For those who are wondering what a smart meter is and why people are not happy about them, weâve put together a summary to help quickly understand the main issues surrounding them.
What is a âsmart meterâ? Look at the photos at the top of this website. The meter on the left is an âoldâ analog meter used for measuring electricity usage. The meter on the right is a âsmart meterâ. It has a digital read-out and sends out wireless signals so that two-way communication with the utility can take place.
âSmart meterâ is the commonly used term for the digital, wireless meter, but they are also called âadvanced metersâ. The bigger system is called a âsmart gridâ or âadvanced metering systemâ. These digital meters are being used to measure electricity, water, & gas usage. The biggest use across the country, & probably the globe, is for electricity.
Anytime a business offers, or in this case forces, a product to the masses, they must find ways to make people believe they are getting benefits from that product. Some of the claims made by utility companies:
1) This meter will constantly monitor your electricity/water/gas usage and allow the customer to see what they are using to help them use less.
2) The constant monitoring of usage will allow an electric utility to charge customers according to when they use electricityâhigher rates during peak times (during the day) & lower rates at off-peak times (at night), thus allowing the customer the opportunity to save money.
3) The utility will be able to monitor & pinpoint leaks (water) and outages (electricity) more quickly and efficiently.
Utilities are forcing everyone to have these meters, providing no way to opt-out for any reason. If you express that donât want one, the utilities ignore you. If they need to, they sneak on your property while you arenât home.
The problems with smart meters are too numerous to list here, and it seems more are being discovered on a regular basis. This is just a highlight of the biggest issues.
PRIVACY
Electrical usage is measured at least every 15 minutes and is wirelessly sent to a remote (far away) location. Itâs extremely easy for anyone to tell when you wake up in the mornings, when you are at work, when you get home, how often you wake up in the middle of the night, and when you are on vacation. In Texas, a website called SmartMeterTexas.com allows you to login and see your usage data. But itâs extremely easy for anyone to set up or log into that account. There is also no indication that the data is encrypted while itâs being transmitted.
Utilities have bragged publicly that they can disconnect anyoneâs electricity remotely without having to send anyone out in person. They have also bragged that they can and will remotely turn off individual appliances in your house if they choose. With this much power in one central location, and no protections or security, it would be enormously easy for a hacker, or the government, or the utility, etc. to do whatever they want to to the whole grid or just a few people. Imagine the power that gives government to retaliate against anyone who speaks out against them.
PRICE
Many, many people all over the country have seen their bills skyrocket, sometimes doubling or tripling. They are told that their usage has just gone up. They are given no relief by the Public Utilities Commission (the agency that is supposed to regulate utilities). If they donât pay the bills, they get disconnected.
In California, a group of Stanford students saw their electric bill increase enormously after a smart meter was installedâeven for a period when nobody was home and the breakers were turned off. The electric company said there was nothing wrong. After installing their own measuring device, the students found that the meter was overcharging them 2.5 times.
Then there is the âpeak pricingâ mentioned above. Utilities are bragging that they will be increasing prices when demand is highest (punishing people for using their electricity during the day) and having lower prices when demand is low. So if you donât have the money to afford the luxury of doing your laundry during the day, youâre going to have to stay up at night to do it.
FIRE DANGER
In Arlington, Texas, there were 2 house fires in 2 days caused by smart meter installations. One of those reports details the Oncor (electric company) representative trying to provide excuses and blame the homeowners because their homes are old. The fire department told them to disconnect power before installing the meters to prevent more fires, but Oncor continued on without disconnecting power first.
There have also been multiple reports of people coming home and finding their already-installed smart meters smoking.
In San Bruno, California, in September 2010, an explosion that leveled an entire neighborhood and killed 8 people, was blamed on a natural gas leak. But there is speculation that a spark from a smart meter (the whole neighborhood was fully installed) ignited the leaked gas. Officials have publicly said they will not even investigate the possibility.
UNEMPLOYMENT
One of the biggest benefits utilities get from installing smart meters is they get to fire all their meter readers. The other big benefit is the increased profits from the âpeak pricingâ plan mentioned above.
Other tidbits of information:
âRush Limbaugh doesnât like smart meters because he doesnât want his activities tracked. A group of Democrats has opposed smart meters for the same reason. There are many other groups and individuals from all different labelsâconservative, liberal, environmentalists, libertarians, tea party, etc. that are coming together to try to stop smart meters. As seen above, there is something for everyone to hate in these meters.
âNo one has yet found a smart meter that is UL tested for safety. There is no indication that any other safety laboratory has tested the meters, either. While there are no blanket laws that require electrical products to be safety tested, local and state building codes and laws can have requirements for safety testing.
âWith the governmentâs help, utilities and manufacturers of the meters are keeping critical details of the software and hardware secret so no one can tell exactly what these meters are capable of doing or monitoring. It is suspected that they can identify not just that you turned an appliance on, but what kind of applianceâhair dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.
Please join together and sign this petition." Your health and welfare depend on it"
Thanking You In Advance
Linda Tillotson