What is a Smart Meter? and Why should you care?
Click Here to for Action Steps handout- which type of meter do you have, steps if you don't want one
Smart or enhanced electric meters are a new type of meter which replaces your existing analog electric meter to record the amount of electricity you are billed for. Utilities all over the world are replacing the older analog meters with new so called "smart" meters as part of a new "smart" electric grid. The new meters send a radio frequency signal (wi-fi) into your home to detect which appliances and electronics, even lights are on, and when they are on, and sends this information through special collecting stations in your neighborhood and on the the utility company. I eliminates the jobs of you friendly meter reader who comes around to check the numbers on your meter- this is one big reason why the company says the meters save money- they get to cut jobs. In reality electric customers are not reporting that their actual electric bill goes down, in fact just the opposite, some customers have seen bills skyrocket, increasing 200%, 400%, even 1000% over their bills before the new meters. There are other problems. The meters emit pulses of electromagnetic radiation, the same type of radiation your cell phone or wi-fi internet modem emits, which is classified by the World Health Organization as a class 2B carcinogen- the same classification as lead and DDT. But with a smart meter, you can not shut of this source of radiation. It is sent into your home in pulses 24 hours a day 7 days a week. These meters have also blown up during power surges and caused house fires. The house fires which have ignited from these meters are particularly scary because they start outside of your home, and can grow in walls and attics where your smoke detectors are unable to detect them and warn you. Fire Chiefs in Reno and Sparks Nevada called for an investigation of the meters after a 61 year old woman died in a house fire where a smart meter was a potential cause, click here for more information on that and other fires. Lastly there are huge concerns over privacy as these meters harvest thousands of pieces of data a day on which appliances you use, at what times, when you are home or away, even when you watch television, and this information is available to whomever the utility company wants to sell or give it away to as well as the government, and any hacker who can gain access to the system. The vulnerability of the entire electrical grid may be in jeopardy as with these meters electricity can be shut off remotely from any computer which can hack into the signal. So, do your homework, watch the film Take Back Your Power, go to stopsmartmeters.org, or takebackyourpower.net, or simply search any of the issues I have raised in this article and you will find organizations all over the country who are organizing in their communities and asking for a choice about this new technology. Inform yourself so that you may make an informed choice about whether you want to take the risks posed by this new technology. If you decide you do not want a new smart meter, or want to get rid of the one you mat already have, act fast, click here for more information on what to do.