Smart meters don’t really come up in everyday conversation,
though in some states the topic is drawing attention from
lawmakers and concerned citizens. These devices were
originally intended to modernize the power grid, helping
reduce energy costs and save power, though critics are now
citing health risks, privacy concerns and that costs are
actually increasing. This backlash is causing delays in
rolling out the new technology, while investigations unfold
surrounding the issues raised by the concerned homeowners.
The question is, should you really care about smart meters?
In short, yes!
Smart Meters and Why You Should Care
A smart meter is an electronic device that records energy
consumption or usage on a constant basis and transmits this
information to a central service, such as your power
company. The concept is simple, record more granular data
and upload it to the power company without having the meter
reader come out to your home or office. The energy industry
believes this will help the consumer make smart choices
about saving energy, ultimately reducing your electric bill
and lowering the strain on the power grid. Not to mention
the power companies will be saving money from having to
employ someone to come out and read your meter.
Smart meters sound like a
good idea at first, though there have been some concerns
raised recently that has the attention of state and local
lawmakers. The concerns range from compromised privacy to
higher costs, rather than savings and some cite health
issues from increased electromagnetic fields. We will
explore each of these concerns to see if these smart meters
are ready for primetime.
Cencerns Over Smart Meters on The Rise
These meters collect power usage, data at the granular level
to help create personalized power plans, which is thought to
lower costs. That granular data is at the center of the
privacy concerns, since it can tell when you turn on the TV
or hot tub or if you may be away from home for an extended
amount of time. With limited security precautions in place,
this could become a significant concern to those that think
of their home as a safe and private place.
A quick web search on smart meters will yield stories of
health issues associated to the installation of these
wireless devices. While there is no known risk from an
individual unit, which can be similar to being exposed to
other wireless technologies, the question arises when you
are constantly surrounded by electromagnetic fields, since
each home would have them installed. These electromagnetic
fields have been known to cause health issues, including
cancer, putting smart meters under the consumer microscope.
Don’t jump off the deep end though, there is no research we
could find linking these devices directly to health issues,
but the concern does exist nonetheless.
While less than 1 percent of consumers opt-out of the smart
meters, those who do, face the possibility of fees levied
against them. For example, a power company in California
charges a $75 onetime fee and an additional $10 per month
fee for using the older meters. These fees have caused a
consumer backlash, bringing local lawmakers to the rescue.
The Governor of Vermont is soon expected to sign legislation
allowing consumers to opt-out without paying any fees,
according to a report by the Huffington Post .
Be Smart About Smart Meters
Based on everything we can find, more research should be
done about the safety of these new smart meters. There are
now websites dedicated to stopping the spread of smart
meters which is sure to give some pain to the local power
companies. While we encourage methods of energy efficiency,
there is still enough doubt on these technologies to
question the motives of the upgrade. Bringing the old
phrase to mind “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
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