Devices are safe, effective and will modernize grid, Hydro maintains
SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
BY MIKE YOUDS
DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Smart meters don’t qualify as a smart move as far as Brian Theissen is concerned.
The new wireless electrical meters, to be installed in every Kamloops home starting in October, will enable two-way communication between the devices and B.C. Hydro.
Yet some homeowners, wary of uncertain health risks, possible rate hikes and even security/surveillance concerns, are fighting back.
Thiesen and about 30 other local residents are in the process of forming a community action group to delay or halt the installations. Cost — the conversion is expected to run close to $1 billion provincewide — is a major issue for him.
“Where will the money come to pay for these meters?” said Theissen, a student of economics. “We already know B.C. Hydro is quite improperly managed and having difficulties. You and I are going to pay for them.”
While they don’t look much different from conventional meters — aside from a digital readout — they represent a major leap forward for the Crown corporation. Dag Sharman, Hydro’s community relations manager, calls it a “smarting of the grid.”
“Essentially, they allow us to Power Smart ourselves,” Sharman said. “They’re something that’s needed because electricity is the backbone of energy in this province.”
The household devices will form part of an integrated system for effective monitoring of electrical demand. Their installation is expected to yield a net savings of $70 million, climbing to $520 million over 20 years.
“That’s money that would have to otherwise come through electrical rates,” Sharman said.
Response times in power outages will be shortened significantly, he added. Consumers will benefit through a greater ability to monitor their consumption, Hydro contends.
“It gives them the tools if they opt for an in-home display of power usage. You get a better sense of how much you’re using.”
Petrina Gregson, another Kamloops resident, is one of many homeowners concerned about the health risks of exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and microwave radiation. She’s told Hydro and its contractor that they are not to come onto her Powers Addition property to install the new devices.
“The more I read about it, the more I think it’s like cigarettes or leaded gasoline,” she said. “We just weren’t aware until they caused too much damage.”
Customers cannot opt out of the wireless meters, Sharman said. The conversion to smart meters is legally mandated under the Clean Energy Act for completion by 2012. The legislation frees the conversion from the oversight of the B.C. Utilities Commission.
“We do recognize some customers have concerns, se we’re trying to talk directly with them to find mutually agreeable solutions.”
The only alternative is to have the meter installed away from a home, but the homeowner will be billed for the additional cost, he said.
Eva Lyman, a Celista senior, was told she would be put on a “delay list,” but that doesn’t satisfy her in the least. She has health sensitivities and is concerned about emission of electromagnetic radiation from the meters.
“I’m really tired of the lack of concern for people’s health in this province and this country,” she said. “It’s really just money, money, money.”
Sharman said wattage from the devices is well below Canadian safety standards for maximum exposure. The radio frequency is outside of homes, directional and backed by a metal plate. People are already exposed to greater levels of EMR through cellphones and Wi-Fi, defenders say.
Walter McGinnis, an electrician who has tested for EMR for 20 years, argues otherwise.
“Yes, there is absolutely conclusive evidence on health effects,” said McGinnis, co-chairman of the EM Radiation Health Alliance of B.C. The group is not just protesting smart meters; they intend to mount a referendum campaign to have the legislation repealed and the program halted. There are no benefits to the public, only risks, he argues.
“This is so easy to criticize,” McGinnis said. “It’s like criticizing George W. Bush’s foreign policy.”
Another B.C. action group, Citizens for Safe Technology, has asked the UBCM delegates at next week’s annual meeting to support a provincewide moratorium on smart meters.
Thiesen, meanwhile, hopes more concerned citizens will attend a Sept. 29 meeting. He can be reached at[email protected].
#1 by Mia Nony on September 23, 2011 - 11:26 am
The smart grid is a continuous transmission system. It cannot maintain itself unless this is the case. Under the new regime killer-watts are continuous but useful electricity is only permitted when & if the corporation so deems. In gridspeak this is called command & control. Hydro can charge you triple for what rate they are granted for whatever time of use frame they deem justifies that tripled fee. In most cases this is 14 or more hours a day at triple rates.
When smart meters are first installed, the battery powered water & gas meters talk to the electrical power meters, which are initially turned on for as little as 2 hours or less, just long enough to establish initial contact with the rest of the entire grid system. Many people are lulled into a false sense of complacency by this when they use a hand held meter but find no strong signal. As soon as a successful install occurs, that is if Corix finds no self defence barricade protecting the analog meter which, incidentally, you already paid for, the installed smart meter is then turned off for an indefinite period until all of the many frequency generating components of the grid for that region are remotely turned on & every other component of the system goes live at once. This is why one cannot tell the true frequency impact right away. Many people get little or no reading with a hand held frequency monitor during this down time. However, the brief period with a non emitting meter is the ONLY time that the meter & the grid will not be going to continuously “talk” back and forth henceforth. Data transmission is only one small part of the process. It is clear misrepresentation for Hydro to assert that the meters only “transmit” when sending data. Smart meters emit continuously, regardless of how often they transmit data. The grid is maintained by continuous “talk” between all of its components, which includes transmission, receipt of transmission, house area network “chat”, neighbourhood area “chat” with signal relay enhancing aggregators, with other collector meters, with cell towers, no matter how distant. The grid itself cannot sustain its functionality& links without the elements of continuous one & two way transmission between components. Don’t fall for the Hydro game which disguises the frequency of the frequencies. This is blatant misrepresentation of the reality of the smart grid model which is based on continuous emission of hazardous substances which induce electrical induction & gradual electrical failure i biological creatures such as you & me. The only difference between a Hydro customer trapped in a bunker & a prisoner is that the Hydro customer has a day pass & may move freely from one bunker to another, to shift exposure time to the work place or another house. Any student of history recognizes the model. IBM gained notoriety for just this. So did munitions manufacturers of fluoride & gas. In this model the “customer” is involuntarily forced into total immersion to radiative poison & is billed for every minute of exposure generated by continuous back & forth grid transmission. Additionally, the “customer” is billed for all of the equipment from radio frequency emitters to microwave emitters, & WhyFry emitters, any & all components of the grid-dle. This is not the first time in history that a corporation has overseen the use of forced involuntary exposure to a lethal substance. It is also not the first time such a corporate regime has used the system it creates to force the victims of it to fund that corporation while gaining control over the transfer of personal wealth from the recipients of corporate generated poison to assure profits accrue to the corporations. This much more than simply a rapacious model of electricity rationing coupled with a time of use money grab.
#2 by T Evans on January 24, 2012 - 9:01 am
There is much discussion about the Smart Meters and the meters catching fire, or appliances getting fried. Have any of you checked with your house insurance company because once a smart meter is installed on or in your home, and either happens and you try to make a claim… your house insurance is voided. Why? … Because the installers- employees of Corix (the company hired to install the meters) are NOT certified electricians, licensed, or insured!!! Corix refuses to process ANY claims!! Ever try to find out the name of the CEO of Corix or his email- not going to happen!!! The secretary/receptionist requires HIS permission to give out either. Do you home work!!! There is a library of information on the internet! California is now working on taking OUT ALL Smart Meters that have been installed! CALL YOUR HOUSE INSURER and GET it in WRITING IF they CLAIM that your insurance will remain VALID!! Let’s face it- IF we were to have any wiring done by just any one and a fire happened the insurer would NOT cover any fire damage!! Well HELLO!!! These guys ARE NOT LICENSED, CERTIFIED NOR INSURED! THEY ARE NOT ELECTRICIANS and IF you are not home they are installing these meters HOT! This means that rather than installing them correctly by ensuring ALL secondary breakers are off then ensuring the MAIN Breaker is OFF PRIOR to installing these meters they are being installed HOT! which can cause an electrical Surge or Spike in power!!! DO YOUR HOMEWORK and CALL your insurance company and then a LAWYER!