Smart Meters

Smart Meters

Now used by nearly every utility company serving NC, digital “smart” utility meters have replaced analog meters (with tiny dials) and simpler digital meters.

Smart meters transfer detailed information to the utility 24/7 about our power usage, outages and more, emitting wireless radiation (radiofrequency radiation – RFR- like cell phones) in the process to connect to cell towers and then the utility company.

Since these meters do not need to be read manually – eliminating the job of meter readers – it also saves the companies money. However, many problems are associated with smart meters, including increased risks of privacy/cybersecurity issues, fires, and serious health effects – our focus here.

The non-profit organization Stop Smart Meters  has many ideas for tackling this challenge. Stop Smart Meter has a stunning document of the Opt-Out policies of more than 20 U.S. states. Page 16 has a brief note on the NC opt-out policy by Duke Energy, the only utility company currently known in NC to have an opt-put meter. Find the full document here.

Please see our Solutions page for information about Duke Energy in NC, which does have an opt-out program.

While not an analog meter, this digital opt-out meter should not emit wireless radiation. Duke Energy offers two opt-out programs: one that costs a monthly fee, and one that is free of charge after an MD’s note is obtained on Duke’s required form.

Please contact us if you know of other utility companies which are also offering an opt-out program.

 

Safest Utility Meters

The safest utility meters are analog meters (with the tiny dials), which emit no wireless radiation. Currently, utility companies in at least 15 US states provide residents with the option for an analog meter.

StopSmartMeters.org’s page of Frequently Asked Questions has the most comprehensive, on-line source of information on “smart” meters in English, found here.

The EMF Safety Network also has great information, highlighting the health, environmental and fire safety issues related to smart meters, found here. 

The Building Biology Institute (BBI), a non-profit providing education on the science of healthy buildings, has safety standards for wireless radiation (and other EMFs), found here. 

The levels of wireless radiation emitted by smart meters are considered “extreme” according to these BBI standards.

Typically, the radiation emissions from smart meters range from 8,000 to 200,000 μW/m2 at 3 feet in front of the meter. Smart meters also use two frequencies simultaneously (900 MHz and 2.4 GHz), which dramatically worsens their biological effects as they send off a sharp, intense “beacon signal” of radiation, often every 30 seconds.

For those who are already sensitive to EMFs, the radiation emissions from smart meters can be particularly challenging. While cell phones typically emit more radiation than smart meters when held close to the head or against the body, smart meters cannot be turned off, and are usually mounted on homes without the resident’s knowledge.

The most common symptoms associated with consistent exposure to smart meter radiation include sleep disturbances, anxiety, irritability, headaches, ringing in the ears, concentration difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, vision problems, heart palpitations, nerve and joint pain, nausea, and nose bleeds. These symptoms are especially pronounced when the meters are installed outside of bedrooms.

Thanks to Ronald Powell, PhD, for this research.  Dr Powell is a Harvard-educated physicist, retired from the National Science Institute, Executive Office of the President, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

 

Health Concerns

“Clear evidence of carcinogenic activity” 

This was the verdict from an 11-member expert panel in March 2018 about the NC-based National Toxicology Program’s (NTP’s) gold-standard animal study of cell phone radiation — the same wireless radiation emitted by smart meters.

This classification of “clear evidence of carcinogenesis” is the strongest ranking used by the NTP and its parent organization, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). In 2011, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified RFR as a possible human carcinogen and is expected to assign a more serious classification in the future, in light of the NTP study’s findings.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has studied the health effects of environmental toxins – including electromagnetic fields (EMFs) – since its founding in 1965 and recommends: “Because smart meters produce radiofrequency emissions, it is recommended that patients with the above conditions and disabilities (EMF sensitivity) be accommodated to protect their health. The AAEM recommends: that no smart meters be on these patients’ homes, that smart meters be removed within a reasonable distance of patients’ homes depending on the patients’ perception and/or symptoms, and that no collection meters be placed near patients’ homes depending on patients’ perception and/or symptoms.”

Take Back Your Power is an award-winning documentary that tells why many governments are standing against the rollout of “smart” meters. The film examines evidence of in-home privacy invasions, overbilling, health risks, and fires. The film is now free to view on YouTube and highlighted here.

NTP it based in NC’s Research Triangle Park. It is part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Verify Your Opt-Out Meter

Beware: There have been numerous reports of Duke Energy’s opt-put meter still emitting wireless radiation.

The ONLY way to be sure it is NOT emitting wireless radiation is to measure it with a reliable RFR meter or detector. We recommend this highly accurate yet less expensive detector: Safe Living Technologies’ Safe and Sound Classic II, currently priced under $180.00.

Use coupon code Blue-5 for 5% off your purchase, which can at least help with shipping charges from Canada. Here is the link. .