Faulty smart meter results in massive over-billing

Website editor’s note:  At the link below you can hear Newstalk ZB’s Chris Lynch talking to Genesis customer Bradley Tuhi about how the smart meter installed at his  fully insulated and gas heated home resulted in massively inflated electricity bills.

Thank you to Chris Lynch for covering this important topic and thank you to Clare Swinney for creating a video from the audio track.

 

 

Website editor’s note

If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz

NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example, a significant electricity bill increase or new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any electricity company) you may do this through the contact form at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/

All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be done.

Whangarei Leader smart meter letter

Whangarei Leader smart meter letter

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.

Letter in Whangarei Leader February 16 2016

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

Whangarei residents report higher bills after smart meter installation

If you have experienced a significant increase in your electricity bill with no change in your electricity usage after a smart meter installation, you are not alone.

In mid-2015, the Northern Advocate reported on the experience of Whangarei residents who had much higher bills after a smart meter installation.  You can read the story at this link http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11460616

 

Update:  The reason for the higher bill in the case of Alan Graf (who is featured in the story at the link above) has turned out to be that he had been incorrectly charged at a for three phase power (via the smart meter) for his residential home that uses only single phase power.

Since the story about Mr Graf, a news item on Maori TV reported on a greatly increased bill faced by another Whangarei customer as well as another Whangarei woman who has suffered health problems since a smart meter was installed at her home. The story is at this link:  https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/maori-tv-news-te-kaea-covers-the-smart-meter-story/

 

Have you had higher bills after a smart meter installation?

NB: If you are in the situation of having had a large bill increase after a smart meter installation, it could possibly be due to a faulty meter or perhaps your tariff may have been changed around the time that  the smart meter was installed.  If your bill increase does not appear to relate to increased electricity use,  you have the option of first complaining to your electricity retailer, and if that does not solve the problem, complaining to the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme.

 

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 the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you

Hear a discussion of smart meters on community radio

 

Smart meters and EMR in general recently featured on the Hamilton-bsed community radio show “From the Fringes” hosted by Jack Geiler.

Environmental lawyer Sue Grey was recently interviewed and also Katherine Smith.

Directions on how to find these programmes are below

http://www.freefm.org.nz/programmes/from-the-fringes

Click on Podcasts for search for the above program and dates.
Go to the drop down menu for ‘From the Fringes’ programmes.
Guest speakers Sue Grey was on 01 Sept. and Katherine Smith on 14th Oct.
Both programs can be re listened to and are also downloadable.

 

Please note that there has been recent  TV coverage in NZ of the smart meter issue and you can see this at the links below:

 

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/maori-tv-news-te-kaea-covers-the-smart-meter-story/

 

Environmental lawyer Sue Grey talks about smart meters on Mainland News

To stay up to date with the smart meter issue in NZ, please join the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz  Thank you!

Smart meter adversely affected by electrical storm?

Not that long ago I had an email from a correspondent who told me that a friend had told him how he had recently received a much higher bill than usual.  The friend had a smart meter installed at his home and speculated that an electrical storm in the area (prior to the anomalous bill) may have adversely affected the electronic smart meter.

Has anyone else experienced some sort of billing anomaly following an electrical storm?

If you have, please email through the Contact Form.  (NB: Any reports received will be treated in confidence.  The policy of www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz is to post information on this site only when permission has been given for this to be done.)

 

NB: If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for the email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz  This will allow you to get emails that give updates on the smart meter situation with a focus on NZ smart meter news.