Why people are saying no to smart meters

by | 2 Mar, 2016 | Latest News, Privacy

There are about as many reasons why people are saying “no” to smart meters as there are people who oppose smart meters, however some of the more common reasons are listed below:

1)  Health reasons, including a possible increase in the risk of developing cancer.

Smart meters produce microwave (also called radiofrequency or RF) radiation which has been classified as a “possible carcinogen” (type 2B) by the World health Organisation’s International agency for Research on Cancer. (Please see this link for more information about smart meters and health.)

2)  Many people have reported unpleasant symptoms after moving into a home with a smart meter, or after a smart meter has been installed at their home.

Two examples of how NZers have been adversely affected by smart meters may be read at this link and this link.

3) Many people have reported higher electricity bills after a smart meter has been installed.

(If you go to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz and type “bills” into the search box you will find a few articles about this aspect of smart meters.)

There are a few different ways by which smart meters may increase electricity bills.  These include the fact that electronic meters measure electricity differently from the traditional electromechanical (Ferraris) “analogue” meters. (You can read about this here.)

Smart meters can also allow for Time of Use (TOU) pricing which electricity companies may use to charge more for power at times of the day when it is most needed (like winter afternoons and evenings.) This can result in an increase in bills with no change in electricity use. (Please see this link for details: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/what-is-time-of-use-tou-pricing-and-how-could-it-affect-you/)

Smart meters can also measure a contaminant on the electricity lines known as “reactive power” or “reactive energy” and although “reactive power” cannot be used by lights or appliances, a recent request for information made to the Electricity Authority under the Official Information Act showed that companies are legally allowed to charge for this useless electricity.

If useless reactive power is added to bills, bills can increase significantly.

4)  Reported fires and electrical problems

There have been problems with fires and reported electrical problems after some smart meter installations in NZ. For more information about this, please see the following links:

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/are-smart-meters-causing-fires-in-new-zealand/

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/smart-meters-causing-electrical-problems/

5)  A smart meter may jeopardise your ability to keep your home warm in winter

A smart meter may interfere with your ability to keep your home warm in winter.

The link below explains how this could occur:

https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/smart-meters-heat-pumps-and-demand-response-functionality/

 

5) Smart meters may adversely affect your privacy

Many people who are concerned about privacy oppose smart meters because the data collected by smart meters can be “de-aggregated” by computers to provide information about what appliances in a home are in use and when. (For more information about privacy and smart meters, please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/category/privacy-2/ )

 

In NZ smart meters have been installed without prior notice;  if you do not want one it is important to take action

Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ and for information about what other Kiwis are doing to prevent  a smart meter please see this link.  https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/your-options-if-your-electricity-retailer-sends-you-a-notice-to-say-it-plans-to-install-a-smart-meter/

The website of the award winning smart meter documentary Take Back Your Power is a great source of information about smart meters.

For more information about smart meters the following websites are useful:

NZ: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz

NB: If you are in NZ, please sign up to the free email list for www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz to get updates on the smart meter issue.

Australia: www.stopsmartmeters.com.au

North America: www.stopsmartmeters.org

UK: www.stopsmartmeters.org.uk

For an international directory of groups opposing smart meters please visit: https://takebackyourpower.net/directory/

 

Please share this link if you have found it helpful.  Thank you.  NB: If you are in NZ, to get updates on the smart meter issue you can sign up to the free email list at  www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz

Smart meters to “rip off” consumers?

by | 18 Nov, 2015 | Latest News

The website www.smartgridawareness.org just published a story with the headline “‘Smart’ Meters are the Great Consumer ‘Rip-off’ of Our Time”.

The story is based on an article on the UK website http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/

This website (the “financial website of the year”) reports how British utility companies are planning to charge their customers double the normal tariffs at peak times i.e cold winter evenings when people most need to use electricity. (The term “Time of Use” or TOU may be used by the industry to describe tariffs that vary according to the time of then day.)

This is a potential risk for consumers everywhere in the world where smart meters are being introduced. (For the full story please see these links:
http://smartgridawareness.org/2015/11/18/smart-meters-are-the-rip-off-of-our-time/

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-3322658/The-great-smart-meter-rip-UK-energy-giants-use-devices-DOUBLE-cost-power-need-most.html

For a NZ perspective on this issue, please see this link:
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/the-advantages-of-smart-meters/

Please note that even if the transmission capacity of a smart meter has been disabled, this may not protect consumers from having Time of Use tariffs imposed on them; please see this post for details:

Comparing analogue (Ferraris) meters with smart meters which have had the modem removed



To keep up to date with the smart meter situation in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz