Finally -- my brain being very sluggish, since I've just come home from a very busy workday -- I realized that you were resident of a different country.
So there you have individual meters that charge you AS YOU USE your electricity -- rather like our cell phone minutes?
Dear GOD I'd hate that. Electricity and water and gas should just flow, and I pay every month for what I've used, with no nagging.
We have both prepaid and the more traditional you-get-a-monthly-bill electricity here.
The prepaid system actually works out pretty well, and it's no more hassle than, say, paying rent. About once a month I buy electricity online and it gives me a 20-digit code I punch into the meter. It's certainly more convenient if move, because all you need is a new meter number and you don't have to worry about changing address details with the power company and such.
But not with your described issue of "wake me at 2AM to remind me to feed the meter". Someone wakes me up at that hour without warning, I go into HULK SMASH! mode.
CASHPOWER CIU3 BACKLIGHT DISPLAY
anonymous
June 20 2011, 12:36:57 UTC
===While I am on the topic, it would be much appreciated if future versions of this device would include a backlit display so that when one is dragged from bed by the insistent call of the electricity meter, one does not have to fumble for a light source before investigating===
The LCD back-lighting turns on whenever keys on the keypad are pressed. It is possible to select back-lighting to be permanently on, or only on for 30-second periods following a key press.
Press and hold key ‘1’ on the keypad for 5 seconds. At the end of this period the buzzer beeps once (backlighting disabled) or twice (backlighting enabled).
***Note that the currently selected mode setting is retained even if power is removed from the customer interface unit.
Comments 5
-- murmur
Reply
Finally -- my brain being very sluggish, since I've just come home from a very busy workday -- I realized that you were resident of a different country.
So there you have individual meters that charge you AS YOU USE your electricity -- rather like our cell phone minutes?
Dear GOD I'd hate that. Electricity and water and gas should just flow, and I pay every month for what I've used, with no nagging.
Reply
The prepaid system actually works out pretty well, and it's no more hassle than, say, paying rent. About once a month I buy electricity online and it gives me a 20-digit code I punch into the meter. It's certainly more convenient if move, because all you need is a new meter number and you don't have to worry about changing address details with the power company and such.
Reply
But not with your described issue of "wake me at 2AM to remind me to feed the meter". Someone wakes me up at that hour without warning, I go into HULK SMASH! mode.
Reply
The LCD back-lighting turns on whenever keys on the keypad are pressed. It is possible to select back-lighting to be permanently on, or only on for 30-second periods following a key press.
Press and hold key ‘1’ on the keypad for 5 seconds. At the end of this
period the buzzer beeps once (backlighting disabled) or twice (backlighting
enabled).
***Note that the currently selected mode setting is retained even if power is removed from the customer
interface unit.
Reply
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