How smart are you about Smart Meters?

Smart meters send utility usage readings directly to the utility company instead of sending a person to read the meter. They also allow customers to know their usage and make smarter energy choices. The electric grid has become more computerized using data designed to make our energy sources more reliable. This means restoration times will be shorter and outages will be less frequent as demand for power grows.

We know there are lots of questions about smart meters, so here's some information from the Energy Education Council that clears up all those misconceptions.

Facts about Smart Meters

There is no credible evidence that smart meters affect human health or cause cancer.

• Many smart meters rely on radio frequency (RF) to communicate. 
• The World Health Organization lists RF as a possible carcinogen; however, in low amounts, RF is not a threat to human health. According to the American Cancer Society, it is unlikely that living in a house with a smart meter increases the risk of cancer because the amount of RF exposure from a smart meter is small, much less than the amount from a cell phone.
• The smart meter’s encasement and your home’s walls and building materials help block radio frequencies. 

Smart meters create new jobs, not take them away.

• Smart meters decrease the need for meter readers, but not metering support services.
• Implementing smart meters and monitoring the new data creates jobs.

Smart meters only monitor electricity use without violating your privacy

• Smart meters are not surveillance devices. The only data smart meters collect is your electricity use, and only you and your utility have access to this information.
• No personal information is stored by the meters.
• Your data will not be given to a third party without consent.
• The government and police officers do not have access to your information unless it is an extreme circumstance and they have authorization.

Smart meters will save you money over time.

• Upgrading and modernizing a 100-year-old electric grid will increase the cost of electricity, but the savings that the new technology brings in minimizing energy waste will counter those upfront expenses.
• Grid enhancements will bring better energy efficiency options to help all of us use energy more wisely.

Smart meters have been tested, researched, and found reliable for years.

• Smart meters have been used in industry, business, and commercial settings for years.