SSMA’s vice president, Steven Weller, attended the recent International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and Science and Wireless conferences in Wollongong as SSMA’s representative. He has provided for us a summary of discussions at these two workshops. It includes some of Steve’s own research and personal opinions.
Summary of the ICNIRP and science and wireless workshops 11-11-2014
After relentless pressure from the people and a cascade of related problems, the City of Port Angeles has terminated their “smart” meter program.
If you have seen “Take Back Your Power”, you know me as the one who created the darkfield images of blood samples from three different people before and after a two-minute exposure to the smart meter installed at my office.
Recall the damaging effect of the smart meter exposure on the blood cell membranes. It was a very visual example of the dangerous emissions that I was exposed to continuously for several years.
I am now pleased to say that my smart meter has been removed now that the installation program has been scrapped, thanks to the efforts of many of our local awake and informed group.
How the local “smart” meter program was ended
After more than 120 attended the first “Take Back Your Power” showing at our local library, there was an outcry against smart meters at the next Port Angeles City Council meeting.
What was the key? Persistence. It took a little over a year for us to get this goal accomplished.
Beyond the power of the film itself, we also had help from the fact that the smart meters never really worked properly in the first place. In spite of all this, the Smart Meter Project Manager, Phil Lusk, was committed to pushing forward anyway. In the end, the Port Angeles City Council took charge and voted to eliminate the project.
Free removal of “smart” electric and water meters
One of the great aspects of the final outcome is the fact that everyone now gets to decide individually on the type of utility meter they prefer. The city as agreed to work with those who wish to keep or restore their analog meters. Additionally, this agreement also includes the water meters.
I want to thank Producer/Director Josh Del Sol for his commitment to the creation this amazing award-winning film. I am pleased and proud to have played a small role in the film, showing the degradation of the blood from just a short exposure to smart meter emissions. It was a great blessing to have worked with you, Josh!
-Frank Springob, DC
Via: http://www.takebackyourpower.net/news/2014/11/07/the-end-of-smart-meters-in-port-angeles-washington/
CONTROVERSIAL electricity smart meters — which resulted in a politicial disaster in Victoria when they were forced upon households in a mandatory rollout in 2009 — will be introduced in NSW under a government plan tied to deregulation of the electricity retail market.
But unlike their Victorian counterparts, NSW consumers will be given the choice to voluntary take up the meters. See ‘Smart’ energy meter move that bombed, lands in NSW – Daily Telegraph
Chris Smith of 2GB speaks with NSW Energy Minister Anthony Roberts about a NSW plan to phase in smart meters.
For all Anthony Roberts’ talk about how NSW has learned from the disastrous Victorian rollout, he doesn’t seem to be saying anything much different from what authorities in Victoria have been saying. He still sees the problem as being a lack of engagement of the power company with the customer. That’s the same as what Victorian power companies have been using as their excuse for the disastrous rollout in victoria.
Anthony Roberts suggests that there could be sweetener deals to entice NSW customers to drop their guard. One such deal could see a smart phone being bundled with a smart meter (double the dose of radiation – now that’s ‘smart’!!!). But not so clearly expressed is the possibility that power bills for refusers could be higher. Nor is Anthony Roberts keen to state who will be paying for the smart meter.
Other related report: 7 News NSW report
IRELAND – THE future of a €1bn project to install electricity and gas smart meters in all homes and most businesses by 2020 could be in doubt after a recent cost-benefit analysis indicated savings, if any, would be minimal.
The report commissioned by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) — which is overseeing the planned rollout of the National Smart Metering Programme to more than 2m households — said the results were “marginally negative”.
It estimated that the project would result in the net loss of €54m in the most likely scenario. However, consultancy firm PwC, which carried out the analysis, said its findings should be interpreted as “broadly neutral” given the overall scale of the project and the significant uncertainty about many of the main cost assumptions.
But the latest results will come as a disappointment to the CER as a similar earlier study was largely positive about the combined benefit of smart meters for electricity and gas over a 20-year period. The updated review suggests the cost of the project could outweigh any benefit in all but the most optimistic scenario. The net losses could even be as high as €140m, according to the report.
The figures will also cause some unease for the government which has faced a barrage of criticism over the cost and implementation of the programme for water meters and which will be anxious to avoid a similar controversy in future.
Although there will be no upfront costs for consumers to have smart meters fitted in their homes, a CER spokesman said it was anticipated that the cost would be incorporated in distribution charges set by electricity and gas suppliers.
The energy regulator claims smart meters will result in cheaper energy bills for electricity and gas, more information on energy consumption and greater customer choice as well as reducing Ireland’s CO2 emissions and creating greater efficiencies for utility companies. The programme is designed to reduce electricity and gas consumption during the peak period of 5pm-7pm by encouraging consumers to avail of lower tariffs at other periods.
The recent cost-benefit analysis estimated the average residential household would achieve savings of €16.20 on their annual electricity bill and €18.52 on their gas bill. The CER stated further savings would be derived from electricity and gas suppliers not having to visit homes to read meters which should also be passed on to consumers.
The national rollout of smart meters had been originally scheduled to begin in 2015 but is unlikely to commence before 2018.
It is estimated it will be 2021 before all homes are fitted with smart meters.
A CER spokesman said the programme would proceed to its third stage which would involve a further cost-benefit analysis scheduled for autumn 2016 before any final decision is made with regard to smart metering.
A spokesman for the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources said it was not in a position to comment on the latest figures for the smart metering project.
A spokesman for ESB Networks also declined to comment.
Seán McCárthaigh, The Sunday Times
Source: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/ireland/News/article1473011.ece
People Power Victoria – No Smart Meters Party (PPV) was launched on 11 October 2014.
Launch highlights can be seen at: PPV Launch
PPV requires volunteer and financial support to help it contest the forthcoming State election on November 29, 2014. If you would like to support PPV please go to the PPV Help
The Australian Energy Regulator has published the submissions it received on the proposed manual meter reading fee to come into effect in April 2015. As well as the submissions from the five power distributors on what they would like to be allowed to charge customers who have refused a smart meter, there are 13 submissions from individuals/groups and one submission from Energy minister, Russell Northe.
The submissions from individuals and groups are spirited and well thought through. Minister Northe’s submission is confusing at times, as he commences with scathing criticism of cost blow-outs by some of the distributors and then, on page 14, voices concern that AusNet Services is not proposing to charge customers for a manual meter read. Minister Northe urges power distributors that “it is important that customers are suitably incentivised to accept the installation of a smart meter”. (Take away the positive spin and you’ve got, “it is important that customers are suitably penalised for refusing the installation of a smart meter”.)
AER will make a decision on the proposed manual meter reading charges by 31 October, 2014.
To read the submissions from all parties click on any of the distributors listed below and then click on ‘Proposal’ near the bottom of the new screen.
In two recent international reports it is claimed that the smart meters being installed can be hacked to achieve various goals. Aims of hackers could range from under-reporting a property’s bill, fooling the system into billing one property for the neighbouring property’s electricity consumption, shutting down a smart meter, or shutting down the electricity to an entire city.
As one report states, the consumer is legally helpless to do anything about their meter being hacked because the power distributors have exclusive rights to install, service and remove the meter. Customers are at the mercy of the power distributors having the motivation to investigate alleged hacking.
And since the smart meter is located some distance from the power distributor’s site, for all their talk about being able to remotely fix supply problems, it seems that fixing hacking from a distance is not necessarily something that the distributors can brag is in their skill set.
‘Security flaw found in mandatory smart meters’, Consumer Affairs
Stop Smart Meters Australia 