1) The New York Times published a criticism of the NTP report on RF and cancers that has been refuted by several experts, including Dr. Melnick, one of those working on the study. But, sadly, for some inexplicable reason, the NYT has refused to publish the responses. This shoddy and apparently biased journalism is not what one would expect from the New York Times. It wouldn’t hurt to write the editor of the Upshot column, encouraging him to allow the readers to see Dr. Melnick’s comments. https://myaccount.nytimes.com/membercenter/emailus.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20160611072546/http://microwavenews.com/news-center/ntp-nyt
2) How many other “transmitter” off smeters are transmitting RF? We’d like to find out. If there are people with RF meters who are willing to check out smeters, please let me know.
One person who is in Chilliwack has offered to test “rad off” meters for anyone living in that area. Please email me with “Chilliwack test” on the subject line and I will forward it.
3) Article that has more about the disconnections by BC Hydro. Some comments deserve replies.
http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/167856/Smart-meters-spike-cut-offs
4) More resistance in Australia:
http://www.detoxonline.com.au/opt-out-of-digital-smart-meters-in-q-nsw-and-sa-before-its-too-late/
5) An interesting article in the Atlanta Daily World:
“Major energy providers have already begun installing a so-called ‘smart grid,’ where utility meters wirelessly transmit data about your usage back to the utility company. Eventually, they want to incorporate this technology into every household appliance and link it to a central grid in each neighborhood. According to Warren, they’ve already seen a direct correlation between increasing health complaints in neighborhoods where smart meters have been installed. “Usually, the first issue that people start talking about is an inability to sleep, or mood swings, along with headaches.”
http://atlantadailyworld.com/2016/06/10/electromagnetic-fields-the-highs-lows/
Letters:
From: BC Hydro Customer Metering
To: X
Date: June 6, 2016
BC Hydro Meter Choices Program
Dear X
Thank you for your June 2nd email about our planned meter exchange. A copy of your email has been forwarded to me by Daren Sanders and I have been asked to reply.
We are required by law to replace expired meters. If BC Hydro fails to meet the deadline, we would be considered non-compliant with Federal Measurement Canada regulations and may be subject to a fine. There can also be significant penalties from Measurement Canada (up to $5,000) for leaving a meter in service beyond the seal expiration date. We have started the process to proactively remove expired meters all over the Province throughout the calendar year to ensure we meet the December 31, 2016 deadline.
Since we no longer have legacy meters in stock, your options are having a radio-off meter or a smart meter installed at your premises. We aren’t buying or recertifying any more. When a choice between these meters is not made, the replacement by default will be a radio-off meter. This is the meter our technician intended to install when he was at your address on May 6, 2016.
When the Meter Choices program was announced on July 2013, it explained that customers could keep an old meter “until the meter breaks down, their Measurement Canada seal expires or they relocate.” Please refer to the related link below:
https://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/releases/news_releases_2013-2017/2013MEM0004-001125.htm
What are radio-off meters?
Radio-off meters are smart meters with the radio turned off. They do not send any radio signals and they have to be manually read by a person onsite. Our qualified staff turns radios off by updating the computer chip within the meter and disabling the radio. Once this is done the meter display scrolls through to a display that says, “RF OPT OUT”. Below is a study done by Planetworks consulting, confirming that Radio-off meters emit no radio frequency:
Are the lithium batteries in our smart meters (standard and radio-off) safe?
Since 2011 we have used Centron OpenWay meters manufactured by Itron to serve our residential customers. Just like pace makers, clocks and cameras, these meters contain lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are used in critical devices because they have a long life span.
Lithium batteries must meet the safety standards detailed in IEC 60086-4:2014 which, “specifies tests and requirements for primary lithium batteries to ensure their safe operation under intended use and reasonably foreseeable misuse.” These standards were set by the International Electrotechnical Commission, an international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. We have confirmed with our meter vendor that the batteries in use in our meters meet these standards.
There are 1.9 million smart meters in operation in British Columbia today, and they have proven to work safely and reliably in all conditions in their four years of use. Like all grid equipment, our meters pass strict safety testing before they are installed in the field.
Are smart meters compatible with existing meter bases?
Yes. Meters and meter sockets installed in BC are designed to a common standard that considers the compatibility of the meter to the meter socket and vice versa. Meter sockets are the property of the customer and as part of customer’s responsibility is to ensure the meter socket is in accordance with BC Electrical Code, requiring the meter sockets to be CSA certified and compatible to the common standards. More specifically, meter sockets have to be certified to ANSI C12.7, matching the meter’s ANSI C12.10 physical dimensions, as well as other standards related to measurement specifics.
These standards do not differentiate between manufacturer, model, or vintage of the meter or meter socket and ensure compatibility between both legacy meter and smart meters, with the meter socket at homes and businesses within BC Hydro’s service territory.
Additionally, all our meters are exempt (analog, digital and smart meters) from CSA (Canadian Standards Association) standards which are meant for consumer products.
What type of meter access do we need?
One of the conditions of our service is ensuring there’s free and clear access to our equipment. When you request service from BC Hydro you agree to the terms and conditions of our Electric Tariff, including the obligation to provide access to your property so that we can read, maintain or exchange the BC Hydro meter. If we are denied access to our meter, or prevented from completing a planned exchange, a $65.00 failed installation charge will be added. It will be added to your next bill since our installer was refused to complete his work on May 6.
The fee has been approved by the B.C. Utilities Commission. It ensures the expense of sending a crew to the property is recovered from the customer who prevents access, rather than all customers. Further, section 9.5 of the Electric Tariff states that preventing or obstructing access can eventually lead to service disconnection.
More information
If you have any questions about this email or want to confirm that we have clear access to exchange our meter, please call us at 1 800 409 8199.
Sincerely,
Michael | Customer Metering Team
BC Hydro
P 1-800-409-8199
E CustomerMetering@bchydro.com
bchydro.com
Smart about power in all we do.
= = =
To: daren sanders, BC Hydro
Date: June 2, 2016
Cc: mike farnworth mla; adrian dix mla; oppositionleader@leg.bc.ca; Sharon Noble
With regards to your letter of May 19/2016, I see that none of my concerns have been addressed (see my email of March 2/2016 below) other than receiving a computer printout showing that my meter is not expired and won’t be until the end of December/2016. At the very least I ask that you stop harrassing and threatening me with disconnection when there are no grounds for you to do so.
As far as I’m concerned, there is no difference between a smart meter and a radio-off smart meter. My research has shown me that radio-off meters still use electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) and a lithium battery to operate. In fact, the results of a huge study by the NPR on EMR were released last week with strong positive results indicating EMR does cause cancer. Lithium batteries are known to explode when wet or over-heated.
Radio-off smart meters still are fire hazards because my CSA approved meter base is not designed for a smart meter and whatever warranty there is in the event of a fire would be nullified because a non-CSA smart meter was plugged into it. Apparently there is not a tight fit which leads to arcing and fires. Last year my house had a serious fire, and I just escaped with my life. So it is even more stressful to me that you are attempting to force me to accept a combustible smart meter.
I don’t buy that you don’t have any legacy meters left in stock unless you have deliberately destroyed them all. In fact I have heard that more than a few people have received them after your original letter of February 23rd stating that you had none left. I have also read that you have now forbidden any employee to install a legacy meter. I believe this because your employee said the same thing to me.
You have charged me $32.40/month for the past three years for the privilege of keeping my mechanical meter so surely you have amassed enough funds to purchase replacement analog meters. They are available for purchase both in Canada and the USA, or you could use the the funds to re-certify current analogs.
In closing, if you manage to locate a mechanical “legacy” meter, you can have your employee contact me to arrange a mutually suitable appointment.
Thank you
X
_________________________________________________________________________
From: xx
Sent: June 8, 2016
To: customermetering@bchydro.com
Cc: vicki.huntington.mla@leg.bc.ca; brian.topp@bcndp.org; delta.ndp@gmail.com
Subject: Meter replacement
To whom it may concern,
I had Corix come by my house today expecting to change out my meter. I have consistently stated that I do not want a smart meter and have paid usurious extra rates for that “privilege”.
The Corix employee told me that BC Hydro had mailed out information regarding this and because of my refusal I would be charged $65.00. I have received no such information from BC Hydro and resent the fact that you are charging me even more money to exert my legal, and moral, right not to have a smart meter installed. I feel this is threatening behaviour on the part of BC Hydro and resent the fact that you do not take our concerns regarding our family’s safety into consideration.
If you feel the meter on my house has reached the end of its life (which I greatly doubt) I would expect BC Hydro to replace it with another analog meter, which you do have and which would also be in accordance with BCUC advice.
If there is any information from BC Hydro regarding meter replacement, extra charges etc, I request that you send me that information at your earliest convenience. I would also request that any BC Hydro employee responding to this e-mail also provide me with their full name, position within BC Hydro, work e-mail and work phone number including extension.
Sincerely
xx
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“Lyon, France, May 31, 2011 ‐‐ The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.”
~ World Health Organization