Some homeowners opting out of smart meters

Posted: Friday, June 14, 2013 4:00 pm | Updated: 4:03 pm, Fri Jun 14, 2013.

If you’re still hesitant about having a smart meter installed on your house, contact your energy provider and ask about their opt out program.

 Be expected to pay fees to keep your analog meter though.

Consumers and DTE charging big bucks to keep traditional meters

Posted on June 14, 2013

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  by William Axford

 Although there have been no proven cases of harm from smart meters, some homeowners are still wary of the new technology and don’t want them installed on their homes.

 DTE Energy and Consumers Energy have created an opt-out program where customers can choose to keep their analog meters.

 DTE customers must pay a one-time fee of $67.20 and a monthly fee of $9.80. DTE spokesperson Alejandro Bodipo-Memba said the analog technology is no longer created and costs more to upkeep than smart meters.

 “Advanced meters use very low-power radio frequency waves to transmit utility usage to DTE Energy. Several devices, such as microwave ovens, cell phones and baby monitors, produce stronger radio frequency (RF) fields than advanced utility meters,” Bodipo-Memba said. “For example, a person speaking on a cell phone has up to 1,000 times more RF exposure than a person standing two feet from an advanced meter. Similarly, a person using a microwave oven can experience up to 500 times more RF exposure than a person standing near an advanced meter.”

 DTE Energy has installed about a million smart meters this year and plan to have 1.2 million meters installed by the end of this year.

 Consumers Energy will also be installing smart meter across the state and plan to have a meter on every home between 2017 and 2019. According to the company’s website, smart meters send frequencies that are “the equivalent of sending one text message a day” and that all meters meet the mandatory health guidelines set by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).

 The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) ruled the meters as safe last summer, finding no adverse health effects to having the meters attached to homes.

 Still, some advocacy groups are pushing to opt out of smart meters. Michigan Stop Smart Meters believes the new, advanced meters “threaten our privacy, health, safety and pocketbooks.” The group Refuse Smart Meters believes the new meters may have health effects from radiation, increase utility costs and invade the privacy of a homeowner.

 In addition to the FCC and the MPSC findings, energy companies have said that any data collected will not be shared with other companies.

 “We also have extensive experience in information protection. DTE Energy follows Department of Energy security standards to keep the electrical grid secure and to protect customer information,” Alejandro Bodipo-Memba said.  

 Consumers Energy has not had a final fee set for customers who want to opt out of smart meters. For more information, Consumers Energy can be reached at 1-800-649-5050. DTE Energy can be reached at 1-800-477-4747.

http://www.tctimes.com/news/some-homeowners-opting-out-of-smart-meters/article_300fd28e-d52d-11e2-83d8-0019bb2963f4.html