Category Archives: METERS

EHS, HEALTH, METERS, RF Radiation, security, Smart Appliances, SMART METERS, zigbee

ZigBee – Here it comes, ready or not

2015-03-05 Ted 1 Comment

Do you know much about ZigBee?

The ZigBee network system that will talk to all of your utilities like the furnace, stove, and dishwasher, is coming down the tracks and like it or not, it will be a major factor in most homes in the next 3 years or so.

There are many benefits according to the industry that is building all of the electronics that make up the ZIGBEE system. Life is going to be so much better and happier and easier with ZIGBEE. Just think, you can check on the temperature of your refrigerator from work or turn on the furnace automatically on your way home or dim the dining room lights from your smart phone.

However, there are many problems that have been identified about the ZIGBEE system:

RF Radiation will be increased and will be generated by ALL of your household electronic devices: lights, TV, DishWasher, Stove, Clothes Washer/Dryer, and even smart light bulbs. The home will be awash in RF.

There are many people now that are EHS (if you do not know what this means then do a search). Estimates are that 10% of the general population are EHS now. Researchers believe that this rate is increasing and soon will be 50%. Does that mean that all homes with Smart Meters and the symbiotic ZIGBEE network will be toxic to a major segment of the population and will decrease their level of health and enjoyment of life? There are studies that show RF Radiation has a detrimental effect on health especially in the fetus and young children. RF Radiation has been shown to cause cancer (see Cell phone brain cancer studies).

Privacy – Hackers will be able to find out so much about the lives of the residents of the house: how many people are living there, estimates on gender, estimates on age range. Marketing firms will be able to send advertising specifically to the target group. eg. if you have young children then you will have marketing specifically for young children. etc. Governmental security agencies will certainly be using this to spy on suspects. (good or bad?)

Security – Hackers will find ways of using your ZIGBEE system to get as much information from your house as possible. If they can steal a billion dollars from many banks (this is just in the news) then hacking the Smart Grid and your ZibBee house network should not be much of a problem. Scenario – Hacker turns off the power to the freezer while you are away for the weekend and all of your frozen food is now unfrozen. Hmmm, what to do?

Control – If all of your electronics are on the ZIGBEE network and you have some control over them, THEN agencies outside of your home will also have control over them. This is a 1984 scenario. Your air conditioning can be turned off when there is not enough electricity for everyone. Is this good or bad? The channel that you are watching on TV will be known by the ZIGBEE (maybe) and thus fed to a polling agency or marketing agency. You may not be able to turn on the clothes dryer at supper time because the power company tells the ZIGBEE unit to prevent use until 10 pm, for instance.

It is going to be very interesting to see how this plays out.

Check out the details of ZIGBEE (CLICK HERE).

cancer, Cell Phone, Children, DE, Dirty Electricity, EHS, HEALTH, METERS, research, RF Radiation, SMART METERS, WiFi

The Electromagentic Age – A sleeping Giant by Dr Mac Paterson

2015-02-24 Ted Leave a comment

Dr Mac Paterson gave a presentation in Kaleden BC on Saturday Feb 21, 2015. The presentation was attended by about 250 people.

The presentation is not available yet on video but hopefully it soon will be.

Dr Paterson is scheduled to give the presentation in Kelowna and Salmon Arm next month, so watch for the dates and locations.

Here are some of the parts of his presentation that I found interesting.

Dr Paterson has been involved in research all of his career and has many professional publications to his credit. He specialized in Molecular Oncology.

The Canadian Safety Code 6 is only concerned with the heating effects of radiation and nothing to do with the electrical effects on the human body. The human body is chemical and electrical in nature and even very low levels of microwave radiation impacts the body. Safety Code 6 allows 600 µW/cm² (microwatts per square cm) whereas it has been shown that the human body is sensitive to 0.1 µW/cm² , a factor of 6,000 times.

The experts that decided on the level of the Safety Code 6 were experts in the physics of electrical RF radiation and there were no experts who knew anything about the effect on the human body’s electrical functioning. This resulted in this huge discrepancy.

Some people that suffer from EHS (Electro Hyper Sensitivity) feel RF radiation at levels that are 0.5% of the levels allowed by Safety Code 6.

Dr Paterson estimates that about 25,000 people in BC suffer from some level of EHS; mild to severe. Also, other researchers estimate that 4% to 10% of all people in the world are EHS. There are estimates that 50% of all people will be EHS soon. One researcher says by 2017.

There are many studies (42 to date) that confirm the fact that the magnetic field created by high voltage (high tension) power lines does cause a significant increase in childhood leukemia.

Concerning the opt-out of Smart meters, Dr Paterson says that communities, and not individuals, should OPT-OUT.

Pulsed RF radiation has been shown to be 2.5 times more damaging to human health than clean sinusoidal 60 Hz power.

Computers that use the SMPS (switch mode power supply) create significant amounts of DE (dirty electricity) which is pulsed and may (does) cause health effects especially in EHS people.

Tobacco has been shown to have a 20 year lag time between smoking and the average time of the diagnosis of cancer. RF Radiation is thought to be similar and if so then the numbers of cancers due to RF Radiation will soon increase dramatically. This will crush the medial systems and the economy.

BC Hydro, FIRES, METERS, SMART METERS

BC’s Itron smart meters put lives and homes at risk — who is looking out for us?

2015-02-07 Ted Leave a comment

January 28, 2015 • For Immediate Release

Smart meters have design flaws that have caused fires across North America, including in British Columbia.

In Saskatchewan, Oregon, Florida, and now Ontario, measures are being taken to protect residents. Meanwhile in BC, Energy Minister Bill Bennett and BC Hydro refuse to acknowledge this fire hazard exists, allowing these meters to remain on homes and businesses, putting our lives and property at risk.

In Saskatchewan, after eight meter failures and one fire, on July 30, 2014, the government ordered all smart meters to be removed immediately. Energy Minister Bill Boyd explained this action as being precautionary. “The concerns about safety are paramount here,” he said. “We believe that any time families are at risk here in Saskatchewan, actions have to be taken and that’s why we have directed SaskPower accordingly.”

http://smartgridawareness.org/2014/07/30/fires-prompt-saskatchewan-government-in-canada-to-order-removal-of-105000-smart-meters/

In Ontario risks are being reduced. On January 22, 2015 Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) ordered certain smart meters to be removed immediately, as a precautionary measure. The meters have remote disconnect switches and were found to allow water/moisture and other contaminants to get into the meter. This could result in arcing and fire.

http://www.esasafe.com/assets/files/esasafe/Newsroom/ESA-Meter-Release-FINAL-ROP-Jan.22.2015.pdf

“Although there were no serious incidents reported in Ontario involving these meters, when we learned of the events in Saskatchewan we undertook a due diligence safety review to determine if there were any implications for Ontario,” said David Collie, ESA’s President and CEO.

In British Columbia there have been many meter failures and several fires according to official government and BC Hydro sources.

ITRON smart meters have the remote disconnect switch, just like those in Ontario, and they allow water/moisture to accumulate just as they did in Saskatchewan.

In British Columbia there has been at least one fire that, according to the BC Safety Authority, was caused by water leaking into the meter, causing a short circuit.

Yet no one, not Bill Bennett, not BC Hydro, not the BC Safety Authority is even acknowledging the fire risk, let alone taking precautionary measures to protect us and our homes.

engineers who, on a voluntary basis are studying the meters, have found several serious flaws, one of the significant ones being the remote disconnect switch. They are concerned that proper testing of the switch and of the meters themselves hasn’t taken place and there is no certification of safety by either CSA or an independent professional electrical engineer – something required by both common sense and the law.

In the attached commentary, a retired engineer, Bob McKechnie warns, “The switch is critical from the safety point of view because if it fails to operate properly the disconnect function will not be accomplished and safety will not be assured.”

Our government and BC Hydro are playing Russian roulette with our lives and property. Who is watching out for British Columbians? Must people die before Bill Bennett takes action?

PDF – CSSMBC-PR-Jan28-2015-EngineersFires

PDF – Disconnect Switch – Commentary from an Engineer

cancer, Cell Phone, Cell Tower, Children, EHS, HEALTH, METERS, RF Radiation, Smart Appliances, SMART METERS, WiFi

How Dangerous and Expensive Became “Smart” An Exposé of the “Smart Grid”

2015-01-24 Ted Leave a comment

Here is an excellent review of the current status of the EMF problems: Smart Meters, WiFi, CellPhones, etc.

This is a must read.

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/smart-meters-not-so-smart/

Amy Worthington

Amy Worthington, a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation from Idaho, is an investigative journalist who has researched and written many articles on the topic of wireless radiation.

CALIFORNIA, CPUC, HEALTH, METERS, PG&E, research, RF Radiation, SMART METERS, WiFi

Smart Meter Status in California – Good and Bad

2014-11-23 Ted Leave a comment

The Smart Meter Fight in California is not going well but there are some very credible people continuing to push the issues and I believe they will make gains in the near future. I hope.

We, in BC Canada must pay attention to what is going on in California. They are fighting the same battles as we are and we may learn something from their wins and losses.

See comments by JEROMY JOHNSON on his web site http://www.emfanalysis.com

Also, see the actions of the president of the CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission and a judge that have upheld the rights of the utility companies over the public.
http://www.emfanalysis.com/cpuc-testimony/

Also see this excellent article:
COMMENTS OF JEROMY JOHNSON ON PROPOSED DECISIONS OF COMMISSIONER MICHAEL PEEVEY AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE AMY YIP-KIKUGAWA
http://www.emfanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Comments-to-CPUC-November-2014.pdf

An excellent article that all of you should read. It is only 15 pages with some interesting diagrams. As Jeromy stated, it seems that the commissioner and law judge are living in an alternate universe.

Example of content of this article. New info for me at least. Something to follow up on.

DE, Dirty Electricity, EHS, HEALTH, METERS, RF Radiation

Critical Problem with ‘Smart’ Meters: The Switching-Mode Power Supply (SMPS)

2014-11-07 Ted Leave a comment

DE (dirty electricity) is the low frequency (1 Hz to 60 kHz) electrical noise in the wiring of a house that radiates throughout the house.

DE has been found to have health impacts on people exposed to it and there are devices that some purchase to decrease this damage.

Smart Meters and other modern devices create DE when they change the high voltage to lower voltage. Great technology but it has a very sinister downside.

Here is an interesting article published in 2011 that details the problems of DE from Smart Meters. It even suggests that California, as well as all other jurisdictions will suffer huge financial troubles in the near future with falling real-estate prices and huge law suits.

See this fantastic article at http://eon3emfblog.net/?p=2180

Also see http://www.electrosmogprevention.org/public-health-alert/smart-meters-switching-mode-power-supply-dirty-electricity/

FIRES, Installation, Meter Removal, METERS, Saskatchewan, SMART METERS

SaskPower’s CEO resigns over dangerous Smart Meter program; should BC’s Bennett be next?

2014-10-31 Ted 1 Comment

PRESS RELEASE

After eight smart meter failures (minor fires with little damage and no injuries), an immediate independent investigation of the Saskatchewan smart meter program was demanded.

Installations ceased, and smart meters were ordered removed from homes.

In a highly critical report released on Oct. 27, Sask Power was found to have implemented the program without considering public safety a priority.

Upon release of the report, the CEO of Sask Power, Mr. Robert Watson, resigned immediately, without severance.

READ FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE

BILLING PROBLEMS, Installation, METERS

Are you paying for your neighbours electricity usage?

2014-10-22 Ted Leave a comment

May 2010 Palo Alto California

A group of doctoral students at Stanford could not figure out why their electrical bill was high even when they used very little power.

The reason was that the building wiring was messed up and their meter was actually the neighbours meter and visa versa.

see http://abc7news.com/archive/7424533/

I expect that this mix happens a lot when electricians do not pay strict attention to what they are doing because the the pressures of time. PG&E admitted in 2010 that 23 thousand Smart Meters had been installed incorrectly.

FIRES, Meter Removal, METERS, SMART METERS

BC’s Energy Minister admits Smart Meter FIRES … but will do nothing

2014-08-04 Ted 2 Comments

Energy Minister Bill Bennett admits to smart meter fires in British Columbia, but rather than do anything, he expresses disappointment that Saskatchewan is taking action to protect its citizens.
On July 30 Saskatchewan Energy Minister Bill Boyd called a halt to the smart meter program, demanding removal of 105,000 meters after 8 “failures”, that include fires and exploding meters.
www.globalnews.ca/news/1483134/saskpower-ordered-to-remove-all-smart-meters-in-the-province/
“I think the concerns about safety are paramount here, the concerns are significant enough, anytime families are at risk in Saskatchewan, actions have to be taken and that’s why we’ve directed SaskPower accordingly,” said Minister Boyd.
In British Columbia, where we’ve had more “failures”, which have also included fires and exploding meters, Bill Bennett and BC Hydro consistently have refused to acknowledge the danger and, instead, put the blame on homeowners’ meter bases and wiring.

It doesn’t matter why a home burns after a smart meter has been installed – whether it was because the inexperienced installer damaged the base or that the meter heated up due to design flaws.

The fact is that property and lives have been put at risk and our government is refusing to protect us.
Bennett is sorry that Saskatchewan is taking this action.

““It’s unfortunate that Saskatchewan is doing what it’s doing…”
Why? Because it shows that some provincial governments are more concerned about their citizens than others.
It puts BC to shame.

www.cknw.com/2014/07/30/while-saskatchewan-yanks-its-smart-meters-bc-wont-do-the-same/
Finally Bennett is admitting there have been fires due to smart meters in BC. This is a first, but it’s way too late.
Fires have been occurring for the last 3 years, and Hydro and Liberals have denied it. The evidence has been hidden and people have been living with a fire hazard on their bedroom walls. He’s told Hydro to find out how many have occurred. That may be difficult because no agency is tracking them.
Why is Bennett asking for a count? Is it just because he feels he must do something? Saskatchewan doesn’t know why the meters have caused fires – they are taking action because fires have occurred. We have had many fires and incidents in BC, and nothing has been done to protect us. Instead the program has been protected with lies and cover-ups.

Do we not deserve the same precautionary action as Saskatchewan?
The Coalition to Stop Smart Meters asks,

” Please tell us, Mr. Bennett, what is the right number, how many homes must burn before you will stop this dangerous program??”

Sharon Noble
Coalition to Stop Smart Meters

EHS, HEALTH, METERS

AMR – Transmit only Meters are very dangerous

2014-07-28 Ted 2 Comments

Recently, I had the opportunity to measure the RF Radiation coming from an ITRON C1SR in Summerland BC and the results were quite alarming. This is an AMR type of meter. This type of meter has been reported to being used in Nelson and Grand Forks BC.

This C1SR meter transmits a spike of radiation that contains the current kWh reading of the meter every 30 seconds. This is done so that a Meter Reader with a receiver can drive by any time and can get the reading without having to wait very long. This time between transmits may be changed by the operator but they have to walk up to the meter and use a direct connection to the meter to do that. It seems that the meters in Grand Forks are also transmitting at 30 second intervals.

The measurements that I made from the front of the meter in Summerland at a distance of 2 meters ranged from 500 to almost 900 microwatts per square meter ( µW/m²). This, is quite high when measured at 2m. The radiation at 1m would be significantly higher. If this meter were on the side of a house next to a bedroom or kitchen then I would be very concerned.

I used a GigaHertz HF59B radiation meter and recorded the output on a GigaHertz NFA1000. Here is what I recorded:

You can see that all spikes were not the same power (I do not know why) but the spacing was almost exactly 30 seconds.

I have also recorded the output of Itron Smart Meters and found that the radiation spikes were similar in strength (amplitude) but the number of spikes were significantly less than the C1SR meters.

Thus, if you believe that each spike from a digital meter is harmful and the radiation damage is cumulative, then you must conclude that the Itron C1SR and similar AMR meters are capable of serious health impact similar to that of Smart Meters.

Cheers, Ted

Citizens For Safer Tech