How the Body Reacts to EMFs and Smart Meters: We Can Now See How We Are Breaking Our Hearts (and Heads) and We Can Stop

During the Obama administration, the United States and other countries had an opportunity to respond to the early warnings regarding so-called clean energy and wireless technologies.

We didn’t.

But now we can, and we should. Right now.

Late Lessons from Early Warnings

The European Environment Agency has compiled several volumes of case studies of early warnings “covering a diverse range of chemical and technological innovations and highlighting a number of systemic problems. The ‘Late Lessons Project’ illustrates how damaging and costly the misuse or neglect of the precautionary principle can be, using case studies and a synthesis of the lessons to be learned and applied to maximizing innovations whilst minimizing harms.”

Several of the recommendations are pertinent to the opportunity that exists now, to re-evaluate smart metering and other wireless technologies, especially as they pertain to “sustainability:”

• Acknowledge and respond to ignorance, as well as uncertainty and risk, in technology appraisal and public policy-making.

• Provide adequate long-term environmental and health monitoring and research into early warnings.

• Identify and work to reduce ‘blind spots’ and gaps in scientific knowledge.

• Ensure that real world conditions are adequately accounted for in regulatory appraisal.

• Systematically scrutinize the claimed justifications and benefits alongside the potential risks.

• Maintain the regulatory independence of interested parties while retaining an inclusive approach to information and opinion gathering.

The Smart Meter Storm

In case readers were not following the story, Hurricane Sandy was the deadliest and most destructive storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, impacting the entire Eastern seaboard.  The storm was one factor that fueled the narrative about ‘smart’ meters and a ‘smart’ grid.

Disaster capitalism created a story that investing in a two-way wirelessly connected electric grid would result in a more ‘robust’ and reliable electricity supply and help defend against ‘climate change.’

The narrative simultaneously did two things, – it pointed the public towards technology and engineering as a ‘solution,’ and to ‘climate’ as a perpetrator to be feared, fostering alienation and separation from the ecosystem of which we are a part.

“Reliable” vs. “Resilient“

It wasn’t the case that the meters made electricity more ‘reliable,’ as repeatedly demonstrated in Maine. For example, see “October Windstorm Took Down CMP’s $200M Smart Meter Network.” Yet the narrative of Man-over-Nature via Tech endures.

The industry eventually replaced the reliability claim. Instead, smart meters made the grid “more resilient.”

Solar Wars

The environmental community bought into and promoted the idea that the ‘smart’ meters were necessary in order to integrate solar and other renewables into the grid.

Solar wars followed whereby the utilities enacted policies that opposed solar, after the meters were installed. As Bill Ellard of the American Solar Energy Society explained, “The three battles are net metering, tariff reform, and grid defection.”

Time-of-Use Billing

Many consumers are not aware of the implications of net metering and time-of-use billing — enabled by “smart” meters.  With net metering, utilities could compensate a solar-producing-household at very low rate, and then charge the customer an exorbitant rate when they needed to draw electricity from the grid.

With time-of-use billing, smart meters enable penalizing customers for using electricity at certain times of day (discriminating against third shift workers or stay-at-home individuals.)

Demand Charges

Another industry tactic is imposing demand charges like those that were authorized in Massachusetts for solar customers.  Bill Ellart noted, “Typically, demand charges are applied to commercial and industrial customers only. This charge is based on the highest 15-minute interval of electricity use during the month’s billing period. These charges can be up to 70% of a customer bill.”

A customer’s bill for the month can be based upon the 15-minute period when they consume the most electricity, for example, running the dishwasher, laundry, and vacuum at the same time.

The scenario unfolds in the homes of countless low-income seniors and disabled individuals served by a home health aide, every week, in every state.

Electric Vehicle Charging (and Fires)

Utilities and regulators were concerned about the prospect of having hundreds of electric vehicle owners coming home at 7 pm to change their vehicles right after work, perhaps while also running a swimming pool pump and heater, and central air conditioning. (Note that energy savings based on time-of-use billing benefits higher income groups consuming more power.)

In order to not overload the grid, EV customers were encouraged to charge their vehicles overnight, resulting in a more dangerous fire risk scenario.

But rather than managing just one aspect of electricity consumption, EV charging, the choice was made to invest in a surveillance and control grid for all customers, justified by the climate change narrative about supporting renewables and clean energy, as well as economic stimulus.

The utilities say that time-of-use billing offers savings opportunities for all customers. In truth, increased rates to pay for the meters are passed on to all customers, including, for example, a participant in the controversial Worcester National Grid pilot program whose only consumption was a refrigerator that contained necessary medication.

Rather than examining all of the issues inherent to EVs, including mining, battery disposal, and fires, the clean energy community has continued to push for EV expansion, without considering other alternatives, including public transportation.

The alternative of launching an educational campaign informing customers about how to more skillfully conserve energy (for example, Clare Donegan’s suggestion – Can it Wait till 8 pm?) doesn’t seem to have been considered. Or, for example, providing guidance on whether it is better to use an electric kettle or a gas stove to heat water for tea.

Smart meters do not necessarily decrease consumption, but only change the pattern of consumption, via price points that always discriminate against certain classes of customers and increase earnings.

The industry is caught between the priority to provide a return on investment, vs. providing safe and reliable access to an essential service at a reasonable price.

Policy decisions have favored economic growth over human rights, safety, and sustainability.

Deploying Meters and Charging Ratepayers

Despite holes in the narrative, utility regulators approved passing the cost of the new meters onto ratepayers in full scale deployments. In-service meters were disposed of before the end of their useful life, and as the new meters were installed, ratepayers saw their bills rising, not dropping, even though the meters were supposed to result in cost and energy savings.

Privacy invasion, green-washing, fire risks, cost, lack of security, planned obsolescence, and safety concerns were overrun by a clean energy community partnered with investor-owned utilities, believing that their actions were justified by the need to address the climate emergency.

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