image courtesy of Pepco
In case you tossed the mailing without reading it, Pepco has a gift for you. A fancy new “smart meter” that will help you be more energy efficient and help them do their jobs better. The new meters are equipped with technology that allows two-way communications between your home or business and Pepco, which means more accurate billing, more information for you on your daily usage, and the ability for Pepco to respond more quickly and thoroughly when you need them. The smart meters will also alert Pepco that your power is out – right now, you have to call them to let them know.
At a recent ANC meeting, a few neighbors voices some concerns about the safety of smart meters and had a few questions that hadn’t occurred to me, so I figured I’d try to get a few of them answered for you.
First, here’s how the installation of the new meters will work: Pepco will send you a letter to notify you that they will be coming at some point in the following one to four weeks. Most people do not need to be home for the installation since many meters are located on the exterior of their house, but if the Pepco worker finds that your meter is not accessible from outside, he or she will leave a door hanger with information on how to schedule an appointment for them to return when you are home.
When the installer arrives, he or she will knock on the door to see if anyone is home in order to alert them to the very brief service interruption. Your power should only be off for a few second or a few minutes, so you’ll need to reset your clocks, but not much else should be affected.
If you rely on life support and cannot have your power interrupted, you need to register in Pepco’s Emergency Medical Equipment Notification Program. If you are registered, they will not disconnect your power without first scheduling an appointment. And if you work from home and cannot handle an unscheduled service disruption, you can schedule an appointment by contacting Pepco at 202-833-7500.
One concern of mine was, if they came on a hot day, how can people with pets do ensure that the AC comes back on so their pets are not left in a sweltering house? Chris Taylor, Pepco’s public affairs manager, assured me that “Pepco installers are trained to listen for an air conditioning unit. If they hear an air conditioning unit is in use, installers wait 30 seconds between removing the old meter and installing the new meter. This wait allows ample time for the air conditioning unit to decompress.” He also noted that they have found that HVAC units do turn back on. If you have window units, as I do, which do not automatically turn back on, you are probably best to call them at 202-833-7500 to schedule an appointment.
Most of the basic questions are answered on a section about smart meters on Pepco’s website. You can find out how to prepare for installation, learn more about their accuracy, find out about the radio frequency fields and data protection, and see answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
I spoke with Taylor about a few additional questions that I had after looking through the website and learned that:
- The new meters will not be able to notify Pepco of any outages until full activation is complete in April 2012, so until then continue to report outages at 877-PEPCO-62 (877-737-2662).
- It will take until April 2012 for everyone to be able to access the new data that allows for daily use monitoring. Once it’s available, you will be able to access it under “My Account” on Pepco’s website.
- In the near future, Pepco will begin offering a number of pricing options, “dynamic pricing,” which will scale rates based on the time of day – peak hours will be more expensive, whereas non-peak hours (late at night when most people are asleep and not using TVs, lights, etc) are cheaper. Taylor explained that Pepco has several pricing proposals that are being reviewed by the Public Service Commission; however, but they have not yet been approved. Once approved, Pepco will launch a comprehensive customer education program to ensure that all customers understand the new pricing plans. It is important to note that customers who elect not to participate in these programs will continue to have the established rates as approved by the Public Service Commission.
There are a few studies circulating the internets that claim that the radiation emitted from the smart meters are dangerous to your health. I was unable to find a study that was anywhere close to reputable, but I did ask Taylor about this for the sake of those that still have concerns. Pepco’s response is as follows:
Pepco is aware that some members of the public may have concerns or questions about the possible health effects of radio frequency (RF) signals sent from smart meters. We want to assure our customers that the potential health issues associated with RF signals from smart meter technologies have been carefully examined and that the smart meters being installed in their homes and businesses are in full compliance with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) radio frequency exposure standards.
In 1996, together with the Federal Drug Administration and other expert federal agencies, the FCC adopted national standards for maximum permissible public exposures to RF fields from cell phones and other devices. Exposures lower than these standards are considered safe levels. The RF fields used by the smart meters being installed by Pepco are in the same frequency range used by cellular and cordless phones (900 MHz & 2.4 GHz), but are at a much lower power and typically occur for less than a total of one minute per day. There is no reliable scientific basis to conclude that the very low power and short duration RF exposures from these meters will cause any adverse health effects. In fact, the vast majority of smart meter installations will result in additional levels of RF that will be less than the natural (non-man made), always present background RF exposure.
Since the wide-spread adoption of cellular phone technology began in the early 1990s, there have been hundreds of studies conducted regarding RF exposure. Federal regulatory agencies have conducted detailed reviews of this scientific research and have not found any convincing evidence of health risks related to RF exposures at levels below recognized standards. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also supporting and reviewing research on this issue.
To learn more about radio technology and safety, visit the Federal Communications Commission website for radio frequency safety at www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety. You can also visit the Federal Drug Administration’s evaluation of RF exposure and health: www.fda.gov/RadiationEmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/HomeBusinessandEntertainment/CellPhones/ucm116335.htm.
If you have any additional questions about the program, you can reach Pepco’s customer service line at 202-833-7500.
The purpose of these meters is three fold. First, the utility saves money by laying off meter readers. Second, it collects usage data on customers, which the utility might be able to sell to marketers and other entities that value the insight provided on what you do in the privacy of your home (“Big Brother”). Finally, this thing called “dynamic pricing.” The intent is to use high rates (in “real time”) to drive consumers off the system during peak hours — typically late afternoon and early evening when temperatures peak and family activities also tend to peak out. Regulators have expectations that customers will respond, and if they don’t, they will jack up the real-time rates until they do, under the pretense that the customer can “save a lot of money by conserving.” You can also save a lot of money on your medical bills by not seeing your doctor. Regulators — and the DC commission is no exception — have lost control of the utilities under their jurisdiction and utilities no longer plan an efficient, reliable, least-cost system that provides affordable energy to consumers. The new “smart” way is to drive consumption off the system whenever there is inadequate supply. The “smart meter” is an oxymoron.
The purpose of smart meters is three fold. First, Pepco gets to layoff meter readers. Second, Pepco can sell customer usage data to marketers or anyone with an interest in the chronology of activities that takes place in the privacy of one’s home, including law enforcement agencies, credit bureaus and the like. Finally, dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing is a regulatory scheme to use high rates to drive people off the system. It is a form of rationing. Regulators — and the DC commission is no exception — have lost control of the utilities under their jurisdiction. Utilities no longer plan and operate an efficient, reliable, least-cost system for delivering affordable energy. Regulators have expectations that customers will respond to high, “real-time” rates and reduce consumption. If customers do not reduce consumption as expected, the regulators will keep jacking up the rates until they do. Regulators and advocates of smart meters (e.g., the manufacturers of the meters) argue that customers can “save money by conserving” at the time of system peaks. System peaks are typically temperature driven and coincide with peak family activities late in the afternoon and early evening. You can also save a lot of money on your medical bills by not seeing a doctor. Smart meters are a gimmick for shifting the burden of a poorly planned utility system and inept regulation onto consumers. The smart meter is an oxymoron.
They have no business knowing when I’m running my grow lights.
SMART METERS LINKED TO CANCER.
Utilities and Health Departments based previous safety claims on World Health Organization (WHO).
But June 2011, WHO says Wireless Smart Meter radiation is linked to CANCER (possible human carcinogen – same as Lead, DDT, etc), and that means it also damages bodies & brains (including children’s) in many ways, other than cancer.
1. WIRELESS SMART METERS – 100 TIMES MORE RADIATION THAN CELL PHONES.
Video Interview: Nuclear Scientist, Daniel Hirsch, (5 minutes).
http://stopsmartmeters.org/2011/04/20/daniel-hirsch-on-ccsts-fuzzy-math/
2. WIRELESS SMART METERS – CANCER, NERVOUS SYSTEM DAMAGE, ADVERSE REPRODUCTION AFFECTS.
Video Interview: Dr. Carpenter, New York Public Health Department, Dean of Public Health, (2 minutes).
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?p=3946
3. THE KAROLINSKA INSTITUTE IN STOCKHOLM (the University that gives the Nobel Prizes) ISSUES GLOBAL HEALTH WARNING AGAINST WIRELESS SMART METERS.
2-page Press Release:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48148346/Karolinska-Institute-Press-Release
MISREPRESENTATIONS OF WIRELESS SMART METERS.
1. The utility information generated by Wireless smart meters is NOT real-time and it is NOT formatted for customer use so it does NOT assist customers to use less energy or lower their utility bills. The information only assists the Utility Company to bill customers and shut off customer power remotely.
2. In countries where Wireless smart meters are being installed, energy use is NOT decreasing, customer UTILITY BILLS ARE INCREASING, there are problems with SECURITY, HACKING, ELECTRICAL FIRES & ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE.
3. The Utility companies are salivating over eliminating the jobs of the full-time-with-benefit meter reader employees and replacing them with phone operators in India and the Philippines who read scripts to customers over the phone for $4 per day with-NO-Benefits. And the savings are NOT passed on to customers.
4. Wireless smart meters are NOT mandated by the US Federal Energy Program, as California’s PG$E pretends.
5. 42 Cities & Counties in California have taken positions AGAINST Wireless smart meters and 13 have passed Ordinances prohibiting Wireless meter installation.
ALSO: every appliance has or will have its own electronic signature, so yes, Wireless smart meters will give your exact activity information to the utility company and the government will have access to every move you make in your home. Existing analog meters only provide total usage and therefore protect your privacy.
High-tech home robbers (and HIGH-TECH CHILD MOLESTERS) will also hack this information and know exactly your habits and when you are not home (and WHEN YOUR CHILDREN ARE HOME).
MISREPRESENTATIONS OF WIRELESS SMART METERS.
1. The utility information generated by Wireless smart meters is NOT real-time and it is NOT formatted for customer use so it does NOT assist customers to use less energy or lower their utility bills. The information only assists the Utility Company to bill customers and shut off customer power remotely.
2. In countries where Wireless smart meters are being installed, energy use is NOT decreasing, customer UTILITY BILLS ARE INCREASING, there are problems with SECURITY, HACKING, ELECTRICAL FIRES & ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE.
3. The Utility companies are salivating over eliminating the jobs of the full-time-with-benefit meter reader employees and replacing them with phone operators in India and the Philippines who read scripts to customers over the phone for $4 per day with-NO-Benefits. And the savings are NOT passed on to customers.
4. Wireless smart meters are NOT mandated by the US Federal Energy Program, as California’s PG$E pretends.
5. 42 Cities & Counties in California have taken positions AGAINST Wireless smart meters and 13 have passed Ordinances prohibiting Wireless meter installation.
ALSO: every appliance has or will have its own electronic signature, so yes, Wireless smart meters will give your exact activity information to the utility company and the government will have access to every move you make in your home. Existing analog meters only provide total usage and therefore protect your privacy.
High-tech home robbers (and HIGH-TECH CHILD MOLESTERS) will also hack this information and know exactly your habits and when you are not home (and WHEN YOUR CHILDREN ARE HOME).