Questions Flow About New ‘Smart’ Meters

By Patric Hedlund

Customers from Frazier Park to Pine Mountain have been notified by Southern California Edison (SCE) that their analog electricity meters will be replaced in the next few weeks with digitally networked ‘smart meters.’

Mountain residents Jeff Prescott (of PCPal Computer Services) and Melissa Yoes of Piñon Pines are sending emails to alert neighbors of a movement to resist the conversion. “Health risks (wireless radio and microwave frequencies), fire threat, privacy and possible spikes in utility bills” are mentioned as concerns.

Susan Carothers, speaking for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), said they are searching for “optout” solutions at the request of Commission President Michael Peasey. He urged that customers be allowed a “low fee-based” alternative. SCE must present a plan by November 24. Meanwhile, “You can call the company to ask to be put on a smart meter delay list,” Carothers suggested. Call CPUC’s hotline at 1-800-789-0550 to comment and visit the CPUC website.

Here’s information from Southern California Edison’s website about Opt Out and some of the concerns raised by the skeptics:

Opt‐Out:
1. How can we opt‐out of this smart grid project? Some cities are opting out, how do I opt‐out at no
expense?
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which regulates SCE, is currently considering
potential smart meter opt‐out solutions for California customers. If an alternative opt‐out solution
becomes available in the future, SCE will work with delay list customers and other customers who
wish to exercise this alternative option. Customers who do not yet have a smart meter and wish to
delay their smart meter installation until the CPUC completes its regulatory process regarding a
customer’s choice to opt‐out, may do so by calling SCE at (800) 810‐2369 (English) or (800) 477‐4455
(Spanish).
2. Please cite a legal decision allowing SCE to override the home owners wishes not to install a smart
meter.
The installation of the Edison SmartConnect meter is a program authorized by the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) in Decision 08‐09‐039, issued September 18, 2008 , that requires Southern
California Edison (SCE), as well as the other California investor‐owned electric utilities, to deploy
advanced or smart meters to all residential and small commercial customers. Smart metering is a key
step in transitioning the traditional electric system to a smart grid.
Customers who do not yet have a smart meter and wish to delay their smart meter installation until
the CPUC completes its regulatory process regarding a customer’s choice to opt‐out, may do so by
calling SCE at (800) 810‐2369 (English) or (800) 477‐4455 (Spanish).
3. If the existing meter, that is a traditional meter, is old can it be replaced with a standard meter
rather than a smart meter when the new installations are rolled out in 2012?
No, all meter replacements will be completed with an Edison SmartConnect meter. Customers who do
not yet have a smart meter and wish to delay their smart meter installation until the CPUC completes
its regulatory process regarding a customer’s choice to opt‐out, may do so by calling SCE at (800) 810‐
2369 (English) or (800) 477‐4455 (Spanish).
4. If this system poses no physical danger to humans and/or the environment then can you please
explain why so many cities, counties, states and countries are opting‐out or refusing this system?
As with many new technologies, there are some who have concerns about and as a result wish to optout
of smart meter installation, this represents a small portion of individuals. To put adoption of
smart meters in context, a new report from Pike Research states that the global installed base of
smart meters will reach 535 million by 2015. Globally the growth of smart meter adoption is
beginning with the North American market, followed by Asia Pacific in and Europe, with more gradual
long‐term growth in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.
Smart Grid:
1. How specifically will this work with the new procedure. i.e. today meter reader records usage, we’re
billed. End of story.
The Edison SmartConnect meters still record your electricity usage and offer they customers more
benefits and information than before. The Budget Assistant Tool and Save Power Days provide
money saving benefits and the meters help with overall grid performance and reliability.
 Budget Assistant Tool – customers can contact SCE to sign up for the Budget Assistant tool.
The tool allows customers to select a monthly spend target that fits their budget and receive
automatic updates on how they are tracking based on usage, via a voicemail or text that can
be sent to their land line or mobile phone. Once enrolled customers can choose to receive
alerts about their energy usage on a weekly, bi‐weekly or monthly basis ‐ depending on their
preference.
• Save Power Day Incentive – customers can contact SCE to sign up for the Save Power Day
Incentive program and earn up to $100 per year. Once enrolled, SCE will notify customers via
voicemail or text that can be sent to either a landline or mobile phone one day in advance of a
scheduled Save Power Day. When the Save Power Day arrives, customers who reduce their
electricity use below normal during a pre‐determined window of time will receive a credit on
the very next bill. The more they conserve, the more they can save.
• Grid Performance and Reliability ‐ when demand for electricity soars, the smart grid will route
electricity precisely to where it’s needed most, helping to prevent large‐scale outages. If an
outage does occur, smart meters will inform SCE smart grid operators of the interruption in
power as well as how extensive the outage is, which will enable the utility to respond faster
and restore service.
• The Environment ‐ Edison SmartConnect will provide customers with their energy use and cost
information to help them see the benefits of consuming less energy and shifting their energy
usage to off‐peak evening and weekend hours. By using less energy, customers can reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases and smog‐forming pollutants in California by an estimated
365,000 metric tons per year. That’s the environmental equivalent of removing 79,000 cars
from our roads.
2. The grid is outdated and inefficient, ok why don’t you spend part of your profits on it instead of
forcing “smart meters” on us?
Smart meters are a key component in creating a reliable smart grid. The meters become the end
points of the smart grid in many ways – in seconds, they can contribute information that helps the
smart grid “heal” itself in case of an outage. In the next few years, as more plug‐in electric vehicles
are introduced into the system, the meters will help regulate charging times and volumes to keep the
electricity flow steady on a neighborhood circuit.
3. How will SCE support local “microgrid” energy production? E.g. solar, wind, tidal and sea currents in
our coastal and inland areas.
SCE supports the local microgrid. Edison SmartConnect is installing smart meters for our NEM
customers (i.e. solar, wind, etc.) that lie within our deployment path.
4. Has the installation of smart girds/meters in any particular area (CA, US, etc.) increased property
values/allowed new business to move into an area?
Specific to California, according to a report released in October 2011 by the Silicon Valley Smart Grid
Task Force, the smart grid is creating jobs in Silicon Valley and across the San Francisco Bay Area
including the addition of new businesses. The report concludes that the smart grid will contribute to
economic growth.
5. The technology sector is one of the fastest growing sources of carbon emissions. There is significant
energy cost to manufacture, transport, install and operate smart meters 24/7. A startling amount of
energy will be needed to keep server farms to store our home energy use. Add the transportation
and disposal of our perfectly fine analog meters and it looks like the wireless grid will increase our
carbon footprint. Please explain the rationale behind this.
The smart grid will help with energy conservation through a variety of means including customer
empowerment and increased operation efficiencies that will lead to reduced energy consumption.
For example, Edison SmartConnect enabled programs and services are expected to reduce greenhouse
gas by 365,000 metric tons per year ‐ equivalent to removing 79,000 cars from the road.
6. Many countries in Europe are accomplishing the goals you have expressed of monitoring and saving
energy by using modems and telephone wire. We have this infrastructure present and available
right now. Please tell us the reason that this infrastructure cannot be utilized. It poses no danger to
health or the environment.
A key goal for SCE is to ensure that the investment in smart metering for its service territory was
based on competitive and interoperable products. This is particularly important given the rapid
technology changes and emergent innovations in customer energy systems and distribution
automation. Before developing the smart metering system we are deploying today, SCE spent years
gathering data to create a system designed for the growth and flexibility needed to support advanced
technology, prevent it from becoming “outdated” and to create long‐term benefits for our customers.
Radio Frequency/Health Concerns:
1. Recent WHO (World Health Organization) classification of RF as a “possible carcinogenic” the
guidelines adopted by the FCC included the MPE based on body dimension are based on the general
public and do not factor in for the very young (with their developing brains, bones, testes, etc.), until
long term and pilot testing are conducted and completed, a warning label is the very least that
should be applied to each smart meter.
The WHO statement released on May 31, 2011 stated that radio frequency (RF) energy from cell
phones and other devices are “possibly carcinogenic” (Group 2B). This conclusion means the IARC
believes there could possibly be some risk of brain cancer from RF exposures from cell phone use;
however, the IARC concluded that such a risk has yet to be scientifically established. Therefore, the
IARC believes existing RF health research should be expanded on linkage between wireless phone
usage and brain cancer risk.
In addition, the IARC has placed other agents such as coffee and pickled vegetables in the same
"possibly carcinogenic" (2B) classification.
In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission has collaborated with health and safety agencies
such as the U.S Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt scientifically established safety guidelines
that are fifty times lower than harmful levels.
SCE only utilizes RF communication devices that comply with health and safety standards.
2. WHO has stated that smart meters can contribute to cancer. After smart meters are installed,
certainly gas & water smart meters will follow, which will triple our exposure. All of this control is
not necessary and I am very concerned about privacy issues, I don’t want my usage to be limited or
controlled.
While the WHO statement said that RF from cell phones is a possible carcinogenic, SCE’s Edison
SmartConnect metering devices and relays emit only a fraction of the power limits identified in the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines for safe RF energy exposure. The FCC
developed these science‐based safety guidelines in consultation with scientists, health and
engineering experts and organizations like the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP), the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI).
3. With dozens of health studies already produced on low power RF showing a combination of serious
health problems how can we be assured of not being affected by your smart meters?
In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) developed science‐based safety guidelines
through guidance and recommendations from the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP),
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI). A feature of the FCC’s exposure limits is that there is a safety factor of fifty maximum
permissible exposure (MPE) in the general population limits. That is, the general population limits are
fifty times lower than the power levels that could cause harm to the human body. These guidelines
serve to protect the general population from over‐exposure to RF energy. Edison SmartConnect’s
meters emit only a fraction of the FCC’s human exposure limits.
4. You say that meters only transmit low levels of RF signals albeit 24/7. However they require
repeater amplifier meters every few installations to work, what about the lucky customers who get
these amplifiers increased health risks?
Once again, the cell relays or aggregation device operate very similar to other smart meters. The cell
relay units communicate using low‐power, wireless signals that are similar or weaker in strength than
those created by common consumer devices like cell phones or Wi‐Fi home computer networks.
5. What about us who already have very minimal usage do not need a smart meter ‐ why should we
pay in opt‐out fees to preserve our health from wave pollution? We oppose the possibility our
neighbors will be unknowingly polluting us themselves?
The modernization of the electrical grid will enable SCE to continue to provide our customers with
safe, reliable and affordable electricity. Edison SmartConnect is one of the first steps in building a
smarter grid that can achieve these goals. Smart meters will provide many benefits, including:
 Grid Performance and Reliability ‐ when demand for electricity soars, the smart grid will
route electricity precisely to where it’s needed most, helping to prevent large‐scale
outages.
 Added Convenience for Move In/Out – the new smart meters will provide customers with
the added convenience of remote service turn‐on/turn‐off. Approximately one quarter of
SCE customers move in or out every year.
 Budget Assistant Tool – customers can contact SCE to sign up for the Budget Assistant
tool. The tool allows customers to select a monthly spend target that fits their budget and
receive automatic updates on how they are tracking based on usage, via a voicemail or
text that can be sent to their land line or mobile phone.
 The Environment ‐ By using less energy, customers can reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases and smog‐forming pollutants in California by an estimated 365,000 metric tons per
year. That’s the environmental equivalent of removing 79,000 cars from our roads. One of
the benefits of building a wireless network is that SCE will be taking trucks off the road.
Visits by SCE to your home in order to read your meter will no longer be necessary as a
normal course of business. However, should customers choose to opt out (pending CPUC
mandate), them SCE would require meter readers be assigned back to the field. The
operating costs of putting personnel back in the field would need to be recouped.
6. Will Edison make public computer modeling of the total RF and radiation exposure from the meters,
repeaters and collecting points?
SCE works closely with third‐party independent scientific organizations such as the California Council
on Science and Technology (CCST) to review technology‐related issues. In April 2011, the CCST
published a report on RF titled “Health Impacts of Radio Frequency Exposure from Smart Meters.” In
that report, the organization looked at the RF emissions of smart meters, cell relays and many other
RF‐emitting devices commonly found in the household. The report found that wireless smart meters,
when installed and properly maintained, result in much smaller levels of RF exposure than many
existing common household electronic devices, particularly cell phones and microwave ovens. The
report also found that the power density from smart meters and other devices that emit RF, falls off
dramatically with distance.
7. In your publicly quoted estimates of exposure, have you taken into account the cumulative RF
radiation from multiple sources – such as the mesh network, being a collector home, cell towers,
appliance transmitters, relay stations, as well as voluntary devices?
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) field tested exposure levels from a bank of ten meters at
one foot distance in order to simulate a bank of smart meters located at a multifamily building, such
as an apartment complex (February 2011). They found that the exposure level was equivalent to 8
percent of the of the FCC standard.
8. Will there be recommendations on sleeping positions (especially children) in regards to smart meter
placement?
In the same study referenced above, EPRI also measured exposure of a meter from eight inches
behind the meter panel box, in order to simulate proximity on the opposite side of the meter wall. At
5 percent duty cycle the device yielded an exposure of only .03 percent of the FCC standard. Even at
100 percent duty cycle (i.e. always transmitting), exposure at eight inches behind the meter was .06
percent of the FCC limit.
9. One of the subpopulations that seems to have a higher rate of EM sensitivity is the immunecompromised
population. How has this group been studied regarding potential risk of smart meter
radio frequency?
To reiterate, the FCC has developed science‐based safety guidelines in consultation with scientists,
health and engineering experts and organizations like the National Council on Radiation Protection
(NCRP), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI). SCE’s meters and relays emit only a fraction of the power limits identified
in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines for safe RF energy exposure.
10. What health problems have been linked to EM waves? What frequencies and power levels should
we be concerned with? How can we best protect ourselves at home and work?
RF energy is used as another term for electromagnetic fields, radio waves or wireless signals. Human
exposure to unusually high levels of RF energy can be harmful because they can heat body tissue by
energy absorption. Such high levels of RF energy are found very close to antennas transmitting
hundreds or thousands of Watts, such as Television stations, FM radio stations, and radar antenna
stations. In contrast, the amount of RF energy produced by smart meters is comparable to cellular
phone devices, wireless baby monitors, cordless home phones, and WiFi home computer networks‐‐
levels much too low to produce tissue heating or an increase in body temperature.
11. Shouldn’t the precautionary principle apply unless the utility companies can clearly substantiate that
the California population (and environment) will not be adversely affected?
In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission has collaborated with health and safety agencies
such as the U.S Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt scientifically established safety guidelines
that are fifty times lower than harmful levels.
SCE only utilizes RF communication devices that comply with health and safety standards. In addition,
although smart meters transmit intermittently, a person’s exposure to RF three feet in front of a
continuously communicating meter is 25 to 125 times less* than the exposure from a cell phone held
to the ear. Additionally, Edison SmartConnect meters communicate for fractions of a second at a time
over the course of a day, totaling a maximum of a few minutes each hour.
*Adapted from the California Council on Science and Technology smart meter study published in April
2011
12. Have any animal studies been performed to assess the changes in neurological functioning (pet
scans, glucose consumption or brain, etc.) with various RF parameters? If not, why not?
SCE does not conduct such testing. The company does, however, have a long history of working to
help resolve electric magnetic fields (EMF) health concerns by supporting research programs and
educating the public and our employees on potential health effects of EMF. SCE will continue to
monitor RF health research developments and work with regulators and other stakeholders on
appropriate RF EMF policies.

This was originally part of the November 25, 2011 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

This is part of the December 02, 2011 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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