Smart Meters
Per the U.S.Energy Information Administration (EIA), as of 2022, U.S. electric utilities had installed about 119 million residential and commercial advanced ("smart") metering infrastructure (AMI) devices, and about 73% of total residential electric meters were AMI meters. Electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures from these devices include both dirty electricity(DE) and radiofrequency (RF) radiation, and may be on up to a 24/7 basis :
"AMI includes meters that measure and record electricity usage at a minimum of hourly intervals and that provide the data to both the utility and the utility customer at least once a day. AMI installations range from basic hourly interval meters to real-time meters with built-in two-way communication that is capable of recording and transmitting instantaneous data."
Also per the EIA, the Administration does not publish data on natural gas or water meters - each an additional category of smart meter - and of exposure - in itself.
Smartenergy.com notes that in a new study, Berg Insight reports that at the end of 2023, the overall penetration in North America (the U.S. and Canada) surpassed 80% with 130.6 million smart electricity meters in the US and 15.4 million in Canada, and that "With a compound annual growth rate projected at 3.8% over the period to 2029, the penetration of smart meters in the US should increase to 94% and in Canada to 96% in that year."
Nor do the escalating uses of smart metering technologies show any sign of slowing down :
"Alongside the increase in replacement smart meter projects, the development of smart metering technology in the North American market has recently shifted focus to new demands beyond smart metering, Berg Insight points out.
Utilities are now looking to leverage their existing network canopies for a wider array of smart city applications. They are also addressing how to integrate the rapidly increasing number of electric vehicles and distributed energy resources into the grid infrastructure.
Mattias Carlsson, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight, says the leading vendors are now in a race to develop and successfully market the most compelling use cases for second-generation smart metering technology."
What ARE Smart Meters ?
Why Are They a Problem - And What Can You Do About It ?
Since 2006, utility companies have installed millions of smart meters in American homes and businesses, with little real notice, explanation or public discussion. While earlier "analog" meters were read just once monthly by a company employee, the new digital "smart meters" send readings electronically, hundreds, even thousands of times a day
Many scientists have health and safety concerns about these meters ; and many people have experienced distressing symptoms after they were installed. By the end of 2023, as noted, more than 146 million smart meters had been installed in the U.S. and Canada alone. But the quiet - and troubling - history of this rollout is mostly unknown
The resources below describe this history, the technology, the health concerns and your options concerning smart meters in your home or workplace.
Smart Meters : Technology, History and Health Concerns
Per the U.S.Energy Information Administration (EIA), as of 2022, U.S. electric utilities had installed about 119 million residential and commercial advanced ("smart") metering infrastructure (AMI) devices, and about 73% of total residential electric meters were AMI meters. Electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures from these devices include both dirty electricity(DE) and radiofrequency (RF) radiation, and may be on up to a 24/7 basis :
"AMI includes meters that measure and record electricity usage at a minimum of hourly intervals and that provide the data to both the utility and the utility customer at least once a day. AMI installations range from basic hourly interval meters to real-time meters with built-in two-way communication that is capable of recording and transmitting instantaneous data."
Also per the EIA, the Administration does not publish data on natural gas or water meters - each an additional category of smart meter - and of exposure - in itself.
Smartenergy.com notes that in a new study, Berg Insight reports that at the end of 2023, the overall penetration in North America (the U.S. and Canada) surpassed 80% with 130.6 million smart electricity meters in the US and 15.4 million in Canada, and that "With a compound annual growth rate projected at 3.8% over the period to 2029, the penetration of smart meters in the US should increase to 94% and in Canada to 96% in that year."
Nor do the escalating uses of smart metering technologies show any sign of slowing down :
"Alongside the increase in replacement smart meter projects, the development of smart metering technology in the North American market has recently shifted focus to new demands beyond smart metering, Berg Insight points out.
Utilities are now looking to leverage their existing network canopies for a wider array of smart city applications. They are also addressing how to integrate the rapidly increasing number of electric vehicles and distributed energy resources into the grid infrastructure.
Mattias Carlsson, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight, says the leading vendors are now in a race to develop and successfully market the most compelling use cases for second-generation smart metering technology."
What ARE Smart Meters ?
Why Are They a Problem - And What Can You Do About It ?
Since 2006, utility companies have installed millions of smart meters in American homes and businesses, with little real notice, explanation or public discussion. While earlier "analog" meters were read just once monthly by a company employee, the new digital "smart meters" send readings electronically, hundreds, even thousands of times a day
Many scientists have health and safety concerns about these meters ; and many people have experienced distressing symptoms after they were installed. By the end of 2023, as noted, more than 146 million smart meters had been installed in the U.S. and Canada alone. But the quiet - and troubling - history of this rollout is mostly unknown
The resources below describe this history, the technology, the health concerns and your options concerning smart meters in your home or workplace.
Smart Meters : Technology, History and Health Concerns
|
|
Health Risks Posed By Smartmeters The research on why smart meters pose public health risks due to their radio frequency radiation (RF) emissions. Recommended action while you're on this page : sign up for the Newsletter of Environmental Health Trust |
|
Smart Meters 101 Excellent overview of the smart meter dilemma - including ways to resist having one on your home or workplace. Page created by the activist group Smart Meter Education Network. |
|
|
"Smart Meters" Learn the basic facts about smart meters, share what you learn with others and work together with them for change. Recommended Action : while you visit this page, join the mailing list of EMF Safety Network
|
|
FAQ : “Smart” Meter Basics What is a smart meter ? How does it affect your health ? How can you fight having one put on your home ? Great information page created by the group Stop Smart Meters ! |
|
"Take Back Your Power" is a full length film on the smart meter issue, including the history of this technology - which as noted above, you won't hear much about anywhere. Includes information on health effects of RF radiation - and how the U.S. stacks up against other countries in its allowable exposure limits. Highly generous of filmmaker Josh del Sol, we feel, to post the film on YouTube for free. Use Fullscreen mode for best viewing !
"Take Back Your Power" is a full length film on the smart meter issue, including the history of this technology - which as noted above, you won't hear much about anywhere. Includes information on health effects of RF radiation - and how the U.S. stacks up against other countries in its allowable exposure limits. Highly generous of filmmaker Josh del Sol, we feel, to post the film on YouTube for free. Use Fullscreen mode for best viewing !
|
FIGHT Smart Meters : Take Action ! Don't accept getting harmed by a smart meter in your home or workplace environment. This page offers advice on what to do if you still have an older model (and safer) analog meter and want to keep it - or already have a smart meter, and want to get rid of it.
It also gives guidance on how to complain to your Public Utility Commission in any state, and to - Find and work with others who have similar concerns - for maximum effect. |
It also gives guidance on how to :
- Complain to your Public Utility Commission in any state.
- Find and work with others who have similar concerns - for maximum effect.
There's a learning curve here, and work to do. But the learning curve is doable, and you don't have to do it alone. Recommended Action : Study this page, watch the videos, connect with others ..... and FIGHT !
PROTECTIVE Measures : What You Can Do Now
- Complain to your Public Utility Commission in any state.
- Find and work with others who have similar concerns - for maximum effect.
There's a learning curve here, and work to do. But the learning curve is doable, and you don't have to do it alone. Recommended Action : Study this page, watch the videos, connect with others ..... and FIGHT !
PROTECTIVE Measures : What You Can Do Now
|
Smart meters are a serious health concern, but also just one of the powerful EMF sources in our environment. In our opinion EMF requires a comprehensive approach, of which no part may safely lack. Here are two articles of ours on ways to protect yourself and your loved ones - many inexpensive or free : EMF Overload : Protect Yourself ! Protect Yourself II : Exposures Reduction |
Smart Meters and Your Health : Measures You Can Take Now !
There are steps you can take to reduce EMF exposures in your life, build up your health and resistance to their effects, take part with others in EMF safety activism ; but these things also take time - and some exposures are unavoidable despite all our efforts. Fortunately there are also effective technologies to reduce or neutralize their effects on us. This article presents some we've researched and use ourselves :
Smart Meters and Your Health : What You Can Do Now