What is AMR/AMI/Analogue and What is All the Fuss About an Electric Meter?

It's not just a meter, here's a good place to start: A meter guide w/ brief history of harm; Truth About Smart Grids, & what dairy cows say about dirty electricity

Includes: Brief history of electric meters, brief history of health complaints from AMR and AMI meters, AAEM position on smart meters, Website EMF Safety Network, Website Truth about the Smart Grid aka Smart Grid Awareness, David Stetzer - Dirty Electricity and Ground Current and video, Website EI Wellspring

States: CA, Wisconsin, NY

“We have 21st century technology and a 19th century distribution system.” -David Stetzer

2012 Press Release from The American Academy of Environmental Medicine: AAEM Calls for Immediate Caution Regarding Smart Meter Installation

Meter, meter, pumpkin eater

Initially, electric meters were used by utilities to track consumption for billing purposes only, and either a meter reader would come to the home or business to read the meter, or a consumer could fill out a postcard and mail it in - generally in remote/rural areas. (Meter readers would also monitor infrastructure for frayed neutrals, tree issues etc. while in the field.)

“An electromechanical (analog) electrical meter has a rotor inside, which spins as electricity passes through the meter. The rotor turns gears, which count the revolutions and turn the dials. This basic system has been used to measure electrical usage for about a century.” - source

Next Generation Electronic Meters

Different states and municipalities have differing histories regarding their metering technology and have responded differently to opportunities to ‘upgrade’ their meter fleet over the last few decades.

Some states/municipalities initially replaced their old-style analogue meters with digital, electronic AMR meters that sent usage data to the utility wirelessly, over a decade ago. Others adopted technology that sent the data over existing electrical wires (also referred to as Power Line Carrier and Power line Telecommunication (PLT).) (There are issues with both.)

One example of a digital electric meter. In some cases, the FCC ID number is in tiny letters on the front of the meter, in other cases it is on a sticker on the underside of the meter, outside of view.

Although many homes in Massachusetts and elsewhere haven’t seen a meter reader either inside or outside the home for years, many ratepayers are not aware of if, when, or how their meter was upgraded to send data to the utility wirelessly, or over the electric wires.

When AMI Came to Town

Other states including parts of California still had analogue meters and transitioned directly to newer AMI Advanced Metering Infrastructure meters around 2009-2013, using stimulus funding from the Obama administration, with great fanfare about the benefits, including reducing truck rolls to turn the power off in the case of ratepayers vacating the premises, to reduce carbon consumption (hacking risk).

The narrative also promised faster restoration of power in the case of outages (was not true, and over time the narrative shifted from reliability to ‘resiliency’).

Planned obsolescence for future replacement/upgrade cycles and the guaranteed rate of return on investments and political drive for economic growth was prioritized over protecting health and the environment.

The transition to AMI two-way meters is where the history of metering took another turn - for the worst.

AMI Smart Meters and Health Issues

In fact, as reported by Stop Smart Meters, 58 municipal bodies in California (towns, cities, counties, even a reservation) rejected “smart” meters, by issuing moratoriums, bans, and other direct expressions of their unwillingness to have this technology imposed upon them by utilities.” This is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

As different states accepted stimulus funding and began to deploy AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) two-way transmitting meters, the public became very aware of their metering infrastructure, in part because many individuals developed symptoms, in some cases becoming reactive to all wireless exposures and thus, completely disabled and isolated from society.

Image Courtesy EMF Safety Network, which is an active site

Here are a few other articles from the website Smart Grid Awareness; an excellent resource covering many risks of smart meters in addition to health.

Urgent Need for Smart Meter Health and Safety Legislation | Smart Grid Awareness

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

Smart Meters Should Do No Harm

Overall Health Impact of a Smart Meter Deployment | Smart Grid Awareness

Smart Meter Transmission Frequency Claims – “Misinformation” or “Missing Information”? | Smart Grid Awareness

The Health Argument Against Wireless Smart Meters | Smart Grid Awareness

Health Risks Associated with Smart Meter Wireless Emissions

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine

In 2012, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine issued its position statement about smart meters. stating, in part:

Wichita, KS‐ The American Academy of Environmental Medicine today released its position paper on electromagnetic field (EMF) and radiofrequency (RF) health effects calling for immediate caution regarding smart meter installations. Citing several peer‐reviewed scientific studies, the AAEM concludes that “significant harmful biological effects occur from non‐thermal RF exposure” showing causality. The AAEM also expresses concern regarding significant, but poorly understood quantum field effects of EMF and RF fields on human health.

“More independent research is needed to assess the safety of ‘Smart Meter’ technology,” said Dr. Amy Dean, board certified internist and President‐Elect of the AAEM. “Patients are reporting to physicians the development of symptoms and adverse health effects after ‘Smart Meters’ are installed on their homes. Immediate action is necessary to protect the public’s health.”

Dr. William J. Rea, past president of AAEM says, “Technological advances must be assessed for harmful effects in order to protect society from the ravages of end‐stage disease like cancer, heart disease, brain dysfunction, respiratory distress, and fibromyalgia. EMF and wireless technology are the latest innovations to challenge the physician whose goal is to help patients and prevent disease.” Rea, a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon and environmental physician adds, “A more thorough review of technological options to achieve society’s worthwhile communications objectives must be conducted to protect human health.” - Source

(Physicians managing patients with chronic illnesses developed science-based protocols for identifying and treating health-vulnerable patients, but most mainstream physicians are not yet informed, which results in chasing symptoms of stress, rather than addressing the cause, which is the polluted environment. Avoidance of the triggering agent is essential in order to restore harmony to the autonomic nervous system.)

AMR Meters and Health Issues and Dirty Electricity and Ground Current - Dairy Cows

The installation of the AMI meters during the Obama administration was not the beginning of the story of harm experienced as the result of metering and grid infrastructure technology experiments. Concerns are not confined to the question of the radio frequency exposures from the transmitting meter.

Years previously, for example in both New York and in Wisconsin, coinciding with the first generation of wireless one-way electronic meters, regulators received reports about harm to both health and the environment (cows and milk production) caused by polluted power quality/dirty electricity.

Here is a link to testimony provided by David Stetzer for Michigan’s Attorney General on behalf of dairy farmers and lost milk production: Stetzer-testimony.pdf

Here is an excellent video (1 1/2 hours) of pioneers Dave Stetzer and the late Martin Graham explaining electrical pollution, including their work with cows, back in 2008.

The website www.ElectricalPollution.com notes, “People exposed to excessive "dirty" power may develop radio wave sickness. Clean power enters the home at 60 Hz. Electrical pollution is 60 Hz electricity polluted with high frequency signals or "dirty" power flowing on the wires and through the earth.”

“The objectives of the Smart Grid Program can be accomplished without transmitting meters and without using other technology such as high frequency communication over power lines, which are also harmful to human health. It simply requires that meters be selected that are properly engineered to meet the needs of the program without using dangerous technology. Multi-rate billing and other sophisticated metering options do not require that the meter transmit. Models are available that download periodically on phone lines, dedicated communication lines, or are read by a reader the meter reader carries. Dedicated communication cables can be used to shut off or allow on certain power consuming electronics such as air conditioners. It is essential that only meters that do not transmit or put high frequency signals on building wiring are approved for the Smart Grid Program. At this time, however, it is important to know that many new appliances are being outfitted with transmitters that transmit continuously and cannot be turned off. Be sure to ask detailed questions if you are purchasing new appliances.” - Source: Electrical Pollution Solutions

The Industry Did Not Respond to Early Reports of Harm, and the Issues are Not Going Away

Instead of investigating with an intent to understand and address mechanisms of harm, the industry and its regulators and economic partners took advantage of the opportunity to portray the health complaints as the nocebo effect, implying that negative thinking, hysteria, and tin foil hats were involved. The dialogue has since shifted to a more politically correct stance of admitting that “these individuals are really suffering, but that the technology is not to blame.”

The technology choices have not been examined, tested, or monitored for adverse effects.

Finding Information About My Meter?

An easily searchable website created and maintained by a member of what is described as an “environmentally sensitive” community provides an excellent overview of the differing types of meters. The site also provides guidance about how to look up the FCC ID number, if accurate.

Some ratepayers have also contacted their utility and/or their state regulator for historical data. (Additionally, some individuals have backtracked and correlated changes in their health history with the installation of smart meters.)

Smart Meter Information

The Smart Meters: What are the different types, how do they work and what are the health issues?

How to protect yourself against smart meters

Preliminary survey of people affected by smart meters

The stealth meters: Analog meters with hidden transmitters

Why do utilities want smart meters?

Comments on the Texas Public Utility Commission smart meter report

(more at link)

Food for thought

Consider where your meter is located relative to where you spend the most time, including sleeping quarters. The meter on your neighbor’s garage may be pointing at your desk.

Consider if you, your loved ones, or your neighbors have health conditions that may be exacerbated by increasing juxtapositions of ubiquitous exposures.

Also, consider if your home may have older wiring, wiring errors. etc. that may add to the burden of electrical pollution. More to come.

Note/Disclaimer: Information about smart metering and grid issues has not been forthcoming from official channels and from those who have the responsibility and authority to make decisions based on the public good, including the FCC and FDA and state utility commissions. Early on, ‘the burden of proof’ was shifted to the public to provide evidence of harm, rather than the industry and its partners and regulators to provide proof of safety. While some of the information gathered through the efforts of volunteers may be slightly outdated, every intention is being made to offer accurate guidance on the smart meter issue. If you see an error, please let us know.