Yeah zilverwolf, that is my concern with this method as well. I like a compact base, and setting up a line of redstone to act as a power meter doesn't really fit.
But it sounds like KL is going to remove the penalty for turning off your dynamos, so the point will eventually be moot.
Well not *entirely*. The energy in the buffer doesn't need to go away, but any partial fuel energy/steam will in fact dissipate. As it stands, there's little incentive to actively turn them off, since the penalty is so steep.