suspect that they will bill for peak usage and not do away with the "Fuel Adjustment" or "Meter Reading" fees.

It's not about fuel. It's about demand.

The suppliers add a demand charge during peak usage. This has nothing to do with fuel. This has to do with scrambling to fire up additional generation capacity to take care of that peak demand. It's more complex than that but that's essentially what it boils down to.

Your utility currently absorbs this and spreads this among all customers. That's not really fair. With smart meters and demand based billing, the heavy peak users will pay for their peak usage while those who decide to conserve during peak hours won't have to pay for peak users.