by Katherine | 5 May, 2014 | Latest News, Take Back Your Power
The “smart meter” documentary Take Back Your Power (which won the 2013 Aware Guide Transformational Film of the Year Award) has now picked up a second major award: the Indie Fest Annual Humanitarian Award.
Take Back Your Power follows filmmaker del Sol as he investigates the use of so-named “smart” meter technology, being deployed by utilities and governments to harvest data from within private homes and introduce new pricing schemes. With compelling insight from whistleblowers, government agents, lawyers, environmentalists and doctors, the documentary “exposes corporate corruption and the erosion of human rights in the name of ‘going green’.”
The Indie Fest is a top-tier international awards competition designed to recognize independent creators of fresh, standout films, television programs, compelling documentaries and new media. One film is selected each year for the Humanitarian Award based on its dedication to social justice, humanitarian causes, or environmental issues.
Director and producer del Sol spoke of the award helping to expand the reach of the controversial issue. “The subject matter affects everyone, and the conversation deserves to be squarely in the mainstream,” said del Sol. “Should individual rights take a back seat to the collective? Should energy be an unaffordable privilege, instead of a basic affordable right? And how can corrupt corporatized government systems be held accountable? These are some of the most profound questions of our time.”
For more information see this link: http://www.takebackyourpower.net/news/2014/05/05/smart-meter-whistleblowing-documentary-take-back-your-power-wins-indiefest-annual-humanitarian-award/
You can view or buy the film at this link: www.takebackyourpower.net
If you live in Tauranga you can see the film tomorrow (May 7)! See this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/take-back-your-power-tauranga/
Or check out other community screenings in NZ at this link:
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/2014-screenings-of-take-back-your-power/
by Katherine | 3 May, 2014 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News, Smart water meters, Uncategorized
On Thursday or Friday (April 24 or 25, 2014) I put in a request under the Official Information Act to the Thames-Coromandel District Council for information about the trail of “smart” water meters planned for the town of Tairua on the Coromandel Peninsula during May 2014. I addressed the request to Mr Bruce Hinson, who is the Thames Coromandel Council Infrastructure Manager.
On Wednesday (April 30), I received an email from a member of the engineering team stating that the Council could answer my questions, but it would cost me $114 – and payment was required before they would action the request. (Under the Official Information Act (OIA) councils and other government agencies are allowed to charge for time to prepare answers to OIA requests, but they do not usually do so.) The tone of the email was friendly, so I decided to phone the respondent to discuss the matter, so that is what I did on May 2, 2014.
I spoke at length to a very personable young man who recently graduated from university with a degree in civil and environmental engineering who is working on the “smart” water meter trial. He explained that the Council’s objective in trialing the “smart” water meters was to better manage water for Tairua.
Rationale for the trial of “smart” water meters in Tairua
Water for the town of Tairua is drawn from a river, which naturally carries lower water volumes during summer when demand for water peaks due to an influx of people arriving for summer holidays in their baches. (People “go crazy” washing things, he said, during the two weeks of the year that they live in their holiday homes.) The Thames-Coromandel Council had an obligation under its resource consent for drawing water from the river not to create an excessive impact on the river system, he said, the implication being that “smart” water meters could help achieve this. Currently there are no water meters in Tairua, he said. “Smart” water meters were considered by the team to be a better option than conventional meters because there was no need to physically access the meter box (such as by prying up the meter box cover) to get a reading, and the potential for human error in reading meters was eliminated by the wireless transmission of data.
We did not discuss what other measures, if any, the Council has trialled to reduce or better manage water demand at the peak time of year, such, as for example, public education campaigns to promote water conservation and/or promotion of installation of rain water tanks to supplement the town water supply for some applications. (This was an oversight on my part.)
Technical aspects of the “smart” water meters being trialled in Tairua
The young engineer was excited by the results of the trial so far, in which an initial test had shown that the signal from one of the “smart” water meters could be detected 600 metres from the “smart” meter, despite buildings and trees being in the way between the water meter and receiver.
The “smart” meter chosen by the Council for Tairua is the Sappel Altair Concentric V3 meter supplied in NZ by Hynds. The Council has chosen to use the 434MHz option for the transmission frequency (which presumably means that the Council engineering team has chosen to team up the meters with the Diehl IZAR RC radio transmitter.) 434 MHz is a public frequency also utilised by some common gadgets such as automatic garage door openers. However, the manufacturer of the IZAR RC radio transmitter designed to be compatible with Sappel modular meter states that its transmission range is “500 metres, depending on the environment”, so it is obviously much more powerful than a garage door opening gizmo. (In practice, as above, the transmission range may be longer than the manufacturer’s specifications.)
According to the engineer, the “‘smart” meters chosen will be transmitting every eight seconds. (The battery life of the for the transmitter is claimed by the manufacturer to be 15 years, without any sort of guarantee that this will actually be the case.) The Council is exploring different ideas for reading the meters, I was told. The trial is using a handheld or drive-by system in which a portable device is used to collect the data from the “smart” water meters as they transmit. The transmitters on the meters are unidirectional. One option the Council team is considering for the ongoing collection of data is to have a receiver mounted in the rubbish trucks which make weekly rounds of the towns to collect garbage, thereby eliminating the need for a separate vehicle (or person on foot) to patrol the streets to collect the data. This is considered an attractive option because it would reduce the cost associated with gathering data from the “smart” meters.
Possible implications for privacy if the trial is considered successful
The IZAR transmitters that are compatible with the Sappel meters used in the Tairua trial have the capacity to be used with a fixed “IZAR RECEIVER GPRS/LAN” system which is capable of collecting all the data from “smart” water meters, storing it and then transferring it to a central computer system. If the Thames-Coromandel District Council were happy with the results of the Tairua trial and chose this option for collection of data from “smart” water meters, this potentially raises privacy concerns, since if the meters transmit data every eight seconds, it should be theoretically possible to use the data to work out patterns of activity in a household, based on patterns of water consumption, in a similar way in which patterns of activity in a household can be inferred from electricity use. (See the graphic at this link http://www.smartmeterpowerstruggle.wordpress.com/ for an example of how electricity “smart meters” can compromise privacy, and for a discussion of privacy and home security issues please see these links: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/network-tasman-there-are-no-privacy-concerns-with-smart-meters-yeah-right/ and www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/how-smart-meters-can-help-burglars/.)
Health implications
About 25% of households and businesses in Tairua have been selected by the Council to participate the in trial. (The properties chosen have been selected on the basis of ensuring that they represent different types of properties (i.e. permanent residential, holiday homes and business) and different areas of the town.) By contrast, the trial of “smart” water meters in Tauranga was limited to one suburb. (See this link for a discussion of the trial of “smart” water meters in Tauranga: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-water-meters-in-nz-the-situation-so-far/.)
Considering that each “smart” water meter used in the Tairua trial will transmit every eight seconds around the clock for a distance of up to half a kilometre (or possibly more) at the 434MHZ frequency, the “smart” water meter trial in Tairua may represent an experiment in exposure of an entire town to this particular frequency at levels that are unique in the history of NZ.
People who have electrohypersensitivity (EHS)** may be adversely affected by this trial. Overseas, concern has been raised that exposure to the non-ionising radiation produced by “smart” meters used to measure electricity consumption appears to act as a trigger for the development of EHS in some people. (See: http://skyvisionsolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/aaem-wireless-smart-meter-case-studies.pdf ) In NZ, many of the “smart” meters being introduced for electricity are designed to transmit for longer distances (“a few kilometres”), according to the PDF “Smart-Meter-FAQ-Aug11.pdf” on the website of the Electricity Authority, so electricity “smart” meters are obviously more powerful than are “smart” water meters. Moreover, as the strength of the signal from any “smart” meter declines with distance, “smart” electricity meters which are typically mounted on the wall of a home probably pose more of a risk than “smart” water meters on council property. (Presumably these will be installed in the footpath, as are the conventional “water” meters in Auckland.) However, the possibility that “smart” water meters may trigger EHS cannot be ruled out and the longer term effects of living in an area where “smart” waters meters transmit every eight seconds twenty four hours a day must be considered an unknown.
Possible outcome of the trial
If the trial is successful, conceivably the Thames-Tairua District Council may choose to introduce “smart” water meters in other towns in its region.
Pe0ple in Tairua (or elsewhere in the area administered by the Thames-Tairua District Council) who are not happy with the idea of being exposed to additional electromagnetic radiation from “smart” water meters may wish to notify the Council that they do not consent to the installation of a “smart” water meter to measure water consumption at their home or business. A template that can be personalised may be downloaded from the link below:
FORMAL NOTICE OF NON CONSENT FOR SMART WATER METER
Please share this post with family and friends in this area.
More information on smart water meters in NZ may be found at this post: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-water-meters-in-nz-the-situation-so-far/
**Information on electrohypersensitivity may be found at this link: http://www.es-uk.info/
For a personal story which illustrates how difficult a condition EHS is for sufferers to live with, please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/what-is-it-like-to-live-with-electrohypersensitivity-ehs-one-womans-story/
Health professionals may want to read this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/87308119/Guideline-of-the-Austrian-Medical-Association-for-the-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-EMF-related-health-problems-and-illnesses-EMF-syndrome
by Katherine | 1 May, 2014 | Events, Latest News, Take Back Your Power
Just a reminder that if you are in Tauranga (or have friends and family there) the community screening of the award-winning “smart meter” documentary Take Back Your Power will take pace on May 7.
Please forward this post to everyone you know who may be interested to attend…Thank you!
Details are at this link:
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/take-back-your-power-tauranga/
by Katherine | 27 Apr, 2014 | Latest News, Uncategorized
If you live in Tairua or own a business there, you may have received a letter from the Thames-Coromandel District Council stating that your property has been chosen for a “smart” water meter trial and that any exisiing analogue water meter will be removed from your property and replaced with a “smart” water meter which will be on Council property. The trial of “smart” water meters in Tairua is due to start in May and approximately 25% of homes/businesses have been selected by the Council to participate.
If the “smart” water meters planned to be used in Tairua are the same brand and model as those used in a trial in Tauranga, they may transmit radiofrequency signals as often as every eight seconds and the transmission range may be up to half a kilometer, meaning that people whose properties have not been chosen to be part of the trial may be exposed to radiofrequency radiation from meters on neighbouring properties (or on council-owned land.)*
In addition to the possible health effects from the additional radiofrequency radiation produced by “smart” water meters, “smart” water meters may pose privacy concerns depending on the infrastructure that is used to support their use.
Please read this post for a more general discussion of “smart” water meters (including a discussion of privacy in relation to “smart” water metering):
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-water-meters-in-nz-the-situation-so-far/
If you do not want to be part of the trial, it may be helpful to do the following:
Email to the Council refusing consent for the following:
1) Entry to your property for the purposes of removal of your analogue meter
2) Radiofrequency radiation to be broadcast over your property by your water provider, including to or from any of your neighbour’s properties or to or from council property
3) Installation of any electronic device monitoring the supply of water to your home or business from which patterns of use of water within your home/business could be inferred, thus violating your privacy
You may also want to put a sign on your letter box and/or water meter stating the same.
If you do this, and would like to share the Council’s response, please email through this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
Thank you.
* NB: Details of the make and model and other specifications for the “smart” water meters for the planned Tairua trial will be posted on www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz as soon as they are available.
by Katherine | 27 Apr, 2014 | Latest News, Smart water meters, Users Feedback
Some NZ local authorities are beginning to investigate using “smart” meters to measure water consumption.
A trial was recently conducted in Tauranga (See: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11106076 and https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/smart-water-meters-being-considered-for-tauranga/), and there was a trial of “smart” water meters proposed for Raglan* (which according to Council, did not go ahead). Another trial of “smart” water meters is due to begin in Tairua, on the Coromandel Peninsula, in May 2014. According to the Thames-Coromandel Council website about a quarter of the homes and businesses in Tairua will have their existing analogue meters replaced with “smart meters” as part of the trial.
The Thames-Coromandel Council has put very little information about the specifics of the trial on its website, in terms of information about the meters and their capabilities.
Information obtained under the Official Information Act regarding the Tauranga trial has shown that the meters trialled (Sappel IZAR CP R3.5 868 MHz) use a battery to produce a radiofrequency pulse every eight seconds. While the meters are battery powered which means that the pulse will likely be lower power than emissions from the “smart meters” being introduced for electricity, the “smart” water meters trialled in Tauranga transmit at 868MHz while electricity “smart meters” in NZ typically use the 900MHz or 1800MHz frequency brands, according to the NZ Electricity Authorrty.) The Tauranga trial tested the function of the meters in transmitting to a hand-held or drive-by receiver.
Technical specs for the Sappel IZAR CP R3.5 meter indicate that its transmission range is up to 500 metres “depending on the environment”. While the trial in Tauranga assessed a system where data was collected by a hand-held device or a device in a vehicle being driven down the road, the type of meter tested is compatible with a fixed “IZAR RECEIVER GPRS/LAN” system which is capable of collecting all the data from the meters, storing it and then transferring it to a central computer system. This potentially raises privacy concerns, since if the meters transmit data every eight seconds, it should be theoretically possible to use the data to work out patterns of activity in a household, based on patterns of water consumption, in a similar way in which patterns of activity in a household can be inferred from electricity use. (See the graphic at this link http://www.smartmeterpowerstruggle.wordpress.com/ for an example of how electricity “smart meters” can compromise privacy, and for a discussion of privacy and home security issues please see these links: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/network-tasman-there-are-no-privacy-concerns-with-smart-meters-yeah-right/ and www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/how-smart-meters-can-help-burglars/.)
The French multinational company Veolia has the contract to supply water services for the Thames-Coromandel Council. It seems likely that if the trial in Tairua is successful “smart” water meters could be rolled out in Tairua and other towns in the Coromandel area.
Regardless of the technical specifications of the meters in the Tairua trial, the trial will increase the ambient level of radiofrequency radiation in the town (which would increase still further should the council decide to allow “smart” water meters to be installed in the entire town.) The trial (and any eventual roll-out of the “smart” water meters in the town) could adversely affect people who are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation, such as those who have EHS. (For an example of what it is like to live with EHS, please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/what-is-it-like-to-live-with-electrohypersensitivity-ehs-one-womans-story/
If you are in Tairua and do not want a “smart” water meter monitoring water use at your home or business, an email to the Council refusing consent for entry to your property for the purposes of removal of your analogue meter may be a good first step. You may also want to state that you do not consent to radiofrequency radiation to be broadcast over your property by your water provider, including to or from any of your neighbour’s properties.
*According to www.stuff.co.nz: “In September last year, Mr Ninnes briefed Mr Allen on WEL Networks’ progress rolling out its electricity smart meter technology, and expectations that every property in Hamilton will be connected to the company’s new network through a fully functioning WEL Networks smart box by the middle of this year.
“Mr Ninnes then told Mr Allen he had just brought together a specialist team to develop a smart water meter “proof of concept” to demonstrate the smart boxes could also support water meters, feeding information directly to WEL.
“He discussed a small field trial of smart water meters connected to Raglan properties already hooked up to WEL Networks’ completed smart network.”
SOURCE: http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/9282623/Water-meters-may-be-closer-than-you-think
by Katherine | 27 Apr, 2014 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News, Smart water meters
A 2013 article in the Waikato Times suggests that one reason for the introduction of WEL’s “smart boxes” may be to facilitate “smart” water meters in the Hamilton and Waikato area. Leaving aside the potential health concerns with “smart boxes” and “smart” water meters, introduction of water metering is controversial in Hamilton, due to people’s concerns that it will increase costs. In cities where water meters have been introduced, such as Auckland, water bills may be $80 per month for a family of four – in addition to rates, adding to the cost of living.
According to the Waikato Times:
“In September last year, Mr Ninnes briefed Mr Allen on WEL Networks’ progress rolling out its electricity smart meter technology, and expectations that every property in Hamilton will be connected to the company’s new network through a fully functioning WEL Networks smart box by the middle of this year.
“Mr Ninnes then told Mr Allen he had just brought together a specialist team to develop a smart water meter “proof of concept” to demonstrate the smart boxes could also support water meters, feeding information directly to WEL.
“He discussed a small field trial of smart water meters connected to Raglan properties already hooked up to WEL Networks’ completed smart network.” http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/9282623/Water-meters-may-be-closer-than-you-think
(Site editor’s note: I have since made enquiries about this trial with Waikato District Council and was advised that the trial did not take place.)
If you are in the WEL area, and do not want to have the additional exposure to the radiofrequency radiation produced by a WEL “smart box” you are within your rights to refuse the installation of a WEL “smart box”. For an example of a letter that prevent a WEL “smart box” installation, please see this link: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/wel-smart-box-installation-prevented/
For a general discussion of “smart” water metering in NZ, please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-water-meters-in-nz-the-situation-so-far/
by Katherine | 24 Apr, 2014 | Latest News, Users Feedback
The following email was received in late April 24, 2014:
After receiving notification from EnergyOnline that they were replacing all seven meters on our property with smart/advanced meters, and getting no cooperation from them to accommodate our request to remove the one smart meter on the property and leave the rest as analogue I have spent the last two days ringing power companies.
Contact Energy have agreed to remove a smart meter and to leave the other six analogue meters as they are.
I got curt response from EnergyOnline.
Nova said they were unable to help me.
Powershop were very helpful but could not make any promise to get the smart meter removed although they did say with good reason they would do their best to remove one, and they would not convert meters if the customer didn’t want a smart meter.
Contact Energy, as I say, have said they will remove the smart meter and leave the rest as analogue. The service on the phone (once you get through to someone) was exceptional and could not have been more helpful. Needless to say we have moved our account to Contact.
Site editor’s comment: Even if you have negotiated an agreement with your power company that a “‘smart meter” will not be installed it is a good idea to put a sign on your meter box prohibiting any “smart meter” installation and/or to lock the meter box to prevent unauthorised access. The reason for this is that in some cases, communications stuff-ups (or some other factor) have resulted in “smart meter” installations despite an agreement that a “smart meter” would not be installed. (See this link for an example: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/company-breaks-agreement-not-to-install-smart-meter/.) Once a “smart meter” has been installed, even in error, it can be time-consuming to get it removed.
If you are a customer of EnergyOnline, please read these two posts for important information about the company’s policies about “smart meters” and privacy:
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-meter-installed-without-permission-headaches-result-smart-meter-removed-headaches-disappear/ (Smart meter policy)
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/is-your-smart-meter-spying-on-you/ (Privacy)
by Katherine | 24 Apr, 2014 | Latest News
Overseas, mainstream media is beginning to catch on to how “smart meters” are not a smart choice because of the potential risks they pose to people’s privacy and home security.
See this report from Eyewitness News for details:
http://www.wfsb.com/story/24634259/study-shows-new-mdc-meters-could-help-criminals-burglarize-your-home
For a discussion of privacy as it relates to the NZ “smart meter” situation, please see this link: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/network-tasman-there-are-no-privacy-concerns-with-smart-meters-yeah-right/
by Katherine | 22 Apr, 2014 | Latest News
Before she developed electrohypersensitivity (EHS) – also sometimes termed electrosensitivity or ES – Sarah Dacre ran a TV production company and employed seventy people. During her free time she enjoyed active hobbies such as tango dancing, skiing, hiking and working out at the gym.
However, her life changed in 1994 when she began to suffer from severe headaches, which she initially attributed to stress. More symptoms followed and Sarah sought help from a variety of health professionals – but gradually became sicker and sicker…until she was finally diagnosed with EHS in 2004, thanks to her son and partner going online to try to find the cause of her chronic, and by this time, disabling, illness.
Sarah Dacre told her story to the British Daily Mail and you can read it at the link below.. The good news is that Sarah found a way to improve her health…the bad news is that she has had to leave her home in London…
Read Sarah’s story at this link:
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Daily-Mail-Weekend-27.6.09-dacrepdf-1.pdf
Website editor’s note: Sarah Dacre became ill prior to the introduction of “smart meters” into the UK; however, “smart meters” may be a trigger for EHS in some people, leading the American Academy of Environmental Medicine to call for a moratorium on “smart meter” installations.
See this link for details:
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/american-academy-of-environmental-medicine-calls-for-moratorium-on-smart-meters/
Health professionals who would like information about the diagnosis and treatment of EHS may find the guidelines produced by the Austrian Medical Association to be useful. They may be accessed at this link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/87308119/Guideline-of-the-Austrian-Medical-Association-for-the-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-EMF-related-health-problems-and-illnesses-EMF-syndrome
by Katherine | 22 Apr, 2014 | Latest News
The article at the link below comes from a local paper in Canada; however, its message is relevant to NZ.
In apartment blocks or a row of units, often all the meters for the complex are on one wall. If “smart meters” are installed, this means that the person or family whose wall it is has the disadvantage of being exposed to multiple “smart meter” emissions at close range and hence more non-ionising radiation than if they were living in a single family dwelling. They may be exposed to high levels of the radiation from a neighbours’ “smart meters” even if they have chosen not to have a “smart meter” themselves.
http://www.mrtimes.com/news/maple-ridge-smart-meter-opponent-calls-police-on-installers-1.913304
by Katherine | 22 Apr, 2014 | Latest News, Users Feedback
“Smart meters” are often claimed to have environmental benefits. A new article published in the American magazine Common Ground by Jeremy Johnson, who has a degree in civil and environmental engineering, and TV correspondent Regina Meredith explains why “smart meters” are not “green” and do not help preserve the natural environment.
http://www.emfanalysis.com/uploads/1/0/7/8/10781272/common_ground_article_april_2014.pdf
by Katherine | 22 Apr, 2014 | Latest News, Users Feedback
This is a must-watch video for parents (and grandparents).
The speaker, Canadian father Rodney Palmer is giving testimony to the Royal Society in Canada about the experience of the school district where Wi-Fi systems have installed in schools. The school district has ignored complaints from parents whose children have suffered headaches and other symptoms. As Mr Palmer explains, children in the school district have suffered cardiac arrests, two of which were fatal. (Two other children were able to be revived after collapsing at school.) The rate of these severe health events was higher than would be expected for the number of children in the school district.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsPBUuwCfaI
I do not know how the equipment used to deliver Wi-Fi services to NZ schools compares with the equipment used in the Candian schools described above, but if the NZ equipment is similar, it would appear it could be putting NZ children’s health at risk.
by Katherine | 18 Apr, 2014 | Latest News
In the video at the link below Professor Olle Johansson, PhD discusses the health risk from electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and electromagnetic fields (EMF) with a focus on electrohypersensitivity – which is recognised as a “functional impairment” in Sweden.
.
Highly recommended.
http://www.activistpost.com/2014/04/neuroscientist-exposes-dangers-of.html
by Katherine | 16 Apr, 2014 | Latest News, Users Feedback
In the following case, a New Zealander relates how a “smart meter” was installed at her mother’s home while her mother was away visiting family who live out of town – despite the fact that both the electricity retailer and the installer having been informed that installing the “smart meter” while she was away would put delicate electronic equipment in her home at risk of being damaged.
“Just before my Mum left [to visit family] she received a letter informing her a smart meter would be installed the following week and that if there was a problem with delicate equipment and power being off, or the box was locked, she should contact Mercury and arrange another time to have the work done. A friend of mine called Mercury on [date] and explained to them there was delicate equipment in the house, my mother was away and could they please delay installation until she returned home [on a specific date] They said she should call and inform the company doing the installation, which our friend did. Vircom EMS told her they would re-contact my mother after [the date when she returned home] to arrange a time to do the installation.
“Unfortunately at that time I was [away from home] without a good internet or phone connection. I couldn’t get hold of anyone to place a padlock on the box, but we thought our friend had at least delayed the process.
“I subsequently had the meter box padlocked shut and then a few days ago asked another friend to place your notice on the box. He sent back the following email yesterday.
Hi,
I’m afraid we’re too late because it looks like the new meter is already in. [He specifies the brand and model of meter that was installed.]
“To be honest I am shocked that the company went ahead despite the agreement to wait and installed the meter anyway. I’m not sure what I can do about it now but I am very concerned, the meter box is on the other side of the wall where my Mum sleeps.”
Editor’s comment: This report (and other reports I have received) emphasises how important it is to put a lock and sign on your meter box if you do not want a “smart meter” – even if you have an agreement with your electricity company and/or lines company that a “smart meter” will not be installed.
by Katherine | 16 Apr, 2014 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News
Network Tasman’s website makes the statement that “There are no privacy concerns with smart meters”.*
(SOURCE: http://www.networktasman.co.nz/Main.asp?ID=17 )
The company further claims that:
“The sole reason for installing an advanced meter is to increase the efficiency of electricity usage in your home and across the electricity network. All meter reading data is in code and can only be read by the smart grid system computers. No other data (eg voice or video) can be transmitted.”
Let’s take the company at its word that its aim in installing “smart meters” is to increase the efficiency of electricity use in homes and in the electricity network in general (as well as to provide a means of measuring electricity consumption in a way that is convenient for the Network Tasman.) Network Tasman is run by a community trust and I imagine that everyone involved with the company is well-intentioned.
However, while Network Tasman may not have an interest in violating your privacy by mis-using data gained through “smart meters”, the same may not be true of other parties who may gain access to data obtained through “smart meters”. Overseas, “smart meters” have been shown to be vulnerable to hacking. (See this post: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/bbc-smart-meters-need-to-be-harder-to-hack/) What’s more, by their very nature, “smart meters” accumulate a lot of data about electricity use, and they are designed to transmit data at regular intervals. This information that can be gained after data from smart meters has been de-aggregated can be quite detailed, as shown at this link: http://smartmeterpowerstruggle.wordpress.com/
Overseas experience has shown that in some cases, data from “smart meters” may be sufficiently detailed as to allow people with access to this information to know what particular TV programme you may be watching. (See: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/is-your-smart-meter-spying-on-you/ )
Suffice, I think, to say that there are privacy issues with “smart meters”, despite what Network Tasman’s website claims.
In NZ, two electricity companies (Genesis and its subsidiary EnergyOnline) claim to own the data obtained by “smart meters” in their customers’ homes and to have the right to supply this data to “third parties”. (See this link for details: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/is-your-smart-meter-spying-on-you/)
Most of these companies’ customers probably have no idea that their privacy (and potentially home security, should this data fall into the wrong hands) is being compromised in this way. What do Genesis and EnergyOnline plan to do with this information? Sell it to other companies, perhaps? This would potentially create a new revenue stream for these electricity retailers.
NB: Genesis and EnergyOnline also have it in their Terms and Conditions that customers must accept a “smart meter”, see this link for details: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-meter-installed-without-permission-headaches-result-smart-meter-removed-headaches-disappear/
Unfortunately, the privacy issues may not go away if the transmission chip (also known as a modem) is removed from a “smart meter” to prevent it from transmitting data (via microwave radiation) back to the lines company and/or retailer.
Many “smart meters” also include an infrared optical port, which generally looks like a red light on the front of the meter. When a meter reader comes to a home or business of a non-transmitting “smart meter” s/he obtains information about electricity use via a connection established between portable equipment supplied by the metering company and the optical port. The information that can potentially be exchanged through this optical port is potentially quite detailed, as was demonstrated by an FBI investigation into “smart meter” hacking in Puerto Rico in 2009. (The hacking cost utilities companies millions and millions of dollars.) According to the website http://krebsonsecurity.com/ the hacking was most likely accomplished by establishing a connection with the “smart meter” via its optical port, after which its software was illegally re-programmed to result in savings for the customer.
I think it likely that when a meter reader “reads” a “smart meter” a large amount of detailed information about the customer’s electricity use is transferred to the company through the connection between the optical port and the meter reader’s portable equipment. Whether this data is as detailed as the data that is accumulated by the electricity company when a “smart meter” regularly transmits data about electricity use (which can be as often as every half hour with some NZ companies) I do not know. However, “smart meters” have the ability to store data, so it is not inconceivable that a lot of data could be transmitted when the optical port is accessed by a meter reader.
Under the circumstances, I think it would be wise to assume that a “smart meter” which has had its transmission chip removed is still a threat to privacy and home security. It is certainly better than a “smart meter” which is transmitting in real time; however, if there are regular patterns of activity in a home (i.e people work 9-5 jobs and leave for work and return home at regular – and therefore predictable times – each week day and/or have regular commitments out-of-home in the evening) these patterns may be reflected in data that is accumulated by their electricity company (or other company that has access to metering data).
I would welcome contact from anyone who has information about technical matters that relate to the topics discussed in this post. You can reach me through https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
*In case Network Tasman Ltd removes the statement from its website, here is a screenshot showing the statement:
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