Will Network Tasman Ltd do the right thing by its community?

by Katherine | 18 May, 2014 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News, Users Feedback

NETWORK TASMAN LTD PROMOTES “SMART METERS” TO THE LOCAL BOARD IN TAKAKA

On Tuesday May 13, 2014, Andrew Stanton, a representative of Network Tasman Ltd gave a presentation to the local board at the Takaka Fire Station.  The reason for the  presentation was that this lines company, owned by a community trust, plans to install “smart meters” (the company uses the term “advanced meters”, rather than “smart meters”) in homes and business in the Nelson and Tasman areas.  In addition, the company has announced the intention to develop a “region wide communications network (‘smart grid’)” through which information is relayed.

The one hour presentation was accompanied by a Powerpoint slide show and was described as “slick and quick” by a local resident who attended the meeting.  Members of the public were able to ask questions at the presentation and were told that they would be given answers to written questions at a later date.

Further information about this meeting will be posted when it is available.

SUE GREY MEETS WITH NETWORK TASMAN LTD

Lawyer Sue Grey* also met with Network  Tasman staff during the same week. This was a private meeting.

At the meeting she presented her own Powerpoint slide show which can be downloaded at the link below.

Sue Grey’s Powershop Presentation on Smartmeters for Network Tasman

Sue Grey’s own account of the meeting is below:

I was invited to my own private meeting with the CEO and two senior employees of Network Tasman yesterday following my objection to having a smart meter and my explanation why I did not want one.

I prepared a power point summary which I presented at the meeting (I’m happy to share it if you want it). I also left them with a copy of Dr Sophie Walker (of Crown Research Institute ESR)’s most recent (Aug 2013) biannual review of recent EMR research, key points of which I had summarised during my presentation.

“They listened and even asked some questions, however I fear that they will default back to the status quo of money before health.

Crux of key comments/conversations (not necessarily exactly word for word):

NT: If we don’t install smart meters then the power companies will.

SG: What if you go public and state that you have decided not to install them due to public health concerns? You are a community-owned company, you have a great opportunity to make an important stand.

NT:  CEO looking absolutely terrified: “The power companies will install them anyway.”

SG: Make them tell the  public why they are putting money ahead of public health. Well, let them, and let them explain.

NT: We appreciated your presentation but you should not have said we are hiding behind NZS2772:1 1999.

SG : Well, you are. It is an outdated and unsafe standard

NT: Are you also worried about safety risks from electrical supply?

SG: Yes I am, and I am aware of people who suffer greatly within their own homes already, and that NZ regulation is very lax about how wiring is set up. However I am here today to try to prevent new sources of harm that will add to any existing problems

NT: We only will transmit every 4 hours (house smart meter to relay or/and house to local network.)

SG: You only send power bills once a month- so why do you need to transmit any more often than that?

NT: Our clients  consumers want it

SG: By consumers do you mean the public or the power companies

NT: No clear response

SG: (they clearly mean the power companies).

NT: In Christchurch most of Meridian’s customers who have smart meters check the computer feedback regularly during the day.

SG: Are you telling me that people’s lives have become so boring that they have nothing better to do than check their smart meter feedback? Are you talking about private consumers or corporate users?

NT: Everyone … we think

NT: We are not aware of anyone who has suffered health effects from smart meters since they have been rolled out in Christchurch

SG: How hard have you looked? Perhaps I can help you with that.

Site editor’s comments:  Personally I find it difficult to believe the claim by Network Tasman Ltd that the “smart meters” that they want to install in people’s home will transmit only every four hours.The company’s website states that “future benefits” of having a “smart meter” include “real-time information to drive smarter electricity choices.”.

I doubt that “real time information” in this context means that the “smart meters” will be transmitting data about electricity use only once every four hours, or if they are, this will only be for a short time, after which they will transmit much more frequently.  In Auckland, some electricity companies (such as Mercury Energy) have advertised one of the benefits of having a ‘smart meter” as being able to check on electricity use every 30 minutes, which suggest the meters must transmit every half hour (if not more frequently.)

However, Network Tasman Ltd’s website already includes statements of dubious veracity*, so it appears that either some of its staff are not well-informed about the “smart meter” issue – or the company may perhaps be trying to conceal unpalatable facts about “smart meters” from the public.

So, the question remains…will Network Tasman persist in its plan to roll out “smart meters” and the “smart grid” despite the potential threat to people’s health posed by the exposure to additional electromagnetic radiation?  Or will it do the right thing by its community and re-certify analogue meters that are in good working order – or install brand new analogue (Ferraris) meters?

*See these links for discussion of information about Network Tasman Ltd

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/in-the-nelson-or-tasman-area-smart-meters-are-not-a-government-requirement/

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/network-tasman-there-are-no-privacy-concerns-with-smart-meters-yeah-right/

*Here in Sue Grey’s own words is how she came to be interested in the EMR issue:

I live in Network Tasman area but only became aware of their intention to force smart meters on their customers by a story in the Nelson Mail.

I wrote expressing my concerns and NT eventually responded by inviting me to meet with them.

My interest in EMR issues arose in 2008 after I was asked to assist my local community to investigate and then help the community oppose a proposal by Telecom to put a new cell tower approximately 5m from the sandpit at Atawhai Playcentre. This led to a petition by Sarah Allan and 3100 others to parliament and a response in November 2009 by the Local Government and Environment Committee recommending a review of NZS2772:1 1999 and of the composition of the Government’s Interagency Advisory Committee on the Health Effects of Non-Ionising Radiation to remove vested interests from the Committee (eg the Telcos and other economic interests who are currently on it) and to add community and health advisors.

The then Minister Nick Smith and his Cabinet rejected these proposals.

The advantages of “smart meters”

by Katherine | 5 May, 2014 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News, Users Feedback

Electricity companies often include statements to the effect that “smart meters” are advantageous for consumers because they help people gain “control over”   or “better manage” their use of electricity.  For example, from  Network Tasman’s website page on “smart meters”:

“Over time it is expected that your electricity retailer will share your electricity usage information with you, so that you can make better decisions about how you use electricity in your home or business. Having this information will give you greater control over your energy bills an understanding of where further efficiency gains can be made – allowing you to save money. ” http://www.networktasman.co.nz/Main.asp?ID=17 [Emphasis added]

(NB:  if you are in the Nelson/Tasman area served by this company you may be under the mistaken impression that “smart meters” are compulsory; they are not:  See these links for details: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/in-the-nelson-or-tasman-area-smart-meters-are-not-a-government-requirement/ and www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/network-tasman-there-are-no-privacy-concerns-with-smart-meters-yeah-right/ )

While knowing what your energy consumption is like at any given moment may help people to save money, (such as by turning off lights and appliances when they are not needed, for example) most people who do not want their electricity bill to be higher than necessary do this anyway. It’s a commonsense practice.  No one needs a “smart meter” to be able to be able to make sensible decisions to reduce unnecessary electricity use – and thereby minimise their electricity bill.

The real motive for the introduction of “smart” meters may ultimately be what would be colloquially known as “price gouging”.

As WEL (which serves the Hamilton and Waikato area and has been rolling out “smart boxes”*) recently stated in one of its updates (WEL Smart Networks April 2014 Update.pdf):

“Our Smart Network has enable the introduction of optional pricing in the way it is able to measure site-specific information allowing us to introduce different prices for consumption based on offpeak or on-peak hours.  We have offered retailers time-of-use pricing plans with the option of  passing this flexible pricing plans with the option of passing this flexible pricing model on to customers, empowering our customers with more control options over their energy consumption.” [Emphasis added]

Time-of-use pricing is, in fact, far from “empowering'”.  It typically means that a higher rate is charged for electricity at peak times, i.e. when you most need to use electricity, it is more expensive.  (By contrast at a time when electricity demand is lower, i.e.in the middle of the night when most people need to sleep, the price of electricity will be lower.)  With time-of-use pricing, a typical family’s electricity bill could easily rise even if they do not increase their electricity consumption.

This scenario, which most people would find unacceptable and some would describe as “price gouging” is being spun by the electricity industry as helping to give people “control over their energy consumption”.

Some NZ electricity companies currently offer different pricing plans, some of which offer different tariffs at different times of the day.  At the moment these are options, rather than being mandatory.  Don’t count on time-of-use pricing to remain optional, however , or for the government to come to the rescue of struggling households (or businesses that cannot change the time of day at which they need to use electricity, and theref0re face excessive costs.)  No, the government is all for the “smart grid”.

In a report by the Electricity Commission, “Advanced Metering Infrastructure in New Zealand: Roll-out and Requirements” (3 Dec. 2009) the purported benefits of “smart meters” are extolled:

“‘Smart’ electricity meters, and the infrastructure that accompanies them, can provide a richer information base with which consumers can make better decisions about electricity use. The functionality in ‘smart’ electricity meters allows consumers to participate in the electricity market by allowing them to respond to market signals by altering their consumption patterns.”

“Those ‘smarter’ meters can also provide better information to electricity lines companies about network performance and consumers consumption patterns, allowing better management of networks and more informed investment decisions. ‘Smarter’ meters can also allow retailers to offer a range of tariff options to consumers that:

“(a) financially incentivises consumers to respond to market signals in the form of tariff pricing by altering their consumption patterns to reduce delivered electricity cost;

“(b) allows tariff changes to be carried out remotely. Before smart meter technology, changing tariffs required a site visit and a physical change of meter; and

“(c) provides information to consumers that allows them to choose the best pricing plan for them.” [Emphasis added]

The Electricity Commission considers this differential pricing to be beneficial because it will force people to use less electricity at peak times as many people won’t be able to afford it. This allows the electricity industry to reap the profits from time-of-use pricing while delaying investment in any new generation capacity needed if NZ’s population continues to increase.  (Too bad if air pollution in cities increases because people can’t afford to run electric heaters on winter afternoons and evenings and therefore burn coal instead or people  in low income households can’t afford to eat hot meals.)

“Developments in AMI have the potential to allow additional peak demand to be managed, delaying the need for investment in new generation, transmission, and distribution,”  states the Electricity Commission.

The government has now created a special “smart grid” forum to move ahead plans for “smart” meters and the “smart grid”.

 http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/electricity/new-zealand-smart-grid-forum

Yes, “smart” meters have a lot of advantages if you are an electricity company.

If you are a member of an ordinary family or run a small business (which can’t negotiate with the government for enormous discounts on your electricity), you will be bearing the costs of the implementation of the  “smart grid”, will be exposed to additional electromagnetic radiation from “smart meters” and associated infrastructure, and may have higher power bills to boot.  What a great deal! (Not.)

* More information on WEL “smart boxes” here: 

www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/hamiltons-wel-energy-starts-smart-box-installation/

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/wel-smart-box-installation-prevented/

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/is-the-wel-smart-box-a-way-to-facilitate-smart-water-metering/