by Katherine | 21 Feb, 2016 | Latest News
Ninety-six year old retired special education teacher Betty Hooper recently took advantage of living on a main street of her Northland town to help educate her community about the smart meter issue.
She turned her front garden into a smart meter education display, putting up a variety of posters and banners that she and friends had created for the occasion. (See photos, below.)
Betty has been interested in both health and education all her life. Her work with special needs children stimulated an interest in how good nutrition (or lack of it) affects children’s health and ability to learn. She is a member of the Patients Rights Advocates Waikato Incorporated which provides support to people who have chronic health problems, and helps them navigate the maze of the modern medical and social welfare systems.
A talented artist and craftswoman, Betty recently combined her interests in spinning and creating home-made dyes with her quest to educate parents about the value of good nutrition and the importance of avoiding artificial additives. She dyed homespun wool with “Raro” (imitation fruit drink) crystals – and displayed the results at a stall at a health expo as a conversation starter.
The highly coloured crystals make a beautiful, and apparently permanent dye for natural fabrics such as cotton or wool, she says. (NZ allows many artificial colours that are banned in Europe to be included in foods and beverages.)
Betty’s smart meter education display in her garden was a temporary initiative but she is still working on the smart meter campaign by giving out leaflets in her neighourhood.
NB: Please click on the images below, to enlarge them.
Betty with her smart meter display, February 2016
Above: A close up of one of the signs
NB: If you would like to download one of the Te-Reo English posters as used above, you will find this poster on our Resources Page or you can read about it here.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
NB: If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 20 Feb, 2016 | Latest News, Users Feedback
Site editor’s note: Earlier this month I received this email from a lady asking for help as she had developed headaches after moving into a new home with a smart meter on the bedroom wall.
Here is the first email from this correspondent:
“I have recently become aware of the health risks posed by smart meters when moving to my new location in Christchurch.
“A smart meter is directly located on the outside wall of the bedroom and since sleeping in that room, I have been waking up with sharp pain over my right eye with headaches only getting better when I leave the room/ house throughout the day. Upon closer inspection of the smart meter box I felt light-headed, and had difficulty ‘finding words’ when talking.
“I contacted Contact Energy and they are willing to remove the chip from my smart meter for a $125 fee (although at first I received the usual – it’s like sleeping next to your cell phone speech).
“I was wondering if you were aware of any community members in Christchurch (south of city centre) that could possibly perform a RF reading after the chip has been removed to verify that it was ACTUALLY removed?
“Thanks for your help,
“[Name]”
An email discussion ensued while this lady was waiting for the technician from her electricity retailer to remove the modem (the part of the smart meter which produce microwave radiation) from the EDMI Mk7A smart meter. In NZ, this type of smart meter usually communicates through the Vodafone cellular phone infrastructure.
Quoting from a subsequent email:
“…the symptoms have only got worse over the week, so hopefully starting next week I will be able to have a good night’s sleep again.
“I have always been sensitive to EMF sources, although never this aware.
“My husband is closer to wall with the smart meter and I have been waking up on his side of the bed with intense nausea during the night. (I might add: I have not changed eating habits etc.) And now that we have been there for close to three weeks and I have become so tired/ unconcentrated/ exhausted and unmotivated over this short space of time.
I received the following email the day after the technician came to the home and removed the modem
“Unfortunately I wasn’t at home when the electrician called me for the modem removal.
[She had hoped to be home and document its removal –Ed]
“On the upside – today I woke up and for the first time in three weeks there was no pressure feeling in my head and no stabbing pain above my eyes. I am so relieved. My husband noted as well that over the last few weeks the first thing I uttered in the morning was: I have a headache!”
Editor’s comment: In the cases that have been reported to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz, when symptoms develop after installation or a smart meter, or after moving to a new home that has a smart meter, removal of the modem usually results in the resolution of the symptoms.
If you are in this situation, based on reports that I have received, it is important to prioritise removal of the smart meter (and avoid being in close proximity to the smart meter, if possible, while waiting for the removal of the modem. ) This is because exposure to the microwave radiation produced by smart meters has been reported as a possible trigger of electrosensitivity reactions.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25478801
Also: As a general rule beds and work desks (or anywhere else where someone spends a significant amount of time) should be located at least 1-2 metres away from any type of electricity meter, including analogue (Ferraris) meters due to the high magnetic fields associated with the meter and household wiring.
NB: If you are interested in getting updates on the smart meter issue in NZ you can sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
by Katherine | 18 Feb, 2016 | Latest News
The Whangarei Leader has a smart meter letter in its February 16 2016 edition.The letter was written by Clare Swinney who has been measuring smart meter emissions at homes where they have been installed in the city. You may read the Whangarei Leader smart meter letter at the link below.
NB: Click on the image to make it larger.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 17 Feb, 2016 | Information in Other Languages, Latest News
Good news if you would like to express your opposition to a smart meter in Te Reo! We have two Te Reo-English smart meter posters available on the Resources page of our website.
A big thank you to the volunteers who worked together to create these posters by expressing key concerns about smart meters in Te Reo and creating the graphics, and giving permission for the posters to included on this website.
Each of the posters is bilingual, so you will make your point even to people who do not understand Te Reo.
Here is a bit of background information about the posters:
One poster has the following text:
Kia matapoporetia (e te iwi) means be careful of (people) te hangarau aa-papatuhituhi -smart board technology, ka hahana atu- emits, radiates out from, te mate radiation- radiation sickness. Te paahua tenei mahi -This work is a robbery/rip off.
The other poster has the following text:
Kia Tupato kia paa te mate ta koutou tinana i enei mihini hihiko kikino me te utu nunui hoki ou nama/ It translates as: Beware of these bad electrical machines (known as smart meters/radiation emitters) that harm/kill your body, matched by increased bill charges.
The translator of this poster has used vocabulary that will be familiar to people who speak Te Reo as it is spoken in Northland.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 17 Feb, 2016 | Latest News
The excellent website http://smartgridawareness.org/ has just reported on a new study that shows that most consumers suffer a financial loss from smart meters.
This is an important post because not only does it discuss recent research but it also includes links to many other articles about how smart meters can have adverse financial impacts.
Everywhere that smart meters are introduced the electricity industry tries to convince people that having a smart meter will help them save money. Unfortunately, consumers can end up paying for smart meters in many ways, through subsidising their installation through their electricity bill (or in some countries through their taxes), being exposed unnecessarily to the possibly carcinogenic radiation from smart meters and/or developing adverse health effects from the smart meters, such as headaches, insomnia and many other symptoms – and having in some cases, greatly increased bills. (Please see this link for an example of two people who have been adversely affected here in NZ).
To read the full story from Smart Grid Awareness please go to this link:
http://smartgridawareness.org/2016/02/16/consumers-suffer-financial-loss-with-smart-meters/
This link may also be of interest to you https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-meters-time-of-use-pricing-punishes-families/
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 9 Feb, 2016 | Latest News
The Monday February 8th 2016 edition of The Northern Advocate featured a letter about smart meters by local journalist Clare Swinney who has been documenting smart meter emissions in Whangarei. (To read about some of the work that Clare has been doing, please see this link, this link and this link.)
You may read Clare’s letter (and part of other letters) by clicking on the image below:
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 9 Feb, 2016 | Latest News
For all of you out there who are building new homes and want to be smart meter free, there is a good news.
It was recently reported to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz that Nova installed a genuine analogue (Ferraris) meter at a new home for a customer. (Update to this story: The company that installed the new meter for Nova was Legacy Metering Group which offers alternatives to smart meters. You can read about the types of meters available from this company at this link http://legacymetering.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/LMG-Introduction-and-Meter-Models.pdf)
A Ferraris meter is a type of electricity meter that cannot produce microwave radiation and as it has no electronics and therefore no data storage capacity, Time of Use tariffs (see below) cannot be applied to electricity metered through a Ferraris meter.
Below is a photo of the Ferraris analogue meter
TOU tariffs and YOU
One good reason for refusing a smart meter is that the “‘time of use” (TOU) pricing plans that a smart meter installation can facilitate can make electricity more expensive. Please see the link below for details.
Smart Meters “Time of Use” pricing “punishes” families
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 2 Feb, 2016 | Latest News, Users Feedback
Website editor’s note: The following smart meter removal success report was received recently and shows that being persistent pays off in getting rid of a smart meter. If you would like to report your smart meter removal success, you can reach www,stopsmartmeters.org.nz through our Contact Form.
I thought you might like a success story.
I reached an agreement with Contact Energy – after going to the Electricity and Gas Commission, to have my smart meter removed.
The grounds for my case were that the terms and conditions of my contract with Contact had been clearly breached with insufficient notice of installation being given.
The outcome was reached after I repeatedly refused their offers, initially for the chip being removed, then the chip being removed without cost, then an apology and a compensation payment.
As I was unsatisfied with the last offer, I was prepared to take the matter to Court and indicated the same. In the process of the Commissioner making a ruling, two analogue meters were found that could be reinstalled. It pays to keep pushing and to stand firm to your position.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that it is compulsory to have a smart meter installed or that smart meters are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, or the possible health risks many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 1 Feb, 2016 | Latest News
A new study published in Energy Research & Social Science has shown that families with children are among the most vulnerable to “Time of Use” (TOU) electricity tariffs that can be imposed on consumers after the installation of a smart meter.
A good report on how TOU tariffs (which may lead to electricity cost twice as much at peak times as it does at off peak times, and can therefore lead to significantly higher bills with no change in electricity use) can be read at the website Smart Grid Awareness.
Families Punished by ‘Smart’ Meters and TOU Rates, Recent Study Confirms
You may also be interested to rad the link below for more information on TOU pricing as it relates to NZ.
What is Time of Use (Tou) Pricing and how could it affect you?
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
by Katherine | 26 Jan, 2016 | Latest News
Whangarei journalist Clare Swinney has been measuring emissions from smart meters in the city using a Cornet ED 78S model EMR test meter.
At a recent measurement session she detected a pulse of 418,000 microwatts per square metre of radiofrequency (RF) radiation in the microwave range when standing adjacent to two smart meters which had been installed at a friend’s home.
She reported the following via email:
“Since Monday [the day of the testing] my eyes have felt as if they have been fried by the smart meter at Maxine’s which read 418 mW/m sq. It hurt to open the left one this morning. They have felt inflamed since Monday.”
Report from Wednesday, January 20:
“My eyes literally hurt when I went out into sunlight today. A bonus is that I can use them to pick up rf emissions, as they are now sensitive to rf [radiofrequency] radiation.”
A follow-up email on January 21 included the following:
“…when the rf hits my eyes, I feel a burning pain, as I did at [friends’ homes] owing to their wi-fis being on.
“I bought fresh carrots 2 days ago and had 2 large glasses of fresh carrot juice yesterday, using a Breville juice fountain and will have more today. I also am using vitamin C powder and tablets. My eyes are feeling as if they’re getting better today, but there is still pain when I look around, but it was instructive to feel it, to know the damage that can be caused from rf.”
A few days later (January 25) she wrote:
“My eyes still are not 100%, but they feel as if they are in recovery and a lot less sensitive to light than they were last week…”
Looking to the future
Hopefully, this improvement will continue until Clare’s eyes are completely healed. As a results of this experience, she is no longer going to stand near a smart meter if she is measuring RF and instead will set up a tripod to film the meter as it captures the RF pulses. (I would strongly urge anyone else who wants to – or needs to film – an EMR test meter to document smart meter emissions to set up a tripod and stay away from the meter or meters to avoid this type of risk.)
Are you experiencing eye pain?
Based on Clare Swinney’s experience, if you have a smart meter installed at your home (especially in a location where you spend a significant amount of time such as near your bed or work desk) and you have been experiencing eye pain, it is a good idea to consult your doctor and/or optometrist to check for other causes of the pain. However, it may be prudent to consider whether the smart meter (and/or any other wireless devices you have in your home) may be causing (or contributing) to the problem.
Smart meter related health (or other) problems can be reported to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz in confidence
If you have experienced eye problems (or other new symptoms) after a smart meter installation and would like to report them to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz, you can do this through the Contact Form at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
Any reports of smart meter related health issues (or other problems such as fires caused by smart meters reported to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz are treated in confidence and will not be posted on the website unless written permission is given.)
Smart meters are not compulsory in NZ
It is NOT compulsory to have a smart meter in NZ and you can ask your electricity retailer to organise for the smart meter to be removed. Another possible option is for the modem and any ZigBee chip in the smart meter (these are the parts of a smart meter which produce pulses of RF radiation*) to be removed.
You can read about this option at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/comparing-analogue-ferraris-meters-with-smart-meters-which-have-had-the-modem-removed/
Many people in NZ are saying “NO” to smart meters
If you do not already have a smart meter, and do If you do not want to expose yourself to the potential risks of smart meters, which include health and fire risks, as well as higher bills, you may like to read this link to find out about how other New Zealanders are successfully preventing smart meters from being installed at their homes and businesses.
NB: If you would like to keep up to date with information about the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
* also called microwave radiation
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