Smart meter opponents gather at GridWeek
October 4, 2012 | By Travis Mitchell
Smart meter opponents gathered in Washington, D.C. yesterday to call for a moratorium on smart meter deployments and publicize what they believe are the harmful effects of smart meters on health, privacy and cost.
The modestly attended D.C. demonstration was one of 35 gatherings held across the U.S. as part of Thursday's Action Day to Stop Smart meters, which was designed to overlap with GridWeek and draw awareness to a small but still growing contingent of utility customers who reject smart meters and their benefits.
"We stand up for the rights of the thousands of people that have experienced negative health effects in the privacy of their own home because of a mandatory device that was placed on their home," said Christine Hoch, executive director of the Center for Safer Wireless, in an interview with FierceEnergy.
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| Photo used with permission fromInternational Day to Stop Smart Meters. |
"We stand up for the rights of the thousands of people that have experienced negative health effects in the privacy of their own home because of a mandatory device that was placed on their home," said Christine Hoch, executive director of the Center for Safer Wireless, in an interview with FierceEnergy.
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While the number of people who oppose smart meters remains relatively small, the energy industry is beginning to take note.
"I can certainly understand the 'stop smart meter' protestor concerns, especially since a few utilities have had a history of poor communications and strained relationships with their customers," said Bob Gohn of Pike Research, in an email with FierceEnergy.
He noted that the energy industry considers the benefits of the smart grid to go beyond consumer energy reductions and include improving operational efficiency, load shifting and a lowering of pollution. Smart meters are simply a tool that can be an avenue to achieve reductions if used properly, Gohn said.
"The bottom line is the actual energy consumed by the meter and communications devices is miniscule compared to the potential savings, even just from operations," he added.
All in all, for opponents of smart meters, momentum is steady despite limited resources, and is leading an increasing number of utilities and regulators to adopt, pilot or consider smart meter opt-out programs.
Related Articles:
Opt-out programs: Stories from across the U.S.
Special Report: Utilities still battling smart meter health concerns
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