Can a Smart meter kill me? Facts you Would Like to Know
Can a Smart Meter Kill Me? and other smart meter facts you need to know.
by Don Ames
The Smart Grid needs the Smart Meter and the Power Companies need both if they are going to be able to supply our future electric needs. In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a few black outs from time to time and your home power bill keeps going north.
I hear that a number of people are really objecting to the new Smart Meters, even to the extent of asking if the meters are physically dangerous. This reminds me of the picture of the lady standing on the street curb asking the street repair crew to stop making so much noise because it was dangerous to her young children. It was a little difficult to take her seriously because of the burning cigarette in her hand. Let’s take a minute and examine more about the Smart Meter.
What is a Smart Meter?The Smart Meter replaces your electric ( and/or gas ) meter at your home. It is visibly different in just one way, it has a digital display instead of a spinning wheel below five little dials. Yes, it looks a little more high tech. How about cellphones, they look a little more high tech too, but we don’t complain that they are out to get us. Now, instead of having a meter reader come around once a month and get the dog barking, the Smart Meter transmits an electronic signal ( RF radio frequency ) back to the power company every 15 minutes.
The main concern people have been expressing have to do with RF ( radio frequency ) emissions, privacy, and meter accuracy. So, why are power companies switching to Smart Meters? Well, it’s like everything else, comes down to the bottom dollar. Smart Meters allow a smart grid to function. A smart grid means cheaper and cleaner supply and demand for all of us.
The Good:
1) Customers can save energy and money by using the smart meter signal to track their electrical usage. Lifestyle changes, appliance choices, and using time-of-use rate structure ( time-of-day lower rates ), all benefit the customer. Google/powermeter is working hard to make this free application available to more people. Currently, customers of San Diego Gas & Electric are the lucky ones.
2) Households using the smart meter to lower energy use helps reduce the power companies peak demand. This reduces the number of new power plants that they have to build. The smart meters also allow the power companies to take advantage of a smart grid. The Smart Grid is a more efficient way of getting the power from the plant to the homes that need it right now.
3) Customers get help in reporting power outages and other supply problems. The Smart Meters report problems and report just where the problems are occurring.
4) No more meter readers, no more cars running, no more once a month visit.
The Bad: Maybe:
1) The Smart Meter uses ( RF ) radio frequency signals to send the usage data. On the average, a Smart Meter puts out 0.01 microwatts every 15 minutes. In comparison, your WiFi puts out 10 to 20 microwatts. PG & E says you would have to live with a Smart Meter for more than a 1,000 years to get as much exposure to radio waves as a typical cell phone user gets in one month.
2) There has been claims that customers electrical usage goes up when Smart Meters are installed. The Public Utility Commission got involved and perform an extensive study. Their report confirmed that the Smart Meters are accurate and are not being manipulated for financial gain by the power companies.
3) Poor communication from the power companies to the consumer. In some areas, consumers are being notified that their meter is going to be changed and that is about all. The consumer was not told, whether or not, the new digital meter is a Smart Meter and was not educated on the new meters purpose or operation.
In the long run, you will be sorry if you do not make friends with your new Smart Meter. The smart grid is here to stay and Smart Meters are a necessary component. If you and I embrace the technology, we can indeed use that technology to control are electrical usage and our power bills. This is one case where you need to join’em to lick’em.
Hey, thanks for reading this article, come back soon, but remember, I won’t be leaving the light on for you! by Don Ames, host of detectenergy.com, your web site for home energy savings. Stop by and sign up for my free weekly newsletter.