Is my smart meter spying on me?

One of the problems is that at present not all energy suppliers can support the smart meters. I sell electricity to business customers and one of the big 6 suppliers cannot support these meters on their regular billing platform. Instead of their regular prices I need to set the customer up on bespoke pricing through the industrial and commercial dept as opposed to SME. These prices are normally higher and uncompetitive and therefore the customer loses the opportunity to benefit from the other prices. Until all meters are compatible with every suppliers billing system this is likely to be a problem.

I am a British Gas customer, who got involved with their Green Streets project. Following a survey of my home they suggested a number of things, one of which was a smart meter. It was installed at the end of July, 2010. Prior to that I had the free energysmart electricity monitor which all utility companies seem to be giving away. I cannot stress how good the smart meter has been. We have reduced our electricity consumption from over 9500kwh in 2009 to 8000kwh in 2010 (approx £180 per year saving). We also had PV panels fitted at the end of September 2010, so anticipate a further reduction in our usage. With regards to using the meters to develop some kind of hidden agenda, at least any offers sent out would be relevant to me. At present we get 100% of meaningless rubbish through the door offering stuff we are not remotely interested in. Targeted offers would cut this figure down to a few percent and stop my postman having to put unwanted mailshots through my door. If you’re going to get paranoid about who knows you’re away, how often, whether your boiler is old and needs replacing, you’re probably going to end up on a mailing list for a company that offers a pill for such paranoia.
The smart meter shows our family just how much electricity we use, minute by minute and that is something to be paranoid about. I’m sure we can all say we waste electricity (and money). Any device that will bring that usage into the home, on view can only be a good thing. Most people don’t even bother to even look at their meters, that’s something for the meter man to look at. A bill plops through the door and they pay it, grudgingly. Or they go to top up more often.
I have nothing but good things to say about my smart meter. Any info that may, or may not be gathered from it is a sideline to me. I can choose to look at these messages and dismiss them, or not. In fact, I’d be surprised if this info is even collated, as BG seem to not be fully geared up to using the basic info obtained by smart metering anyway. I still get meter readers calling. I still submit my meter reading online, as BG website doesn’t reflect the fact that I have a smart meter. After a recent fiasco with BG, I’d be more concerned about the appalling customer service people they have manning the phone lines, than any automated system they might have.

For security reasons,I don’t want to let all and sundry know when, and how often I go on holiday.

Will the insurance companies put up their premiums as a consequence?.

Smart meters are an intrusion.

I’ve had smart meters installed by First Utility. I can see half -hourly data on electricity usage but the gas usage is only daily. Would have liked the gas data half-hourly as well to help me trim energy usage. Maybe that’s why they’re only let me see daily data?

I had smart meters installed by First Utility last July. Since then I have never had an electricity bill and my gas bill has alway been estimated on my non-existent old meter. Despite numerous emails/ phone calls/letters nothing changed. In desperation I switched companies in November. I have not yet had a final gas or electricity bill. I think smart meters are a great way of saving money.

Data usage is not even the half of it. The real problems stem from the fact that as I understand it a smart meter gives energy companies the power to control, and to switch off, your electricity supply remotely at the drop of a hat. And moreover the system will inevitably be hackable which means that outside forces could switch us all off. Paranoid perhaps but as someone once nearly said, just because you are paranoid does not mean they’re not really out to get you !

there is tremendous opposition in California to the smart meter roll out, here is why

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KAm3XBmq5A&feature=related

Hi Nikki

Data protection is of course paramount and as you have clearly and very importantly highlighted, we should all be concerned that our data is protected in the most secure way possible – perhaps in the same way banking systems protect data…

As far as we understand, the smart meter consultation process is taking this issue very seriously with the customer’s interests and concerns top priority. These issues should hopefully be resolved satisfactorily prior to mass roll out from 2014, via government consumer consultation.

Data protection, as far as we know, is an obligation in law and any company who wins the bid will have to deliver. The question remains, as you point out with the Sony situation and others, how can absolute security be achieved and maintained, and how we, as individuals, can control and authorise our data usage. As participants in ‘the big society’ we will want to be absolutely certain that this happens. We expect the government led consumer consultation process to achieve these assurances.

PS Your article is very important in raising awareness of smart meters. You have pointed out many concerns and benefits and its great to get the discussion going in order to reach and inform the 27million UK households that will be getting these meters. The better understood these meters become prior to mass roll out the sooner people can start to save energy which means lower carbon emissions and lower bills!

Incidentally, if you have been persuaded by the powers that be that mobile (cell) phones are safe, please visit
http://emf.mercola.com/sites/emf/archive/2011/05/04/do-cell-phones-cause-brain-cancer.aspx

Reply to Jo Gibney – Your response shows lack of knowledge of the research and lack of awareness of the EU Parliament Report on the Bioinitiative Report. As for the WHO EMF Team, the persons leading the project have been engineers/consultants from the mobile industry. The ICNIRP guidelines were set by engineers associated with the mobile industry and representatives from the USA military. The latter use microwave weapons so they have an interest in keeping levels high. The guidelines were not set by independent medical doctors with expertise in diagnosing and treating people or biologists – and they were based purely on heating effects. Biological effects have been well demonstrated below the currently permitted ICNIRP levels.

The syndrome of electromagnetic hypersensitivity was first identified in 1932.
The World Health Organisation stated that the non-specific symptoms characterising electromagnetic sensitivity are “certainly real” and also that “Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity can be disabling to sufferers”.

I suggest that you read the research by Professor Olle Johansson, Karolinska Institute, Sweden as his research showing just HOW the radiation can affect the skin causing itching, burning, pain. ohansson O (2006).Electromagn Biol Med “Electrosensitivity:state-of-the-art of a functional impairment”.
I suggest that you also read the research by Eger et al. [2004] and Wolf and Wolf [2004] that showed increased cancers within 400 and 350 metres of phone masts respectively. Also read the REFLEX STUDY which showed genetic damage to microwave exposed tissues in laboratory experiments. Note that there are NO published research studies actually studying health effects of wifi.

Electrosensitivity is recognised as a physical impairment in Sweden and BY LAW homes or workplaces MUST be sanitised to reduce/remove either microwave sources or electrical sources that are causing problems to electrosensitive individuals. Electrosensitivity is also recognised in Canada.

Have you actually READ the Bioinitiative Report? All of it? The findings of the Bioinitiative Report was accepted by the European Commission and also overwhelmingly by the European Parliament? Specifically, it was accepted by the EU that the present permitted exposures from mobile phones, DECT phones, wifi do NOT protect health.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A6-2008-0260&language=EN

REPORT
18 June 2008
PE 404.442v02-00 A6-0260/2008

on the mid-term review of the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010
(2007/2252(INI))
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Rapporteur: Frédérique Ries

Note especially these points:
I. whereas there is increasing scientific evidence that certain cancers, such as cancer of the bladder, bone cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer and others are caused not only by the effects of chemical substances, radiation and airborne particles but also by OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS,
J. whereas these problematic developments in environmental health have been accompanied in recent years by the emergence of new diseases or syndromes, such as multiple chemical hypersensibility, dental-amalgam syndrome, HYPERSENSITIVITY TO ELECTrOMAGNETIC RADIATION, sick-building syndrome and attention-deficit and hyperactivity syndrome in children,

7. Stresses that, when it comes to assessing the impact of environmental factors on health, consideration should be given first and foremost to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, newborn babies, children and the elderly;
15. Recommends that, in order to reduce damaging effects of the environment on health, the Commission should call upon Member States, by means of tax concessions and/or other economic incentives, to interest market operators in improving the quality of indoor air and REDUCING EXPOSURE TO ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION in their buildings, branch establishments and offices;
21. Is greatly concerned at the Bio-Initiative international report(7) concerning electromagnetic fields, which summarises over 1500 studies on that topic and which points in its conclusions to the HEALTH RISKS POSED BY EMISSIONS FROM MOBILE -TELEPHONY DEVICES such as mobile telephones, UMTS, Wifi, Wimax and Bluetooth, and also DECT landline telephones;
22. Notes that the LIMITS on exposure to electromagnetic fields which have been set for the general public are OBSOLETE, since they have not been adjusted in the wake of Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC of 12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0Hz to 30 GHz)(8), obviously take no account of developments in information and communication technologies, of the recommendations issued by the European Environment Agency or of the stricter emission standards adopted, for example, by Belgium, Italy and Austria, and do not address the issue of vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, newborn babies and children.

33. Urges the Commission and Member States therefore to acknowledge the advantages of the prevention and precautionary principles and to develop and implement tools enabling potential environmental and health threats to be anticipated and countered; recommends that the Commission cost the ‘second cycle’ of this action plan and make provision for appropriate funding covering a larger number of practical measures to reduce environmental impact on health and to implement prevention and precautionary measures;

34. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the WHO
—————————————————————-

Electro sensitivity and Electro hypersensitivity – A Summary by Michael Bevington

Michael Bevington, Chair of Trustees of ES-UK, has written a 43 page book designed primarily for doctors, but also suitable for all of us to present to family, friends, colleagues and MPs, among others. It outlines ES, its symptoms and existing medical tests in 16 pages followed by some 800 references to scientific papers relating to this illness.
I suggest that you buy a copy from ES-UK and read it from cover to cover and learn about the adverse effects that can and do occur.

You need to be aware that the mobile industry biased WHO EMF TEAM omits research from their reviews those studies that show harmful effects. The WHO EMF Team has received substantial funding from the mobile operators. The WHO EMF Workshop in Prague was essentially a meeting of the mobile industry and just TWO medically qualified doctors were there.

The radiation used by the telecommunications is not safe at present levels. Adding more radiation to the environment is not a good idea and it will be sheer torture for those who already are electrosensitive.

<It’s also the same radiation as wi-fi, TV and radio.

I understand – perhaps incorrectly – that smart meters and wifi employ pulsed microwave radiation, whereas TV and radio don't . . . (?)

<We looked at this and there is minimal independent evidence about smart meter radiation available out there.

True – as long as you ignore (i) people's real world experiences and (ii) the mass of published scientific evidence against the advisability of prolonged exposure to pulsed microwave radiation.

This is one of many comments, on http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?page_id=2292, where you can read about many people's real world experiences of smart meters being installed in their homes:

". . . Please see, for example, the bibliography of reported biological phenomena associated with radio-frequency and microwave radiation compiled by the US Navy Medical Research Institute in 1971, with over 2,000 references., at: http://www.dtic.mil/cgibin/GetTRDoc?AD=AD750271&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf.

. . . Unfortunately, most countries’ regulations are still based on the old, inaccurate assumption that non-ionizing radiation is not harmful unless it actually heats body tissues. The fact that a given technology adheres to the present standards is meaningless in terms of its actual biological effects. Even an EPA spokesperson has stated that present U.S. standards are not protecting citizens from harmful radiation. Research shows harmful effects at levels far below what is presently allowed.

As was concluded by the authors of the Bioiniative Report (www.bioinitiative.org ), it is unwise from a public health perspective to continue “business-as-usual,” deploying new technologies that increase RF exposures, particularly involuntary exposures.

Any company or industry whose products or operational methodologies cause involuntary exposure to RF radiation would do well to become more informed about these and other effects of such exposure, both to protect the public and to protect themselves from future liability suits." by Dr. Roy D. Ozanne, MD, HMD,

<We could extrapolate from this that the same would be for smart meters, which will also be further away from the body, so won’t have direct biological effects on the body caused by heat.

If Which? is really interested in what's best for consumers, perhaps it should avoid resorting to this kind of simplistic guesswork, and quoting the obsolete 'party line.' And start looking at the data that hasn't been sponsored by the industry. As the number of people becoming hypersensitive to EMR grows at an accelerating rate – as a direct consequence of increased exposure – I would expect a responsible consumer protection and advisory service to accept that it has a duty to take this issue seriously.

More 50 cent posters on here than enough. Is 50 (or 15) cents really all your health and privacy is worth to you?

I think we should all recognise the aims and ambitions of politicians and energy companies in this Smart Meter argument. The inderlying problem is that the popular environmentalists focus is concentrated on renewables etc and no politician is going to risk his/her furure by decrying wind-farms and PV panels. Vast investments and subsidies are going into these industries, the money for which will come from an effectctive tax on our energy bills.
The underlying problem is that most of the renewables are uncontrollable as far as the national grid is concerned. If you want to find out more do a Google on ‘Smart Grid’ to find out the plans and proposals. The big gap in our energy technology is storage.
One ‘carbon reduction focus’ is aimed at electric cars. For the electric car to have any reasonable use they will have to be rapidly refuled (just like wot petrol does at the moment) or we must have on-board storage. So, when we all have electric cars in our garages being re-charged overnight at cheap rates, then smart meters will get smarter and be able to charge up the cars when there is an adequate supply of power in the grid. However, when the grid runs short ( no sun or a great big anticyclone hovers over us and no wind blows for a few hours or more) then these super-smart meters will be able to extract energy from those with some surplus in their car and keep the rest of us supplied with a nice smooth 50Hz supply.
The cost of this new smart-grid (the current one will not be able to do it without large transmission losses) with a superimposed DC grid and DC/AC converters and all our pre-installed smart meters controlling us, will have to be paid for in advance if we wish to keep our deep-freezes healthy and arc-furnaces molten! An alternative that I have become aware of is the decreasing cost of domestic stand-by power supplies with battery storage and capable of delivering one to two kW to keep our central heating gas central heating running.
Don’t trust politicians with their ‘interested’ technical advisers to look after consumer interests.

I have had smart meters fitted by OnStream on behalf of First Utility on 15 February. Since that time I have not received any bills for Gas (electric OK). E-mails ignored, after half an hour on hold I was assured I would receive a bill for gas usage in May, and provisions could be made for spreading the cost of this potemtially large bill, as yet no bill. Logged onto web site and gas usage is being displayed

I don’t want smart meters – in the same way I did not like the proposed selling off of our forests – A campaign stopped the selling off – a campaign to refuse smart meters could have similar effect.

I have low level bulbs – no light is on if I am not in the room.- thermostats on all radiators and in rooms set to turn off at 60 degrees – boiler just on two hours a day (one morning one afternoon) – This ALREADY keeps my bills to a minimum – I inform companies by Internet on monthly consumption – My computer use is by cable as it stops hackers hacking the wireless transmissions. and keeps radiation down I have full double glazing and insulation.

It is a total doddle to see (it is too simple to call it calculate ) my consumption in gas and electricity by the monthly reading. Why the devil would I need a smart meter for – I’m certainly smarter than a smart meter.

This is yet another con. I am not convinced that any room style transmitters are indeed ‘completely safe’ – it depends entirely on the power and wavelength used – will they use one power setting so that those nearest the receiving aerial will be unnecessarily saturated by radiation – or for those far away will have very large powerful transmitters showering the occupants with high levels of radiation (after all there are many areas where mobile phones are still not powerful enough to communicate properly . There is no real long term research on effects of mobile phones to reach a definitive conclusion – It needs to be life time length – not “oh we haven’t had many diseases directly attributed to mobiles YET”. The real universal use of mobiles is too recent to draw definitive conclusions. Reminds me of Thalidomide. Perfectly “safe” until the defects appeared.

It worries that smart meters are compulsory. Does that mean we cannot refuse to use them?
Whatever anybody says I know I feel ill when I use a mobile phone, and the smart meters appear to emit microwaves of the same frequency, only you cannot turn them off!
I fear that with increasing use so the people who become electrosesitive will also increase as smart meter installation will be an exponential factor in microwave pollution.
This does not bid well for the future – watch depression, suicides and violent crime increase. I remember when ‘anger management’ was not in English usage.
Everyday I read column inches in newspapers about people suffering from stress and anxiety – one article in The Times recently admitted that the writer even worried about being anxious! She said she was anxious for no good reason – the microwaves that she is immersed in all day may have something to do with it.
We are making our lives miserable by ignoring the ill effects of all this microwave technologies and we continue to find more uses, like an addict causing self inflicted injuries!

I think the ability to understand your energy usage is useful to allow consumers to reduce our usage. Installation of smart meters will save energy companies money and so is presumably a good reason for them to invest money in them. Unlikely the consumer will see reduction in bills because of them.

I don’t have wifi on in the home all the time because I like to reduce the risk of hacking etc.

Although companies have a duty to adhere to data protection law and keep data secure this is not possible to guarantee as evidenced by publicised data leaks and loss. Data can also be misused.

I have seen two mentions in the press over the last year or 2 about smart meters making it possible to ‘change demand’ ie stopping or reducing supplies to consumers. The latest being in the Daily Mail 9 Jan 2011 at the end of an article on wind farms “Customers face huge bill for wind farns that don’t work in the cold’. However I have not seen this aspect highlighted or mentioned by Which. I beleive the consumer should be given all the facts with regard to new technology expecially where there is a compulsory aspect to it.

Definately NOT!
I’m sensibile enough to know when to conserve the energy in MY home and want my privicy, what’s left of it, respected.
Big brother watching..Iv’e had enough with the nanny state we’re in.

Previous experience, when changing my energy supplier, caused me much concern as my original supplier got all its readings wrong – hence stupid charges. Fortunately, I always read my Gas & Electricity meters between 08-00 & 08-30 each Monday morning. This meant that I could successfuly challenge the charges. I would hope that these Smart meters would display the units/KWh accumulation so that I can carry on reading my required information every Monday so as to be sure that I know what my bill should be. Without this facility I would expect to find that I am being subjected to fraudulant practicesby the supplier.
As far as data security is cocerned the legal situation is that noone should distribute any data about you or what you do and must , in writing, ask your approval or objection. It would be useful if ‘WHICH’ could produce a sample letter that anyone can use to refuse permission for release of any data obtained via a Smart Meter.
I would suggest that, if anyone has not yet nstarted to record the meter readings like I do ,each week, they start now and build up a record because when a Smart Meter is installed you will presumably get something like a ‘final billing’ for the old system and if you don’t have a record then you may find that you get stung!!

I had one of these gas meters installed under the guise of a battery replacement 6 weeks ago…it was only after this dam thing has broken down 4 times in the last week I have found out its a smart meter. When I asked about my credit going back onto my replacement meter he said it is done by “phone” to my meter. I have not given these guys the right to hack my phone as I see it and send data to them in this manor. This is outragous!!

I am really concerned about the installation of smart meters. I don’t believe the government or the power companies’ arguments for us having them, I think consumers will inevitably end up worse off and the implications for invasion of privacy are terrifying. I am also concerned about the potential for health risks. The government actually says mobile phones shouldn’t be used by children (!) but few people know that. It seems to me that the wifi infrastructure that will be created by this roll out will be similar to the situation with chemicals in the environment – maybe one additive in one food won’t harm you but by the time you add up ALL the additives, preservatives, pesticides etc in all the food groups there is a huge, unacknowledged health burden.
I have known for many years that I am sensitive to mobile phones, we don’t have wifi in our house because the whole family suffered headaches and nausea when we tried it. I wonder if I am going to have to live in a tent in the garden in future – or emigrate to a distant Scottish island.
At the very least, we need a campaign to force the government and the energy companies to allow an opt out. There seem to be campaigns in other countries, notably in the US/California. Maybe I should start one!

To answer the questions posed, I don’t have a smart meter yet, and I have huge issues with the half-hourly data grabbing described. Falling into the wrong hands, that’s great information for burglars. Moreover, there’s no sense in them having all that information – and they’ll have to pay to store it, which will only mean higher bills for us.

Tangentially, I’ve just had a thought regarding these smart meters, related to this article: http://www.which.co.uk/news/2011/09/one-in-four-consumers-live-in-fear-of-their-bills-266688/ . Why can’t the smart meters work both ways? Why can’t they link into just enough of our account information to show us how much our balance is each time it updates? The energy companies should really already be set up to know how much we owe them given a meter reading; why not make the meters so they display that information, and then we can see day to day or week to week or however often it updates, exactly how much we owe or are owed? Much of the technology should already exist inside prepaid meters, I imagine.

The ridiculous state of affairs we have here with only getting a bill every six months (or seven and counting, currently, for me) is surely causing a lot of this energy bill anxiousness and stress; take away the huge time gaps in knowing how we stand with the energy companies, and it’ll alleviate a great deal of the stress.

I do not want a Smart Meter.
I do not want to see the cost of the gas I use every moment of the day. It is less depressing to find out when the bill arrives and to do one’s best to be careful with the consumption on a daily basis.
I have received a letter announcing a meter change quoting for accuracy and safety reason.
Do they mean the meter I now have is not safe?
There is no mention of a Smart Meter on the letter.
They previously made two appointments and did not turn up. I received £25 compensation.
I do not want damage to my property as per previously experienced when a new meter was fitted as well as the gas pipes renewed.

I think it is a big con to help energy companies to reduce their carbon emissions who gives a f**k about the climate anyway you cannot do anything to stop it we will be back to the ice age soon what does it matter what energy you use if youre going to pay the bill the energy companies will not pay it for you thats why they keep increasing the prices cos they want everyone to reduce there consumption f**k it i say you have to keep warm so use it thats what it is there for smart meters are shit.

[Hello Blockheads, we have edited your comment as it was all written in capital letters. Please also stay away from using swear words excessively. Read our commenting guidelines for more information. Thanks, mods.]