Are Smart Meters accurate? — the Structure Group report

Posted on July 6, 2014 by admin

Bakersfield Californian columnist Lois Henry has written extensively on the problems with PG&E Smart Meters. Below are links to many of her articles.

After high bills plagued Bakersfield residents, they and a few legislators, chiefly former California State Senator Dean Florez, put a great deal of pressure on the California Public Utilities Commission to halt the roll-out and investigate. After months of delay, the CPUC finally agreed to hire a consultant to investigate these problems.

However, the CPUC hired the Structure Group, an industry consultant specializing in the Smart Grid. Many opposed this choice because of the conflict of interest, but the CPUC went ahead anyway. This is covered on pages 11-18 here: https://smartmeterharm.org/2012/12/14/report-smart-meter-problems-dec-2012/

After the Structure Group finished their report, many questions were raised by the public. The CPUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates also questioned the findings (October 29, 2010):

“The Commission should establish a process that allows interested parties to evaluate and comment on the Structure Group Report. The Commission should then make its own findings on the reasons for the problems consumers have experienced with PG&E’s SmartMeters, and decide whether they have been adequately addressed.“
DRA Reply Comments on What the Commission Should Do in Light of the Structure Group Report, p. 3-5, 6, Application 07-12-009, October 29, 2010

DRA also stated in another proceeding that there is more work to be done to evaluate these meters to

“restore public confidence in SmartMeters (if such confidence is warranted)”
DRA Response to Application of Californians For Renewable Energy, Inc. (CARE) To Modify Decision 06-07-027, A.10-09-012, page 10, October 20, 2010

But the CPUC did not launch an investigation. CPUC Chairman Michael Peevey responded:

In particular, we find that the argument of CCSF, DRA, and TURN that the Commission should use this proceeding to review the Structure Group Report is unpersuasive. As noted previously, the facts alleged in the record of this proceeding, even if true, fail to warrant the suspension of the SmartMeter installation program. The PG&E reports cited by CCSF and the customer complaints reported in the media do not warrant the costly action of suspending the installation of a major infrastructure program that offers important conservation and demand response benefits. Thus, the Commission does not need the findings of the Structure Report to decide the matter before us.

As a general proposition, the Commission’s requesting of a report does not trigger a proceeding. The Commission orders, sponsors, and receives many reports that do not become the subject of a Commission proceeding. An investigation of the Structure Report is not warranted in this proceeding nor necessary to its resolution.
Final Decision (10-12-031) Denying the City and County of San Francisco’s Petition to Modify Decision 09-03-026, December 2010, p. 19, 20

This issue is important because the Structure Group report has been widely used by the utility industry as proof that Smart Meters are accurate and reliable.

Since the CPUC did not follow the DRA’s recommendations and refused to review the report or launch their own investigation, the DRA began its own investigation of the Structure Group report.

This is what Lois Henry wrote about their investigation.
[‘splaining’ is American slang for ‘explaining’]

Smart meters still have ‘splaining to do

The Bakersfield Californian | Sunday, Jul 24 2011

The California Public Utilities Commission has a chance to do the right thing and, finally, side with consumers on the SmartMeter debacle.

But it will take outside pressure.

The Division of Ratepayer Advocates, an agency within the PUC, told PUC commissioners recently that it has serious questions about a report issued last fall on SmartMeter accuracy.[Structure Group — DRA report 7-15-11]

That PUC unit, however, has been forced to abandon its efforts to get at the truth as it could not get the report’s authors, The Structure Group, to answer questions.

The Structure Group is a power industry consulting group that was hired by the PUC (for $1.4 million) to do an “independent” evaluation of SmartMeters overall and specifically to determine if a spike in bills in Bakersfield and elsewhere in 2009 was caused by the new meters. I put independent in quotes because it was discovered that Structure had contracted with PG&E for several years and at least one of Structure’s vice presidents was a former PG&E vice president.

Oh, and I hate to be picky, but since I am, I will point out that SmartMeter billing issues came up long before the summer of 2009. That’s a convenient timeframe for PG&E because they would like people to think the freaky bills were caused by a heat wave and rate hike. But I started writing about wacky bills in the winter of 2007/2008, a few months after the first SmartMeters showed up on Bakersfield homes. No heat wave and no rate hike involved.

Even then dozens, if not hundreds, of people saw their bills spike to three and five times normal. Then they dropped back to normal. No one has ever been able to explain why.

Back to The Structure Group report.

Released last September, the report concluded the meters were accurate, overall. However, it faulted PG&E for poor customer service and for installing meters faster than its infrastructure could handle.

But the Ratepayer Advocates division and others outside the PUC had serious questions about the report’s conclusions and methodology.

“We did jump up and down at the time,” Ratepayer Advocates interim director Joseph Como said when I asked why his agency was just now squawking about the report. “We filed responses with the (PUC) and asked them to open the process to critical analysis and we filed a preliminary analysis saying the report didn’t say there were no problems with the meters and, more importantly, it doesn’t say what the root cause was of the unexplained high bills.”

Did I mention we paid $1.4 million for a report that didn’t answer that key question? Sheesh!

As an example of just how slipshod the report was, Como noted that in its own testing The Structure Group found some meters overestimated power usage when their internal temperatures got too high. But they didn’t follow up or do any further testing. It was a buried bit of stray information until PG&E was finally forced to admit in May that, uhhh, yeah, some of its meters do have that problem.

Former State Sen. Dean Florez was among the frustrated third parties last fall who wanted more information. He initially scheduled hearings for mid-September. But one of PG&E’s gas pipelines exploded beneath San Bruno killing eight people a few days before the hearings, which were then canceled.

“I still believe that ratepayers deserve a fair and accurate analysis of the SmartMeter program, which should come at the expense of the utilities,” Florez wrote in an email.

He discounted PG&E’s assertion that the high temperature problem only affects a few meters. Even in their flawed analysis, he noted, The Structure Group reported that one out of the six meters tested had that malfunction.

“With 5.1 million SmartMeters in PG&E territory that could mean 850,000 meters.”

So what can we do about it?

“Frankly, I don’t know,” Como said in exasperation. CC’ing the media about its concerns was kind of a last ditch effort, an attempt to “try to embarrass the commission.”

Didn’t work.

PUC President Michael Peevey was too busy to chat but sent comments through a spokesperson: “Structure’s report found that the meters, software, and billing systems are performing accurately. Structure and the CPUC stand behind the report’s findings.”

Clearly, he would like that to be the end of the story. Well, it’s not. The folks here in Bakersfield who got hosed on their power bills still deserve to know what went wrong.

There are three newly appointed commissioners, Mike Florio, Catherine Sandoval and Mark Ferron, who are coming up for confirmation before the Senate Rules Committee in the next month or so.

I’m hoping committee members, including our own Jean Fuller, will grill them and get a commitment to reopen the report and give it a full, public airing.

Fuller told me she’s perfectly happy to put the screws to the new commissioners over this report.

Good, we’ll be watching.

Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at http://www.bakersfield.com, call her at 661-395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x1206332530/Smart-meters-still-have-splaining-to-do

The CPUC never compelled the Structure Group to answer the questions of the DRA. Nothing was ever done.

Though the industry cites the Structure Group report as proof that all is well, the problems continue. Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the utility industry are still making excuses. And most utility oversight agencies are protecting the utility industry and refuse to address these serious problems.

When will public stand up and take action?

———————————————————————

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x746309880/Lois-Henry-Smart-meters-leave-us-all-smarting

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x876262202/Spinning-SmartMeters-PG-Es-story-continues-to-evolve

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x1303782421/LOIS-HENRY-SmartMeters-dont-do-well-under-heat-and-neither-does-PG-E

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x1206332530/Smart-meters-still-have-splaining-to-do

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x1766489177/Heres-whats-also-broken-our-faith-in-PG-E 10-26-11

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x860822891/If-it-stinks-it-may-be-PG-E 10-31-11

Used under Fair Use Rules.

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High energy bills shock Canadians as Smart Meters roll out; Ontario newspaper investigates thousands of complaints

Posted on July 6, 2014 by admin

From Ontario, Canada:
Sudbury electricity bill skyrockets, CBC News Sudbury – June 16, 2014:

A Sudbury man is worried his whopping electricity bill could make it impossible to sell his property.

When Pierre Bonin bought his Sudbury area cottage five years ago, he knew hydro bills for the property were on the high side — in the range of $800 per quarter.

But he never expected what came in the mail recently.

The first shock was a bill for nearly $4,000.

“I lost my mind,” Bonin recalled. “I said, ‘there has to be a mistake’.”

That bill was followed by another for about $2,000.”

Bonin complained to Hydro One, but the only remedy offered so far has been a payment plan.

“I’m at a loss. I’m literally at a loss,” he said.

Hydro One has been under fire in recent months for problems with smart metres and billing.

…Since smart metres were installed, Hydro One has been dealing with billing problems and upset customers. The Ontario Ombudsman is investigating nearly 8,000 complaints about Hydro One bills and is expected to provide an update in the coming weeks.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/sudbury-man-s-cottage-electricity-bill-skyrockets-1.2677115
Posted on http://emrabc.ca/?p=4626

From Saskatchewan, Canada:
Some SaskPower bills double after smart meter installation, Prince Albert. Right Now! — June 18, 2014

Before her new smart meter was installed, Chelsey Lemke was paying about $75 for power every month for her 1,100 square foot bungalow in Regina. Then in the summer of 2013, her old power meter was removed and a new smart meter was installed. Her first bill after that was more than $1,000.

“Since then, I’ve seen nothing (on my power bill) under $180 a month, and some months it’s $300, some months it’s $280. It’s double what we were paying before,” said Lemke…

Approximately 80,000 smart meters have already been installed; the full 500,000 will be installed by the end of 2016.

Some of the 80,000 customers already upgraded are getting shocking bills, like Lemke following the installation. Lemke said she called SaskPower’s customer service line after getting her first inflated bill but didn’t get much help.

“They have nothing to say about it,” Lemke went on to paraphrase, “this is exactly what you’re using and that’s the end of the story, if you want power this is what you’re paying for it.”…

Lemke’s family has actually been cutting back on their power use since then; she said it hasn’t really helped.

“After I got that bill for a thousand dollars, we started unplugging everything that we weren’t using. We did a bunch of research online about phantom power and ghost power.”

Lemke called the situation ridiculous and wants a better explanation from SaskPower.

“I don’t think it’s a fair enough explanation to just say ‘well that’s what it is.’ There’s something wrong, there’s something amiss, there’s something that’s counting faster than it should be, or something’s happening because there’s no way that I’ve gone from using 500 kilowatts to 1,000 or whatever they’re saying it is.”…

Lemke isn’t alone; Ashley Haus ran into the same situation. The smart meter on her home was installed three months ago. Since then, her bills have also doubled.

“Our first bill was over $300 … and then each month since, it’s been consistently over $100 – at least $120 each month,” Haus said.

Haus explained that before the new meter the bill had been closer to $50, and like Lemke, she says her household hasn’t changed their power usage.
http://panow.com/node/457184
Posted on http://emrabc.ca/?p=4624

Other examples

From Johannesburg, South Africa:
Joburg’s not-so-smart meters, May 31, 2014

When the meters were installed in Kensington last year, residents believed their bills would no longer be based on inflated estimates and they wouldn’t have to worry about having strangers on their property to read the meters.

Residents now say that instead of reduced bills, many have seen steep increases and a local councillor has labelled the smart meters “a waste of money”…

Ralf Meysel said: “My electricity bill has doubled since they installed the smart meter.”

Another resident Amelia Theron said she was not sure if her meter was read by the council because no one did physical readings. She had also received a “very high” electricity bill this month. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/joburg-s-not-so-smart-meters-1.1696790

From Bakersfield, California:
Who is benefiting from PG&E’s SmartMeters? California Sen. Dean Florez, October 03 2009

Welcome to the world of PG&E SmartMeters. Wonder why the people of Kern County are angry and want answers? Most have told my office they have lowered their power usage and yet they’ve seen double- and triple-sized energy bills since the installation of SmartMeters.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/community-voices/x2067559376/Who-is-benefiting-from-PG-Es-SmartMeters

Laughter, jeers: Frustrated PG&E customers pack SmartMeter hearing, October 6, 2009

Emotions ran high at a public hearing on Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s SmartMeter program. Many customers told of astronomical hikes in energy bills after the utility company installed the new devices. But, PG&E defended its program, saying the meters are not to blame.

June Hahn received her Pacific Gas and Electric Co. bill three months after the company installed a SmartMeter in her home.

“My bill was $2,281, and we were gone three weeks,” said Hahn, who said she’s continued to see a 400 percent increase in her energy bill ever since.

Marisa Banks told a similar story. Her mother went on vacation in July, but, she said, “In that month her bill was $873.”

Other PG&E customers told of their frustrating experiences in trying to get answers from the utility company.

…”The most important thing to us from our customers is that they trust us,” said Felicia Lokey of PG&E before her comments were drowned out by a chorus of boos and jeers from a skeptical public.

The giant monopoly was on the defensive, defending its SmartMeter program.

“We have found no relationship between the implementation of the SmartMeter and the increases in customer bills,” said Bill Devereaux, PG&E’s senior director for the SmartMeter program. (see [i]]

That comment, as well, was greeted by a round of boos and disbelief from a standing-room only crowd.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/63581287.html http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/63581287.html?tab=video  TV News Video (3 minutes)

Bakersfield’s SmartMeter trouble worries industry, Feb 27 2010

“This is a serious threat. It cannot be overstated,” said Ahmad Faruqui, an economist and consultant on energy pricing and technology issues…

Faruqui, who occasionally does consulting work for PG&E, was at a London conference in October when the Bakersfield situation was brought up. It came up again shortly afterward at a meeting he attended in Cairo. Since then he has received e-mails from Australia and Canada asking what happened here.

“It has been coming up at every meeting and conference I’ve gone to in the last several weeks,” Faruqui said last week. “Nobody is convinced that they know what’s happening, and there is this apprehension now that it was the meters that was the problem.”

Travis Miller, a senior analyst who watches utilities for Chicago-based Morningstar, said the industry needs an explanation as to what caused the uproar in Bakersfield.

“There are questions about whether it was a one-off problem or whether it’s something that was systemic across the whole smart meter industry,” he said. http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x1305354119/Bakersfields-SmartMeter-trouble-worries-industry

After speaking to the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors in California about Smart Meters In January 2011, a police officer in the room told me his energy bill tripled after Smart Meters were installed.

From Florida:
Customers look for answers after OUC bills increase, June 10, 2014

Dozens of Orange County residents are looking for answers after their Orlando Utilities Commission bill spiked.

Some people who live in the Conway area said their bills increased as much as $50 to $100. They’re now questioning the new digital meters that were installed by OUC.

“I just looked at it and said, ‘Wow’,” resident Mary Tiffany said.

Records show Tiffany pays about $100 per month in the spring, but last month she said she paid almost $50 more.

“Because we had such a cool, unseasonal month I was thinking I was going to get a lower bill, but then I got this, a really high bill,” Tiffany said.

So she took to social media to see if anyone else was experiencing the same with their bill. More than 200 people responded to Tiffany and they all had one thing in common: digital smart meters recently installed.

“We all have questions. We have not gotten those answers,” Tiffany said.
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/customers-look-answers-after-ouc-bills-increase/ngH9t/

And it’s also smart water meters

Skyrocketing water bills mystify, anger residents; Water wars: Bills rise to the thousands March 2, 2011

    • Atlanta woman reacts to her $3,000 water bill: I’m “sinking in a hole of water”
    • City water officials received more than 22,000 calls in January
    • Many problems arise after installation of automated water meters
    • Similar water bill spikes reported in Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Florida http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/01/water.bills.war/index.html

From Monterey County, California,

Among the dozens of complaints from Monterey Peninsula residents about sudden, sky-high California American Water bills, Gervais Davis’ tale may have topped them all.

Last week, the 81-year-old retired Monterey attorney received a $24,028.86 bill that reflected 228,813 gallons of usage — enough to fill a medium-sized water tower tank — over a two-month period from mid-December to mid-February. http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_25309925/monterey-man-gets-24k-water-bill-whopper

For other stories on high water bills in Monterey County, California: http://www.montereyherald.com/calambills https://smartmeterharm.org/2014/03/10/24000-water-bill/

What do the utility companies say?

Ontario, Canada:

Hydro One claims the installation of smart metres coincided with the implementation of time-of-use pricing, which has increased some people’s bills. The utility points to the exceptionally cold winter as a factor as well.

Saskatchewan, Canada:

When asked about the problem, SaskPower president and CEO Robert Watson said the provider hadn’t heard much at all from customers.

“We’ve had very few complaints about the installation of the smart meters, and we’ve had very few complaints about any accuracy with billing,” Watson said.

Watson insists the smart meters are accurate.

“It is not the meters. The meters, we’re finding very reliable and very accurate,” he continued. Watson explained the smart meters have been verified, independently verified, and audited.

Florida:

“There is nothing wrong with these meters, they are probably more accurate than what we have before,” OUC spokesperson Tim Trudell said.

OUC said the weather is part of the problem. This year in May it was 2-3 degrees warmer so customers paid more to use air conditioning, according to the company.

California:

Bakersfield —
“We have found no relationship between the implementation of the SmartMeter and the increases in customer bills,” said Bill Devereaux, PG&E’s senior director for the SmartMeter program…

PG&E contends energy bills are high because of “an extremely hot summer” and two rate increases, one in October of last year and another in March.

Palo Alto —
PG&E told them they were using more energy than they thought. “When we would communicate with PG&E, they had no real reason to explain why it was so high,” said [Andreina] Parisi-Amon. – http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=7424533

Monterey County —
Cal Am spokeswoman Catherine Stedman said company officials realized the Monterey district needed someone specifically dedicated to dealing with high bills, especially because unintended usage such as leaks could drive the bills as high as several thousands of dollars due to the district’s steeply tiered rate design.

“I think we realize high bills due to the rate design and leaks are very burdensome on customers,” Stedman said. “The steeply tiered rates are there to encourage conservation, and they’ve been very effective. But we need to learn how to deal with the rate design. Now we have a person in Monterey focused just on the high bills situation.

…However, both Lopez and Stedman told The Herald that the company still believes its meters are accurate, and that even a stratospheric reading like Davis’ can be explained.
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_22827190/cal-am-drops-request-recover-costs-courtesy-leak

South Africa:

But City Power insists the 34 000 they have installed are working just fine…

Excuses and no action

“It’s new rates. it’s the weather. It’s a leak. You’re using too much energy. You’re using too much water.”

Something is wrong.
———————————————————————–

[i] http://www.mercurynews.com/pge/ci_20481577/pge-employee-who-spied-activists-support-management-cpuc

PG&E employee who spied on activists had support of management, a CPUC probe finds

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RF-EMF can trigger oxidative stress and interfere with cellular processes

Posted on July 1, 2014 by admin

Increasing incidence of burnout due to magnetic and electromagnetic fields
Ulrich Warnke and Peter Hensinger, 2013

Translation: By Katharina Gustavs and authorized by the author and publisher.
Original publication:
WARNKE U; HENSINGER P (2013): Steigende „Burn-out“-Inzidenz durch technisch erzeugte magne_scheund elektromagne_sche Felder des Mobil- und Kommunika_onsfunks; umwelt-medizin-gesellscha6, 26(1): 31-38.

Excerpt:

The crucial role of oxidative stress is generally known and scientifically acknowledged:

“Cell processes require redox homeostasis, which must be maintained by a multitude of antioxidant enzymes… When the organism’s homeostasis balance is tipped in favor of oxidative processes, we speak of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is associated, among others, with the aging of cells. Furthermore, a severe accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with a simultaneous decrease in the level of the body’s own antioxidant glutathione is considered a known cause of acute and chronic degenerative diseases such as stroke, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease” (HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM 2008). The Robert Koch Institute confirmed these relationships (RKI 2008).

In persons with burnout syndrome, changes can be observed in the following cell functions, among others (BAUR 2012, BIEGER 2012, MÜLLER 2012, VON BAEHR 2012):

• Oxidative cell stress (ROS), chronic inflammation, and nitric oxide formation result in an increased formation of peroxynitrite;

• Lower levels of the body’s own antioxidants, especially superoxide dismutase (SOD2);

• Decrease in ATP production and diminished energy supply through mitochondria;

• Disruption of the neuroendocrine stress axis, slowing down of the catabolism of catecholamines, and modulating effects on the neuroendocrine immune system.

Beside mental stress, environmental stressors, including EMF (electromagnetic fields, see Fig. 2), are discussed as triggers. Both mental stress as well as environmental stressors lead to cell stress (= oxidative stress); the interactions provide a model to explain the increasing incidence of burnout.

Parallels between biological stress symptoms and adverse biological effects of RF radiation

Why do we need to worry that these phenomena of general loss of performance also may have a causal relationship, among others, with the ubiquitous cell phone and wireless networks? The “digitalization of our world” means that, since ca. 1998, our cells have been exposed to a continually increasing level of nonionizing radiation to which they have not adapted. There is a relationship between triggers of stress due to living conditions and RF radiation. Research results regarding the effects of nonionizing radiation on cells show similar effect mechanisms as the burnout research in environmental medicine (see Fig. 3). Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) interfere with cell processes:

  • RF-EMFs produce excessive cell-damaging free radicals and strongly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which in turn can damage the DNA (see below).
  • The body’s own defense in the form of endogenous radical scavengers (antioxidants) is weakened by RFEMFs (see below).
  • The repair of DNA damage is impaired (BELYAEV et al. 2005).
  • RF-EMFs interfere with the center of our metabolism, the mitochondria, and thus interfere with our energy production: ATP production is inhibited (SANDERS et al. 1980, 1984, 1985).
  • The decrease in ATP production debilitates the entire system.
  • The exposure to RF radiation triggers a downward spiral of disease. RF-EMFs accelerate toxic cascades.

 “The clinical picture of AEDS or acquired energy dyssymbiosis syndrome … describes a deficiency in cell energy with a simultaneous deterioration of the cell milieu. This leads to mitochondriopathy. Energy production is blocked; the power plants of the cell are transformed into efficient sources of free radicals.” (WARNKE 2007)

The full paper is here:
http://www.mobilfunk-studien.org/assets/warnke_hensinger_umg_1_2013_engl_df.pdf

For Birds, Bees and Mankind: Destroying Nature by Electrosmog, by Ulrich Warnke

German:
http://www.kompetenzinitiative.net/broschuerenreihe/bienen-voegel-und-menschen/index.html

English:
http://www.kompetenzinitiative.net/assets/ki_beesbirdsandmankind_print.pdf

Spanish:
http://www.kompetenzinitiative.net/broschuerenreihe/brochure-series/spanisch/index.html

French:
http://www.kompetenzinitiative.net/broschuerenreihe/brochure-series/french/index.html

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Presentation to Oregon Legislature: Wireless radiation produces health effects by activation of voltage-gated calcium channels (VIDEO)

Posted on July 1, 2014 by admin

On February 24, 2014, Dr. Martin Pall and Dr. Paul Dart gave presentations to the Oregon State Legislature House Committee on Health Care on the biological and health effects of microwave radiation.  Here is the information from Dr. Pall.

Martin Pall, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences, Washington State University, writes:

One of the great puzzles about the action of electromagnetic fields is how can they influence the biology of our bodies?

The reason that this is such a great puzzle is that these fields are comprised of low energy photons, with energies too low to influence the chemistry of our bodies. So how can they possibly influence our biology? Many have argued that the only thing that they can possibly do is to heat things, and yet it is very clear that levels of exposure that produce only the slightest heating have been repeatedly shown to produce substantial biological effects. Now this puzzle has been solved in a paper with the title of this email, published on line in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, freely available on the publisher’s web site:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcmm.12088/pdf

Wireless Radiation Produces Health Effects by Activation of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels
Presentation by Dr. Martin Pall, PhD.,  to the Oregon State Legislature House Committee on Health Care, Feb 24, 2014:

Briefing paper for hearing (2 links to same paper)https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33504620/2014-0224-Martin-Paul-35551.pdf
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2014R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/35551

Power Point presentation, 2-24-14 https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2014R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/35597

Video 15 minutes

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IEEE worried about Smart Meter fires

Posted on June 25, 2014 by admin

Two years ago, the professional organization Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recognized the issue of Smart Meter fires. They wrote in their blog:

Smart Meter Fires

 We are seeing a spate of report from around the United States—and indeed around the world—of fires believed to have been caused by smart meters that were faulty, incorrectly installed, or connected to circuits where there were unfortunate and unforeseen effects. This appears to be not just a matter of freak incidents that may or may not have taken place here or there. In a compilation made by the EMF Safety Network, which specializes in EMF and RF precaution, there are at least a couple of dozen smart meter fire reports from Australia to Canada and virtually all regions of the United States, and some of those reports concern a couple of dozen fire incidents. In some cases fires appear to have originated in the meters themselves, in other cases in appliances like microwave ovens or refrigerators (as in the photo above), because of power surges.

To be sure, those reports are not necessarily going undisputed by local utilities and energy companies. In one instance, for example, California’s PG&E and fire officials have taken issue with an initial report of meter induced fires in Santa Rosa; a short circuit in the distribution system blew out a number of meters, both conventional and two-way, the local fire chief said [editor’s note – the official incident report states that it was caused by Smart Meters]. On the other hand, just last week Commonwealth Edison of Illinois confirmed three smart meter fires in its operating area, and earlier last month its sibling company Peco Energy suspended smart meter installations in the Mid-Atlantic states after 15 reports of smart meter fires, one in Philadelphia.

…Obviously all companies with smart meter programs, and all their suppliers and sub-contractors, are going to have to take a close look at the issue of fire hazards. This is just the beginning of a difficult story. Companies installing smart meters already have run into a lot of consumer push-back because of concerns about privacy, security, and–sometimes–higher rather lower electricity costs. The last thing the smart grid needs is meters causing fires.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/the-smarter-grid/smart-meter-fire-reports

Well, Smart Meters are continuing to cause fires and damage, but nothing is being done.

Why aren’t fire marshals in all our countries raising a real fire alarm about these meters?

Why aren’t consumer protection agencies and organizations taking action?

How many people will have their homes or businesses damaged or destroyed before something happens?

How many people will die from these fires?

And when will the complicity and cover-up end?

Smart Meters are failing miserably. For years, utilities and elected officials have been repeatedly warned by experts and the public, but these warnings are ignored by utilities and most of our officials.

This is a shocking violation of the public trust and an irrational course of action by all of them.

The public must take action to stop this program.

 

 

 

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ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE ON IMPLANTS compiled by Eve Woodward-Shawl » Families For Safe Meters

Posted on June 25, 2014 by admin

ADA MEDICAL INFORMATION: ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE ON IMPLANTS compiled by Eve Woodward-Shawl » Families For Safe Meters. http://familiesforsafemeters.org/ada-medical-information-electromagnetic-interference-on-implants-compiled-by-eve-woodward-shawl/

People who have medical implants, particularly metal implants, are more sensitive to spurious RF exposures for two reasons; Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) with critical care medical equipment and medical implants is a potentially serious threat. Patients with deep-brain stimulators (Parkinson’s disease patients) have reported adverse health effects due to RF from various environmental sources like security gates and RFID scanners.          Patients with deep brain stimulators have reported the devices to be reprogramming or electrodes shut-down as a result of encounters with wireless RFID scanners. One manufacturer, Medtronics, has issued a warning for DBS implant patients to limit RF exposure to less than 0.1 W/Kg SAR (or sixteen times lower than for the general public) for MRI exposures.

The IEEE SC4 committee (2001) considered changes to existing ANSI/IEEE standards adopted in 1992 (C95.1-1992). They discussed vulnerable organs (eyes, testes) and metallic implants that can intensify localized RF exposures within the body and its tissues. “Question 20: Are there specific tissues or points within the body that have particularly high susceptibilities to local heating due to thermal properties in the immediate vicinity of the tissue?”

“Metallic implants are an interesting example of this question. There can be very localized high field concentrations around the tips of long metal structures, in the gaps of wire loops. Of course, these metal devices don’t create energy, but can only redistribute it, so the effect is limited to some extent. Also the high thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity make them good thermal sinks for any localized heat sources generated around them.”

Since deep brain stimulators in Parkinson’s patients involve metal implants that are essentially long metal structures with tips that interface with brain tissue and nerves within the brain and body, exposing such patients with implants to high levels of pulsed RF that can produce localized, high RF within the body is certainly inadvisable. It is clear the IEEE SC4 committee recognized the potential risk by to calling such implanted metallic devices good ‘thermal sinks’ for localized heating dissipation.

 

 

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Another fire: Landis & Gyr Smart Meter causes apartment building fire, February 2014 (VIDEO)

Posted on June 25, 2014 by admin

This apartment fire occurred in Bensalem, Pennsylvania on February 6, 2014.

      • 14 families were displaced
      • 7 apartments had fire damage, 5 had significant damage
      • 11 apartments had smoke and water damage
      • 1 firefighter was injured

It was caused by a Landis & Gyr Smart Meter that exploded and caught fire, and set the apartment building on fire.

Bensalem Battalion Chief Robert Sponheimer told the Bucks County Courier Times that the fire started in a utility meter in an outside shed that housed electrical meters.

“…residents reported hearing a loud bang, then losing power Thursday evening. Within minutes they saw smoke pouring out of the shed. The fire then spread to the building and its roof, Sponheimer said.”
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/electric-meter-blamed-for-bensalem-apartment-fire/article_93cf65bb-a298-5978-a88e-464c2f4451e1.html

“The meter itself is the cause of the Bensalem fire, not arcing and not the wires, per the Bensalem Fire Marshal.”

Here is a full account by Skyvision Solutions:
http://smartgridawareness.org/2014/02/14/meter-blamed-for-pennsylvania-fire/

Pennsylvania’s utility company PECO halted Smart Meter installation in August 2012 because of meters overheating and catching fire. They were using Sensus Smart Meters, Elster, and L & G at the time. There was a state investigation. Sensus Smart Meters were declared safe, but PECO began replacing all Sensus meters with Landis & Gyr Smart Meters.

Change in manufacturer makes no difference.

The previous post from Ontario, Canada, was about Landis & Gyr Smart Meters flying off an apartment building and catching fire.

The fire that killed Larry Nikkel in California was started by a Landis & Gyr Smart Meter.

Pacific Gas and Electric uses Landis & Gyr.

This previous post was on Smart Meter fires:

More Smart Meter fires?

And here’s EMF Safety Network’s extensive collection of Smart Meter fires, explosions, and electrical damage
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/smart-meters/smart-meter-fires-and-explosions/

California and the West are facing a terrible drought. Most places are tinder dry.

A Smart Meter fire, particularly at night, in a dry, forested region would become a catastrophe quickly, affecting many homes and residents.

Having Smart Meters on homes and businesses is a terrible risk for every community.

 

 

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Wires dangling and meter fires when surge blows out 60-70 Smart Meters, November 2013

Posted on June 20, 2014 by admin

From Ontario, Canada
Forest Standard, November 7, 2013:

Surge Blows Smart Meters, Leaves Neighbourhood Without Hydro

by Eric Nixon

Hydro One replaced upwards of 70 Smart Meters that blew out in a power surge on Eureka Street on Thursday, October 31st. Some of the meters reportedly caught fire, while others were blown off houses completely, leaving bare wires dangling.

Families on Eureka Street in Forest found out the Hydro One Smart Meters they have on their homes aren’t quite as smart as they were led to believe. A power surge blew out between 60-70 of the meters on the street and led to hydro [electric power] being shut off for more than a day, starting about 1:00 pm on Halloween.

Don Plowright, who lives with his wife in the Fairview Court Apartments, says the meters sustained a lot of damage. “Some of them blew right off and hit one of the windows,” he remarks. “Ours was all blackened. The people next to us, the meter was blown right off and the wires were sticking out.”

That led to Hydro One taking immediate action to prevent anyone from getting injured. “They cut all the wires leading into the apartment building, so that no one could get electrocuted,” says Plowright.

Apparently, this was a totally new experience for Hydro One crews. “They were really surprised. They said that they’d never had anything like this happen before. There’s safety things that they have that if anything happens, it will short everything out. But, for some reason, it didn’t. That why all the things blew,” Plowright recounts.

Hydro One employee Ron Core, one of the crew members onsite, says the surge was caused when a 16,000 volt line landed on a 2,000 volt line during the high winds last Thursday, blowing one transformer and destroying the Smart Meters.

… When [the meters] were installed at his former residence, Plowright says, “The guy that looked after that say they’re not very good. Most of the old ones were made in Canada. These are made in China and they’re not made to stand up to real rough weather. He didn’t think much of them.” The meters are manufactured by a company called Landis + Gyr, which is headquartered in Switzerland, but was bought by Toshiba Corporation of Japan in 2011.

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50,000 customers in British Columbia resisting Smart Meters

Posted on June 9, 2014 by admin

The utility industry generally describes resistance to Smart Meters as a few loud individuals.

The letter below from a community advocate in British Columbia and the resolution adopted by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities(1) show a very different reality. B.C. Hydro is the utility for British Columbia residents.

From Citizens for Safe Technology – www.citizensforsafetechnology.org

50,000 Hydro customers resisting Smart Meters (Letter)

Letter to the Editor of BC Local News

In response to Tom Fletcher’s article posted May 10 and titled “Smart meter refusal fees trimmed”:

Part of this article seems to paint a picture that only “a “few” people in British Columbia continue to resist the installation of a Smart Meter on their homes and have false or exaggerated claims in order to sell solutions to the purported hazards…”

Actually sir, there are well over 50,000 BC Hydro customers currently resisting the installation of these “gadgets” on their homes and with good reason.

Did you know that right here in British Columbia, the civil, privacy, human, constitutional and Canadian Charter Of Rights of many of Hydro’s customers has and continues to be ignored and violated in an effort to force them to accept the installation of a Smart Meter on their homes and businesses?

There are and have been attempts (many have been successful) made by Hydro to trespass on the private properties of their customers. Many have been and continue to be exposed to Hydro’s bullying tactics, threats and attempts to coerce and/or blackmail them in an effort to install these “contraptions” on their homes.

-As we sit here debating this issue, there are more than 50,000 tax paying citizens in British Columbia who have come together and are in the process of suing BC Hydro and make no mistake, we are the proud members of: “The BC Coalition against Smart Meters”, “Stop Smart Meters BC”, “Take Back Your Power” and the “Citizens for safe technology” organizations.

…Tom Fletcher and those who remain convinced that Smart Meters are safe and that over 50,000 folks in B.C. are mistaken, let me ask you this…

If you still think there’s only a “few” BC Hydro  customers trying to make a big fuss over the changing of a little meter, allow me to extend to you all an invitation to explore the information on just one of our websites: www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca

To read the complete letter, go to http://www.citizensforsafetechnology.org/50000-Hydro-customers-resisting-Smart-Meters-Letter,2,3882

 

(1) Resolution adopted as proposed, 9-30-11

 

 

 

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City Power Smart Meters already having problems in South Africa

Posted on June 9, 2014 by admin

City Power’s Smart Meter roll-out has just started in Johannesburg, South Africa, and already there are problems.

There have been allegations of fraud and corruption.

Customers are reporting high bills following installation.

Now, 400 “high-end” users were never billed for electricity use, and Independent Newspapers is censoring comments on its website IOL.

This is just the beginning of the Smart Meter roll-out by City Power and the beginning of problems for South Africans.

Once again, elected officials looked the other way and listened to utility industry marketing campaigns. Once again, news media outlets cover just enough to sell papers, but lack the honesty to fully inform the public.

There is a substantial and growing international record of Smart Meter problems and public opposition, yet South African politicians ignored all of it when they approved this program. 

That is not only completely shameful. That is criminal negligence and worse.

 

Articles:

http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-south-africa/city-power-to-start-installing-smart-meters
City Power to start installing smart meters
11 November 2013

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/joburg-s-not-so-smart-meters-1.1696790
Joburg’s not-so-smart meters
Rabbie Serumula. May 31 2014

http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=629563&sn=Detail&pid=71654
Joburg City Power fails to bill 400 high-end power users – DA
Denis Hunt, 04 June 2014  

 

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