"Eversource customers express concerns over smart meter rollout" The Recorder

Gratitude to The Recorder (Newspaper), Franklin County, Massachusetts, and those activists in the Pioneer Valley speaking truth to power

Please read the entire newspaper article at the link:

Eversource customers express concerns over smart meter rollout - Greenfield Recorder

I added the bolded headlines to highlight 3 sections that I included in this post; they were not part of the article… with comments at the end.

Eversource customers express concerns over smart meter rollout

Franklin County residents oppose fees to opt out, express health concerns

Eversource customers express concerns over smart meter rollout - Greenfield Recorder

What Eversource Says

With updates around every 15 minutes, Pizano said the smart meters will also allow the company to react to outages with more speed, instead of relying on calls from community members reporting a power loss.

According to Pizano, having the new meter will not raise monthly bills, as these are dependent on energy usage alone. He traced bill jumps after installation of the meters to typical increases in usage during cold weather. []

To opt out, Pizano said customers must call the general customer service phone number, 800-592-2000, before reaching an employee that specializes in communications around the smart meters.

More at the link: https://recorder.com/2025/12/29/eversource-smart-meters-concerns/

The “Opt Out”

When customers opt out, Eversource still replaces the current meter with a smart meter, but the company turns off the wireless communication, requiring an Eversource employee to travel to the homes and read the usage data manually. With the current meters, an employee takes readings by driving by the homes with a scanner, Pizano said.

To cover the additional cost of having an employee stop by homes to read the meter, Eversource charges customers who opt out a one-time fee of $42 and a monthly fee of $34. According to Pizano, customers who opt out at least 10 days before the smart meter installation will likely not be charged the one-time $42 fee. []

More at the link: https://recorder.com/2025/12/29/eversource-smart-meters-concerns/

Health “Concerns”

Like Silva, Donna Estabrooks of Montague decided to opt out. She views the smart meters as a threat to her health.

For three years, headaches and an erratic heartbeat kept Estabrooks awake at night. After leaving visits to the emergency room without a diagnosis, a doctor suggested she turn off her internet.

“And I quickly improved dramatically,” Estabrooks recounted.

Estabrooks researched electromagnetic sensitivity online, also called electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), electromagnetic hypersensitivity refers to health problems linked to exposure to electromagnetic field sources like cellphones, computers and cell towers that emit radio waves. Although the WHO describes EHS as “a disabling problem for the affected individual,” it clarifies that EHS is not a medical diagnosis and lacks a scientific basis linking EHS symptoms to electromagnetic field exposure.

Kent Chamberlin, former chair and professor emeritus of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of New Hampshire, evaluated data regarding health effects related to 5G technology as a member of the New Hampshire Commission on the Health and Environmental Impacts of Wireless Radiation in 2020.

“I was shocked by just how much information is out there showing the harms of radiation,” Chamberlin said. The commission reported that thousands of studies illustrated negative health effects associated with cellphone exposure.

“Anything that radiates electromagnetic waves does pose a health risk,” Chamberlin said. Regarding the potential health effects of smart meters, he said, “We know that it causes harm; we just don’t know the degree compared to other devices. … As our radiation levels increase, then more and more people are going to be showing symptoms of wireless radiation exposure.”

Susan Markush, a professor at Greenfield Community College, said not enough testing has been done on the health effects of low-level electromagnetic field sources, like cellphones and smart meters.

“It feels like we kind of just jumped into the microwave, cellphone and now smart meter era without gathering consistent, conclusive evidence one way or another — although more and more attention is being given to this subject,” Markush said.

More at the link: https://recorder.com/2025/12/29/eversource-smart-meters-concerns/

Aalianna Marietta Staff Writer Aalianna Marietta is the South County reporter. She is a graduate of UMass Amherst and was a journalism intern at the Recorder while in school. She can be reached at amarietta@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

Commentary/Endnotes:

What Eversource said about “With updates around every 15 minutes”

For over a decade, utilities have been implying that the meters only transmit every 15 minutes.

From 2010 from the EMF Safety Network: PG&E’s Big Confession

“PG&E’s paltry, inconsistent and contradictory information on RF emissions from Smart Meters is unbelievable and at odds with other RF expert findings. Several PG&E bulletins and spokespersons make varying claims on how often the Smart Meter electric meters transmit RF, anywhere from every hour to every 4 to 6 hours to 2% or 4% of the time. We just wanted the facts

CPUC administrative law judge Amy Yip-Kikugawa ordered all investor owned utilities (IOU’s ) to answer Smart Meter radio frequency (RF) questions. PG&E’s answers are an astounding confession! Question 2: How many times in total (average and maximum) is a smart meter scheduled to transmit during a 24-hour period?

PG&E says the average number of RF pulses for the electric meter would be about 10,000, per meter, per day and the maximum number over 190,000.

90% of these pulses are for the mesh network maintenance (signals bouncing from homes) and only 6 pulses are for reading the meter data. This doesn’t include Home Area Network transmissions.

How about peak power figures? The PG&E electric meter transmits at 900MHz with 1 watt of transmit power. It has an antennae gain 4.0 dBi for a peak level power of 2.5 watts. That’s two and a half times more than their safety data stated. The wireless gas meters transmit between 4 and 5 times a day at 132-794 mW. Answers provided by San Diego Gas and Electric and So Cal Gas were similar, although PG&E electric meters appear to be five times stronger, just like Sage Associates found in their study.

How often do the Eversource meters transmit?

What Eversource Said About Billing

“having the new meter will not raise monthly bills, as these are dependent on energy usage alone.” Ratepayers are being surcharged on their bills for the new meters and infrastructure, and the rate case was approved by the MA DPU.

The Opt Out:

There are at least 2 issues with RF-transmitting electronic smart meters - The RFR exposures and the polluted power quality, as epidemiologist Dr. Sam Milham explained in his expert testimony filed in an electric utility rate case in Arizona in 2017.

At Smart Grid Awareness.org, Sky Vision Solutions explained,

“Most people assume that when adverse health complaints are reported due to “smart” meters that the likely cause would be the intentional wireless RF emissions transmitted through air from the smart meter back to the utility. These reported health effects are certainly plausible based upon the evidence already presented at this website [2][3]. However, there are additional possible sources of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure associated with smart meters, e.g., dirty electricity (DE).”

As explained by Dr. Milham [1]:

“Dirty electricity” or “dirty power” are terms coined by the electric utilities to describe the electrical pollution consisting of high frequency voltage transients and harmonics riding along on the 50 or 60 Hz wave form and contaminating the electricity delivered to users. …

The APS “smart” meters are electronic devices which replaced the old electromechanical analog meters used to measure electric power consumption for billing purposes. The smart meters have circuitry to measure power consumption and a microwave transmitter to send this information to the utility. The health effects of microwave exposures are well known. All transmitters, including the microwave transmitters in smart meters, operate on direct current (DC). The APS smart meters contain a switching mode power supply (SMPS) which changes the utility 60 Hz alternating current to DC. …

Because it is at the front end of a building’s wiring, the dirty electricity from the smart meter’s SMPS has a gateway into that building’s wiring, and also into the earth via the house ground. The house wiring acts as an antenna and the fields capacitively couple to the body through the air within 6 to 8 feet of the house wiring or extension cords plugged into the outlets. …

I believe that our evolutionary balance, developed over the millennia, has been severely disturbed and disrupted by man-made EMFs. I believe that man-made EMFs, especially dirty electricity, are chronic stressors and are responsible for many of the disease patterns of electrified populations. …

It is my professional opinion that smart meters are a public health hazard.

Dr. Samuel Milham: “Smart meters are a public health hazard.” | Smart Grid Awareness

The electronic opt out meters do not address the issue of polluted power quality. In addition, in the past, in rural areas, customers read their own meters and sent a postcard to the utility company. Low electricity usage consumers in Germany are reading their own meters.

Additionally, in 2013, the MA DPU authorized National Grid to only read the meters every two months, but to charge customers a punitive opt out fee every month. The opt out also fails to protect vulnerable customers in high density and multi-family residences.

What is the justification for Eversource not investigating reported health concerns and not ensuring that this ratepayer investment will not become a stranded asset, especially because the FCC ignored the court remand questioning the adequacy of its exposure guidelines, and smart meters were included in the testimonies of direct harm?

SEE: Executive Summary of EHT Petition Demanding FCC Compliance with Federal Court Mandate on Wireless Radiation Safety - Environmental Health Trust

The Health Question

Courtesy Sky Vision Solutions: Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation Power Density Levels for Smart Meters, Various Biological Effects, and Exposure Guidelines | Smart Grid Awareness

In the absence of health impact studies conducted prior to smart meter deployment by utility companies, equipment manufacturers, or health agencies, there have been myriads of anecdotal reports of adverse effects caused by smart meter emissions. In addition, there have been at least limited studies (as listed below) subsequent to smart meter deployments indicating ill-effects:

• “Symptoms Resulting from Exposure to Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation from Smart Meters,” an article written by Ronald M. Powell, Ph.D. summarizing the results of a health effects survey conducted by Richard H. Conrad, Ph.D.;

• “Wireless Utility Meter Safety Impacts Survey,” by Ed Halteman, Ph.D., dated September 13, 2011;

• “Self-Reporting of Symptom Development from Exposure to Wireless Smart Meters’ Radiofrequency Fields in Victoria,” a case series by Dr. Federica Lamech, MBBS, and described by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) in a document called, “Wireless Smart Meter Case Studies.” [Update: In November 2014, the Lamech case series was published in a peer-reviewed journal. Refer to the following link for more details: “Published Article: Symptom Development from Exposure to Wireless Smart Meters.”]

• For a good summary document reviewing the last two studies listed above, refer to the following link for a paper prepared by Ronald M. Powell, Ph.D.: Symptoms after Exposure to Smart Meter Radiation.

• Source: Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation Power Density Levels for Smart Meters, Various Biological Effects, and Exposure Guidelines | Smart Grid Awareness

Beatrice Golomb: “Smart meters were the single most common “trigger” for people newly developing intolerance to non-ionizing radiation”; 2020 Testimony to the MA Dept of Public Utilities

Golomb Research Group “The UC San Diego Golomb Research Group, headed by Dr. Beatrice Golomb, studies many different conditions related to oxidative stress and cell energy impairments. We are currently working with Gulf War Veterans, as well as with people experiencing side effects from fluoroquinolone antibiotics, statin cholesterol lowering medications, radiofrequency radiation (and other non-ionizing radiation) – e.g., from cell towers or smart meters, and persons affected by the toxin release following the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.”

Not Divulged to Non-benefitting, Non-consenting Customers: Tobacco Science, and Surveillance?

Tobacco Science for Smart Meters

Climate Activism Has an Enormous, Corrupt, Unacknowledged, Harmful Tobacco Science Problem - As Wide as the Sky, As Large as the Entire Electric Grid “If we’re really going to address the major risk factors of disease, we have to address how sustainability proponents are causing disease.” In February of 2014, Valberg testified on behalf of Philip Morris cigarettes in Ohio, the same week that he testified on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilites to dismiss smart meter health concerns. [] the MA DPU ‘s order 12-76-B included the erroneous claim that FCC guidelines are protective of both thermal and non-thermal effects of exposures to non-ionizing radiation. [] The public record indicates clearly that Valberg’s testimony misrepresenting smart meter safety was utilized and/or referenced in many other states and jurisdictions, with environmental groups, politicians, utility regulatory commissions, and utilities ignoring complaints raised by the public about the corruption of the science. This includes the NCSL National Conference of State Legislatures. [] At the federal level, the FCC has ignored the 2021 court remand calling for the agency to justify why it has not reviewed its 1996 exposure guidelines, despite reported harm. AND SMART METER SCIENTISTS: The Alarming Link Between the Ohio Train Derailment’s Vinyl Chloride Leak and Smart Meters: A Mercenary Scientist Dictating Public Policy Seriously, a tobacco scientist for smart meters.

Surveillance

Texas AG Sues Smart TV Companies.... What About Suing Surveilling Smart Meters? Given that the Texas AG is suing the biggest TV makers for spying on users without consent, why haven’t any AGs sued Landis and Gyr and other smart meter companies that shifted from collecting billing data to collecting all personal electric consumption data? AND ‘Remembering’ the ‘Sense’ Revelo ‘Smart’ Meter - with your personal private consumption coming to a data center near you

The 2023 announcement identifies the new meter National Grid is installing:

This short video explains the enhanced data collection.

Eversource is reportedly installing Itron meters. Itron has also partnered with Sense. Are the new meters being installed in MA by Eversource now collecting all of the personal device/appliance usage data from Massachusetts ratepayers?

By researching the FCC ID number of a new meter installed by National Grid, the Sense technology was confirmed.

The question about the meter’s in-home surveillance capabilities can now be asked of Eversource?

Related: Broadcasting Gas Meter iTron model EWQ-100GDLAS, new install in Massachusetts Ken Gartner, Bio-Safer Housing

More of today’s news here:

December 30 Safe Tech International News and Notes France EHS Housing Initiative, Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation News, Ethan Faulkner: Your Electric Bill is a Bank Bailout, Comment to FCC