Dive Summary:

• The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), which is responsible for electricity on the Hawaiian island, has reportedly installed 17,500 smart meters on the way to replacing old units at 33,000 homes and businesses.
• The $11 million project is being made possible by a U.S. Department of Energy grant.
• KIUC is facing pushback, however, as 2,297 customers have asked to have their smart meter installations deferred.

From the article:

"... In addition, the smart meters allow service to report real-time energy usage, and can be turned on and off from the KIUC office, so new customers will no longer have to wait at a residence or business for a service technician to show up and turn on the power — or worse, to cut off power for delinquent customers. ..."