An Echo reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, has told of their difficult – yet finally successful – experience of getting a smart meter uninstalled at their home.
Smart meters collect and transmit wireless data and sends it back to the utility company. They do so by using microwaves or radio-frequency radiation, just like your mobile phone or wireless router at home.
A smart meter produces microwave non-ionising radiation that penetrates the walls of your home 24/7, 365 days a year.
The reader says they are unsafe, although utility companies argue that the radiation being emitted is non-ionising and is therefore safe.
The reader said, ‘Late last year, AGL and Origin Energy installed smart meters on homes across Byron Shire without direct permission from the homeowners.’
‘These two companies chose an “opt out” system, whereby they left a note stating their intention to install a smart meter and if no-one responded, this would be considered consent.
Caught by surprise
‘This has caught quite a few Byron Shire residents by surprise.
‘I was away overseas and had not returned in time to “opt out”. Another resident had tenants in her house who had disregarded the note from Origin Energy (not even knowing what a ‘smart’ meter was) and did not notify the owner.
‘It was a hard-fought long battle to have the smart meter replaced with a non-remotely read (not-EMF) digital meter.
‘This process took five months of hard work involving writing numerous letters, months of phone calls and a case with the NSW Energy Ombudsman.
‘At every step, I was told by Origin Energy that it was not possible to reverse a meter once it has been installed.
‘This is not true.
‘Last week, I had the case resolved and have finally been granted permission to have my smart meter removed (at a cost of $250 for the new meter).’
The reader said the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the office of Fair Trading NSW advised the Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW that:
• There is currently no AEMO policy or regulation in NSW that prevents a smart meter reversion or installing another meter
• There is a prevention [order] with reversing smart meters in Victoria, but this not the case for NSW for the time being.
• Part A, section 2.6 of the AEMO Metrology Procedure is a procedure applied preventing a reversion of an interval meter back to a basic meter.
This procedure does not apply to smart meters being reversed to a digital meter
n Those wanting to remove smart meters will need to contact a level-two electrician (Accredited Service Provider) to do the meter reversion.
What we need is clear interprepation in journalism.
What is non-ionising radiation and what is ionising radiation and what is the difference in what the radiation does?
Without blinding you with science, which I am not qualified to do, Ionising radiation basically is from nuclear material and non ionising is not.
The former is considered dangerous, the latter is not.
However some scientists are saying there’s a continuum and grey area.
Search Devra Davis who will give you the correct scientific and qualified warnings. In partilcular her speech at Melbourne Uni in November I think it was 2016, on you tube, unless it has been removed.
Smart meters use exact the same mobile phone networks used by everyday mobile phones to transmit their information back to the utility.
However, unlike mobile phones that broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, smart meters routinely only send their information once a day at around 2 am. Smart meters are located in the house’s meter box that is often several meters from residents (depending on household layout etc)
Now it would be interesting to understand whether objectors to smart meters have mobile phones and how they carry their mobile phones or whether they leave their mobile phones switched on next to them while they sleep.
Given the physics of radio transmission, the radiation from smart meters reaching residents is very likely to be one tenth or one even hundredth of the radiation from a mobile phone placed next to person or carried by that person.
Given the complaints routinely received by the media about actual meter-reads not being taken and the estimated bills that result, smart meters are a cost-effective and safe solution to the problem.
However, there is a case for objectors to have smart-meters removed if they agree to dispose of all their other mobile devices and wifi networks.
David
These meters actually transmit about every 4 to 9 seconds. I have personally tested hundreds.
Your information is incorrect.
Bill
First of all, your information that they only transmit once a day is disputed. If you turn to you tube, you can see electro meters reading the output of a smart meter in real time, in front of a smart meter. Once you have seen that with your own eyes, you can make your own decision.
Secondly, putting a smart meter on an outbuilding is certainly better than having it on your house. However, if you do the research, you will find that smart meter radiation goes approx 1.5 klm in all directions (depending on the brand). Therefore, whether your neighbour has one or not becomes an issue. And so on, with their neighbour. One house in the street may become a collector in a string of other houses, and it will have a much higher exposure, according to information I have read.
Third, microwaves go through everything except metal, and therefore, if a sm (or cordless phone or mobile phone etc) is inside a tin shed, such as the big shed where they have talks at Starseed Gardens Byron Bay – the environment in there is pretty lethal! If it is outside, any metal walls that the radiation hits will magnify the radiation as it bounces off. This is the same reason why it is very dangerous to use a mobile phone inside a car. Barry Trower says never, ever, ever, use a mobile inside a car.
Saying that in effect, smart meters are not as bad as carrying a mobile or leaving it on whilst you sleep, is akin to saying nickel is not as bad for you as mercury. Smart meters cannot be turned off! The health effect of the radiation is cumulative! Mobiles can be turned off, and the body if given a chance, it can recover its melatonin levels whilst you sleep. But not if you have a smart meter. If the body is not allowed to recover, you have just lost the substance that protects you from cancer. Because microwaves are perceived by the body as light, this is why they destroy melatonin.
People who use wireless technology – that’s nearly everyone – need to wise up and find out for THEMSELVES whether what they are doing is safe. Most people I have found, do not like to be told. There are no safety levels in place whatsoever. The word safety is not used by the industry, because safety has NOT been established. The levels or “recommendations” although WAY too high are called “standards” NOT safety levels. Find out for yourself!
For information on independent (self funded) scientific studies go to http://www.bioinitiative.org
For local newsletter see http://www.emraware.com
You tube look up Barry Trower, microwave expert.
Finally, smart meters are not cost effective. Here is a post from March 2017:
University Study Exposes Smart Meters Inflating Power Consumption Readings
https://stopsmartmeters.com.au/
There are countless others.
“It was a hard fought long battle (involving) months of hard work”………
This is so totally funny. 79% of the worlds poor (people living in the worlds poorest 50 countries) live without electricity. No wonder the person concerned wants to remain anonymous for were their identity to be revealed they risk been laughed all the way to Ethiopia (10% access electricity) or maybe Fiji (51%)!!
The Kokoda Trail Campaign was a hard fought long battle. Removing smart metres is nothing more than upper middle class schmuck!
Yeah hi Mark!
Do you or any of our readers consider that electricity which runs along wires is different to electricity that actually pervades the atmosphere over long distances and indeed saturates it (as in “free” wifi?)
Particularly when the human brain and the heart also runs on tiny electrical impulses? Hello?
I also wonder how the bees feel about that, when they rely on magnetism to find their way home?
I wonder why power lines and electrical cords are even insulated?
Our whole house has this low level hum 24/7, and it drives me bonkers. It disrupts our sleep and energy levels. It NEVER did this before the smart metre was installed five years ago. I’m ready to uninstall it, vandalize it or sell up and move out, it’s freakin sending me mad.
Thanks Jane for sharing your knowledge.
Obviously David is some smarmy PR spinner who works for AGL or Origin.
Yep as a Victorian campaigner against them BE WARNED !!!! They are stinking, dangerous biological weapons, intentionally foisted on an unsuspecting public, and EMF sensitivity is a CUMULATIVE illness.
We are all DREADING 5g rollout and I personally am going off grid to avoid the electronic prisons this will cause.
If you are doubtful about this, seek out “Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars ” available on the Internet or find an interview with Deborah Tavares.
Time to take the red pill, peeps, wake up!!!!
I’m in Qld. Any advice about how or who to speak to to get a smart meter removed? I’m scared of getting sick..I’ve dealt with enough sickness. My neighbour still has an old analogue meter. Thank you for any recommendations or advice.
Hi Cassandra, did you find any solution? I’m in QLD too, my battle just started.
Stop it before it gets installed if you can
I have a friend who did and whilst they still contact him every year or so they have never forced it on him and it’s been years since everyone got them.
They transmit anywhere from every 10 seconds to a bare minimum of once every hour
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S9e5leRcKgg
Watch the link to see how they can spy on you, know exactly when you boiled your kettle, toaster, fridge cutting on etc
I needed a ceiling fan and some lights fitted. I live in Victoria. The electrician said he couldn’t legally do it because I had the accumulation meter, and that I had to have a smart meter installed first. I didn’t know about them until after it was fitted. Does anyone even know if that is right in Victoria? It cost me $900 as well.
I am having a running dialogue with my NSW elect. supplier because their support team forget to read prior email conversations. I have gone Solar and was charged an instal bond of $200 for a smart meter. I opted out of WiFi reading so it was not activated – win. I had requested quarterly reads and expected to pay a ‘smoothing’ bill monthly then, after read confirmation, get divvy up (probably in my favour I am a low user and have 18 solar panels). The support staff have constantly not understood about wifi opt out I patiently reiterate my rights and they have now said the reading have to be monthly? Luckily I have the emails where I clearly and painfully go over each requirement that was agreed to; first in my initial sign up conversation that they recorded and subsequent emails that state, from them, I can have no WiFi and quarterly readings with a $12 fee to the distributor (Ausgrid) for reading my smart meter. I have asked for clarity of why monthly when there is no benefit to me and none to them just a fee to Ausgrid. Awaiting reply. I will persevere. It is worth setting up this precedent for all who are making the decision to go solar and do not want wifi.
It is worth reading the AER factsheet.
https://www.aer.gov.au/system/files/AER%20factsheet%20-%20Smart%20meters%20and%20you_0.pdf