By Douglas V. Gibbs
Earlier this morning, Emma Bailey's article Smart Meters: Friend of Foe?about smart meters was posted on Political Pistachio. On my Facebook page, and the Political Pistachio Facebook Page, where all articles from this website are automatically shared with my friends and followers, a conversation emerged. Because I did not ask if their names could be used, the full names of the participants in the conversation have been removed.
Earlier this morning, Emma Bailey's article Smart Meters: Friend of Foe?about smart meters was posted on Political Pistachio. On my Facebook page, and the Political Pistachio Facebook Page, where all articles from this website are automatically shared with my friends and followers, a conversation emerged. Because I did not ask if their names could be used, the full names of the participants in the conversation have been removed.
Facebook comments regarding Smart Meters:
Susan: There are also health risks involved with smart meters. They give off radiation and electric pulses that cause minor to major health problems including migraines and interfering with pace makers. Appliances have smart technology so utilities, police, hackers can tell how many computers are in your home, if your oven is on, I'd the door on your frig has opened. Who needs to know this about your life? No one! Privacy isn't a big deal until you don't have it.
Dallas: MYTH: Smart meters will emit high levels of radio frequency (RF) radiation into my home.
FACT: Smart meters emit extremely low, infrequent signals. RF from smart meters is similar to common everyday devices such as radios, cell phones, baby monitors, wireless networks, etc. Also, exposure levels decrease significantly as distance from the transmitter increases. RF also weakens as barriers such as building materials and meter enclosures enter its path.
MYTH: NV Energy has not researched health effects of radio frequency.
FACT: NV Energy initiated an independent third-party study of its advanced Metering infrastructure (AMI) network radio frequency (RF) fields by Exponent, a firm with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, physicians, engineers, and regulatory consultants, who perform in-depth scientific research and analysis. Dr. Yakov Shkolnikov, Ph.D and Dr. William H. Bailey, Ph.D, provided a perspective on public health and safety concerns about RF signals in a report submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada in December 2011. Based on scientific explanation, the doctors concluded that the NV Energy AMI network results in a “negligible RF exposure.”
Douglas V. Gibbs: A local Temecula woman was suffering from massive headaches after her smart meter was installed. After its removal, the headaches went away. From a limited government point of view, do we really want government having such a close tab on our lives?
Dallas: One woman Doug, I rest my case. That too is a myth since there is no actual proof that the government is interested in how much energy goes through my house on a given day, nor yours and why should they be interested. To me articles like this are put out there for folks to grab hold of since it is like the feint toward the goal when the ball is going outside for a three point shot.
FACT: NV Energy initiated an independent third-party study of its advanced Metering infrastructure (AMI) network radio frequency (RF) fields by Exponent, a firm with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, physicians, engineers, and regulatory consultants, who perform in-depth scientific research and analysis. Dr. Yakov Shkolnikov, Ph.D and Dr. William H. Bailey, Ph.D, provided a perspective on public health and safety concerns about RF signals in a report submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada in December 2011. Based on scientific explanation, the doctors concluded that the NV Energy AMI network results in a “negligible RF exposure.”
Douglas V. Gibbs: A local Temecula woman was suffering from massive headaches after her smart meter was installed. After its removal, the headaches went away. From a limited government point of view, do we really want government having such a close tab on our lives?
Dallas: One woman Doug, I rest my case. That too is a myth since there is no actual proof that the government is interested in how much energy goes through my house on a given day, nor yours and why should they be interested. To me articles like this are put out there for folks to grab hold of since it is like the feint toward the goal when the ball is going outside for a three point shot.
MYTH: Smart meters track or monitor individual appliances.
FACT: Smart meters do not identify electrical devices in the home or record when they are operated. Smart meters only record total energy use age, as does an older, analog meter.
FACT: Smart meters do not identify electrical devices in the home or record when they are operated. Smart meters only record total energy use age, as does an older, analog meter.
MYTH: Smart meters are surveillance devices.
FACT: Smart meters do not monitor household activity. They only record total energy usage for the home or business. The truth is older, analog meters also record energy usage. The advantage of a smart meter is that customers will have insights into how they are using energy and make choices that could result in savings on their bill. So there it is. People make out of it what they want. Anything can be used IMO, just like taking your car to the dealer for service, government tracking? No but one could attempt to make the case for it. You have a better chance being tracked by the government via your cell phone than you do your electric meter and I don't see folks giving up their cell phones. Have you?
FACT: Smart meters do not monitor household activity. They only record total energy usage for the home or business. The truth is older, analog meters also record energy usage. The advantage of a smart meter is that customers will have insights into how they are using energy and make choices that could result in savings on their bill. So there it is. People make out of it what they want. Anything can be used IMO, just like taking your car to the dealer for service, government tracking? No but one could attempt to make the case for it. You have a better chance being tracked by the government via your cell phone than you do your electric meter and I don't see folks giving up their cell phones. Have you?
The privacy concerns are the thorniest ones. The point of the meters is to collect vast amounts of user data that will let homeowners do more with less energy. That digital network — just like online banking or online voting — has triggered Big Brother anxiety that threatens to become a major barrier to the smart grid.
Douglas V. Gibbs: Dallas, the one woman was the example I used because I chose to use that one case. There are many more examples, and in Temecula and Murrieta the outcry was so great that the local utilities service pulled back, and the city councils dropped their drive to force people to take the smart meters. The problem was, it was not, at first, a choice. If I choose not to have one, even if my concerns in the government's motives or what I believe to be related health concerns, are unfounded, that should be my choice. Some people are directly negatively influenced by the transmissions or radiation, some are not. We are individuals, and each of us are different. I, for example, cannot be around flashing lights. They pose a potential danger to me. As for the privacy concerns, I am always skeptical of the intentions of government. I am a firm believer that the way to keep government from becoming tyrannical is by not opening Pandora's Box in the first place, even if it seems like it is a good thing on the surface. As they say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Darkness never reveals itself as darkness, but as an Angel of Light. It begins with user data for the purpose of helping you be energy efficient. It always moves towards greater and greater amounts of information, culminating eventually in that information being used in order to control. That is the natural tendencies of government. If folks want smart meters, it should be approached not through government mandating them, but through a free market, as solar power is being pursued. Let the consumer decide, let them make their decision based on their knowledge of the product, their desire to be more energy efficient, and their desire to save a few bucks. The free market is how innovation takes hold, and systems that are beneficial become prosperous, and eventually become widely accepted.
Douglas V. Gibbs: Dallas, the one woman was the example I used because I chose to use that one case. There are many more examples, and in Temecula and Murrieta the outcry was so great that the local utilities service pulled back, and the city councils dropped their drive to force people to take the smart meters. The problem was, it was not, at first, a choice. If I choose not to have one, even if my concerns in the government's motives or what I believe to be related health concerns, are unfounded, that should be my choice. Some people are directly negatively influenced by the transmissions or radiation, some are not. We are individuals, and each of us are different. I, for example, cannot be around flashing lights. They pose a potential danger to me. As for the privacy concerns, I am always skeptical of the intentions of government. I am a firm believer that the way to keep government from becoming tyrannical is by not opening Pandora's Box in the first place, even if it seems like it is a good thing on the surface. As they say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Darkness never reveals itself as darkness, but as an Angel of Light. It begins with user data for the purpose of helping you be energy efficient. It always moves towards greater and greater amounts of information, culminating eventually in that information being used in order to control. That is the natural tendencies of government. If folks want smart meters, it should be approached not through government mandating them, but through a free market, as solar power is being pursued. Let the consumer decide, let them make their decision based on their knowledge of the product, their desire to be more energy efficient, and their desire to save a few bucks. The free market is how innovation takes hold, and systems that are beneficial become prosperous, and eventually become widely accepted.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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