On the surface it sounds great but once you start asking questions you’ll quickly realize that these “Smart” meters will raise privacy and health questions. Don’t get snowed over when you’re told they are more “efficient.” That translates to; “Our new meters are so efficient that we’ll ding you for every watt of power we can and your monthly electric bill will actually being going up!”
That is what these smart meters are all about; boosting revenue for So Cal Edison.
The other thing that I am not comfortable with is the fact that these new digital meters have wireless communication to the Edison offices so they can track your usage. That is a bit intrusive for my taste; too much “Big Government” is watching what you do and how much power you’re using.
Then, one of our regular readers sent me a news article from Santa Cruz titled; “PG&E Begins Removing ‘Smart’ Meters Due to Health Effects.” The piece states that; “just as PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) enters the final phase of its deployment of wireless “smart” meters in California, the largest of the state’s Investor Owned Utilities (IOU’s) has reversed course, quietly beginning to replace the ‘smart’ meters of those reporting health impacts with the old trusty analog version.”
According to one report the radio frequency (RF) transmitting meters may not even comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “safety” standards (see the report here).
The article went on to say that the; “Smart’ meters are new wireless utility meters being installed as part of the “smart” grid initiative, spearheaded by technology firms and backed by the Obama administration and the Department of Energy. Promises ranging from lower utility bills to enhanced renewable generation capacity have failed to materialize, with widespread reports of higher bills, privacy violations, fires and explosions, and commonly reported health impacts such as headaches, nausea, tinnitus, and heart problems associated with powerful wireless transmissions.”
The article continued; “Now in a dramatic turnaround that could signal the beginning of a widespread recall of wireless ‘smart’ meters, on October 28th PG&E re-installed a classic spinning disc analog meter on the home of Santa Cruz, CA resident Caitlin Phillips, who had been suffering headaches and other symptoms from her ‘smart’ meter. The move comes in response to verbal directives from the California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey, who recently told members of the public that the utility “will provide for you to go back to the analog meter if that’s your choice.” The CPUC has been slow to respond to thousands of ordinary citizens reporting health effects from the new meters.”
Finally the piece states that; “An “opt-out” proceeding overseen by an Administrative Law Judge is underway at the CA Public Utilities Commission, yet those suffering (in some cases severe) health impacts have been stuck in limbo as utilities refuse to remove the harmful meters upon request- until now.”
At the West Ranch Town Council meeting I peppered the Edison representative with questions and to her credit she did her job by staying on point. She did acknowledge that the new Smart meters would track electric use more ‘efficiently’ which essentially means higher electric bills. The Edison rep claimed that you could track you usage online and adjust as needed to save, which is the spin they are putting on this meter change out.
Personally, I have found that you can do a lot in your own home to cut energy costs by upgrading or changing various appliances. This year we installed a new central air system that is much more energy efficient and our AC costs have dropped by more than 30% year over year.
It is also worth mentioning that smart meters are being blamed for electronics interference in Maine. On the Central Maine Power (CMP) web site, the utility reports that the “meters operate on the same 2.4GHz frequency band used by many cordless phones and 802.11 wireless devices and advises consumers separate interfering devices.” In addition, “CMP advises that interference can sometimes be overcome by changing the Wi-Fi channel used by their router. Routers in the United States tend to use channels 1 and 11.”
As for the new So Cal Edison’ Smart’ meters, we’ll be opting out because we’re quite happy with our analog meters which haven’t failed us yet. Heck, the mechanical meters have been around for decades and they are just fine. I don’t need to track my electric usage online as I track it every month when the bill arrives. Besides, I don’t want anyone else monitoring my electrical usage as it’s none of their business!
Until the health and privacy issues are fully answered and resolved the Southern California Edison’s ‘Smart’ meters are a dumb idea!
Dave Bossert- Commentary
Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.