Letter to the Editor – Canberra CityNews:
I’ve just made a submission on smart meters to the Australian Energy
Market Commission (AEMC).
AEMCis currently looking at accelerating smart meter deployment in NSW, Queensland, the ACT and SA, following a request from industry players Intellihub, SA Power Networks and Alinta Energy.
Smart meters are promoted by industry and regulators as the best thing since sliced bread. However, the replacement of electromechanical meters with digital technology has resulted in locking consumers into a continuing cycle of higher electricity bills.
Accumulation meters have a long lifespan, whereas smart meters need to be replaced over time. Smart meters also depend on sophisticated technology, requiring communication networks, data storage, software applications and technical expertise.Research released by The Australia Institute in 2019 showed that “time of use pricing” facilitated by smart meters drives up household energy costs. Electricity companies and regulators push for higher electricity prices at peak times, as well as higher “shoulder” periods. In theory, this encourages people to move their energy consumption to times of the day when it is cheaper for utilities to provide it.
The Australia Institute concluded that many households have now exhausted their capacity to cut electricity consumption or change their time of electricity use. In reality, electricity companies are using electricity demand peaks to push for higher consumer prices to increase their profits.
The call to accelerate the smart meter rollout is clearly about industry interests over that of consumers. Get ready for more spin saying it’s all about the advantages for consumers. Guess who is paying?
Murray May, CookSource: CBRCityNews
Information of the Australia Institute 2019 research can be found here
Stop Smart Meters Australia 
You must push back! I am in Victoria yet I still have an analog meter. Using SSMA’s excellent advice I resisted the protracted pressure campaign. I can’t help seeing the parallels with the C19 propaganda. Remember: mandatory does not mean compulsory. Place a locked enclosure around your traditional smart meter but make sure it has a viewing panel. Then put the SSMA sign up alongside your meter and tell the utility providers and the authorities to bugger off! The WA govt is perhaps on par with the Victorian govt in terms of tyranny, and maybe my advice may not work for WA, but SSMA is a fabulous resource. They deserve a medal.
I live in Perth and have just received a letter telling me they will be installing a SM at my house,I rang Westernpower and said I don’t want that to happen and was told I have no choice.
At least Western Power gives you the option to have the communications device removed (unlike what happens in Victoria!).
One of their FAQ says “if you become a self-read customer, you can request to have the communications device removed from your meter*.”
If you value your health Do Not let Western Power take away your analog meter. It is not just about the radiofrequencies emitted from the smart meter – these new digital meters cause significant dirty electricity on your whole house wiring – and WP do not care. Please also inform your neighbors. I have the communication device removed from our meter and I can’t live in my own house since the day it was installed – we had never consented and had written a letter stating this… they lied at the time when coming to install new meter, despite non consent and aware I had a sensitivity to one in my previous workplace. Instead they said this was ok but still needed to service the analogue meter – they lied and instead replaced with a new digital meter ‘just with the communication device removed’. I currently live in a tent because of WP. I have been trying to find a house in the country with no smart meter or digital meter – I have not been able to find an affordable house with an analogue meter. This new meter has destroyed my life – and now hypersensitive to all wireless radiation/ELF’s. My advice/recommendation put it under lock and key – put a window so it can be still read, and don’t believe them if they say they need to service the analogue meter – do not trust them. I’ve learnt the hard way – I trusted them when they said they were only going to service and not change.
Thank your for this information. You do a wonderful job at SSMA.
Are these Energy providers on notice that there needs to be choice for customers for them to uphold basic human and disability rights?
That to restrict accessible and safe electricity supply for those whose health is impacted by smartmeters is unlawful and unjust? To blanket their neighbourhoods, health services, schools, other public buildings is unlawful and prohibiting their human rights to dignity, to live without harassments and safe and equal access?
Consideration has been applied to some areas of public access, such as building access in Australia. But what actual changes have been made in a protective sense that uphold human rights to dignity, equity, accessibility for example.
EHS is a functional impairment, functional impairments are classified by the WHO within their ICF model. It is clearly stated on page 11 that: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/43974/9789241547598_eng.pdf?sequence=1
“According to the biopsychosocial model embedded in the ICF,
disability and functioning are outcomes of interactions between health conditions (diseases, disorders and injuries) and contextual factors. The model recognizes that disability is multidimensional and is the product of an interaction between attributes of an individual and features of the person’s physical, social and attitudinal environment. It broadens the perspective of disability and allows for the examination of medical, individual, social and environmental influences on functioning and disability.”
Also refer to page 79: Barriers or Hindrances/ Contextural factors/ Difficulty/ Environmental factors. Please go through the entire document and then marry this up with the Rights of Persons with disability. With particular reference to Article 9: Accessibility.
Environmental influences are the context for disability and accessibility (Article 9) There are other areas this is recognised- officially also.
How do smartmeters affect a person with disability, in the form of functioning impairment?
How do they impact quality of life if installed in the neighbourhood of someone with this functional impairment?
How are the energy providers providing fair access to services, addressing the basic human rights?
How are they administering and guaranteeing the protection of the vulnerable: babies, children and pregnant women, immunity impaired the elderly, as named by ICNIRP (The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection)?
What contribution have the Australian representatives within ICNIRP (past and present) made to protect Australian’s health, with particular reference to the vulnerable (babies, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised?