In June and July of 2011, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) hosted two separate workshops related to the possible health effects associated with radiofrequency (RF) emissions from smart grid technologies. In December 2011, EPRI published a report summarizing the results and findings from those workshops [1]. Continue reading
Within the last couple of months I have posted comprehensive articles to demonstrate how consumers financially suffer with smart meters and that they are also financially and socially punished when subjected to Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity rates [1][2].
Those articles, although comprehensive, were somewhat broad in nature. Let us take a closer look at one particular household appliance that is frequently touted by smart grid proponents, the “smart” dryer. It is advertised that you can “save money” by using a smart tumble dryer in the late evening when electricity rates are low. There is an inference that you would place your washed clothing in a smart dryer, go to bed, and the dryer would later turn on and complete its drying cycles while you were sleeping. Before proceeding, let me present some common sense public service advice on tumble dryer safety: Continue reading
Last September I wrote an article, Smart Meter Surveillance versus ‘Very Granular Insights’ [1], which discussed how utility companies are able to conduct surveillance on consumers and citizens through smart meters. That article mentioned how a company called ONZO described the capability for smart meter data “to provide very granular insights into customer energy behavior.” Part of the purpose of the article was to convey to readers that the word “insights” was essentially a code word or substitute for the words of “surveillance” and “spying.”
This week I learned that the National Security Agency (NSA) uses the same language regarding the word “insights.” Admiral Michael S. Rogers of the NSA spoke at the RSA Conference 2016 in San Francisco on March 2, 2016 [2]. Continue reading
The March 2016 issue of Discover magazine features an article, “Blackout of the Century,” with the online version being entitled, “Averting the Blackout of the Century.” [1]
At this website I have posted numerous articles explaining how the future “smart” grid is more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats from hackers. In summary, I have stated that smart grid proponents have not properly considered the societal implications of smart grid and smart meter cybersecurity threats which can result in catastrophic events affecting widespread areas of the electric grid [2 through 21].
The Discover article highlights the work of a trio of scientists and their findings that so-called smart grid technologies “could have unintended consequences on reliability” beyond the consideration for cybersecurity risks.
Naperville, IL – The subject of ‘smart’ meters has been a controversial topic for the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois. A Federal lawsuit is still ongoing regarding the deployment of ‘smart’ electric meters [1]. In addition, the City is somewhat notorious for its police arrest of electric customers who opposed the installation of smart meters in 2013 [2].
Apparently due to some misreporting by the Naperville Sun (owned by the Chicago Tribune), residents were yesterday informed that, “Naperville to retrofit residents’ water meters with wireless,” and that these new meters would be “smart.”
This article provides specific information to counter claims made by smart meter proponents that smart meters provide consumers with financial benefits, i.e., saving energy and reducing their utility bill. In addition, this article presents information to help disentangle how policy makers conflate the topics of grid modernization, smart meter deployments, and sound environmental policy.
A TEDxBerkeley Presentation about the Health Impacts of Wireless Technology and Proposed Solutions
On February 6th, Jeromy Johnson, an expert in mitigating the negative impacts of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) exposure, was featured as a speaker at the TEDxBerkeley event for 2016. The title of the presentation was “Wireless Wake-Up Call.”
Subtitle/ Key Point: Comfort and Privacy Not for Sale
A 2015 study out of Sweden attempted to measure the degree to which consumers would accept financial compensation in return for the “disutility people experience from being systematically controlled with respect to their daily energy use.” The study is entitled, “Is our everyday comfort for sale? Preferences for Demand Management on the Electricity Market.”
The study concluded that:
“The compensation needed to systematically ‘reschedule’ and control the household electricity use is considerable and measures to hundreds and thousands of SEK annually.”
Note: SEK is the Swedish Krona, worth about 0.12 USD or 12 cents.
The technically oriented bureaucrats who envision “benefits” being obtained from smart meters do so under the assumption that consumers will be “flexible” with regard to their energy usage. It is assumed that consumers will accept a certain level of “disutility,” reduced household comfort, and loss of privacy.
by K.T. Weaver, SkyVision SolutionsIn describing the effects of time varying electricity rates or Time-of-Use (TOU) rates on consumers, I have previously referenced the logical and common sense assertions of the Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council (BLEC) [1]:
“Tiered pricing automatically penalizes the elderly, the self-employed, the infirm, the unemployed, [and] stay-at-home parents with young children … People can choose to do their laundry later at night but meals and bathing carry fewer options.”
More recently, the social implications of implementing TOU rates have now been described in a study published in September 2015 regarding “peak demand and the family peak period in Australia” [2].
by K.T. Weaver, SkyVision SolutionsEarlier in January, I wrote that the Federal Government Wants a Smart Meter “on EVERY home and business in the country,” based upon an article posted by the U.S. Department of Energy.
I have now discovered that a website maintained by the U.S. Department of State, ShareAmerica, posted an article on January 27th that other countries need to install smart meters as their “first actions” to meet the goal set by the recent Paris agreement to limit the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius.
Smart Grid Awareness 