Are smart meters worth it?

The Government are promoting smart meters as being eco-friendly and good value options. But are they really right, asks Sarah Lonsdale

Smart meters: while energy companies will be making savings of £9 billion, our own are by no means guaranteed 

By Sarah Lonsdale

5:44PM GMT 22 Feb 2012

4 Comments

If you believe the Government's and energy companies' rubric about smart meters, the first of which are being rolled out this year in a four-million home pilot project, smart meters will save home owners money, and reduce greenhouse gases.

As someone who believes passionately in the need to reduce carbon emissions as well as energy bills, you may have expected me to support such a scheme.

But at the moment, I can't. According to a report on smart meters published by the influential Public Accounts Committee last month, the £11.7 billion scheme could cost every household at least £350 in higher bills to install. Yet in the same report, projected household savings from reduction in fuel usage will be just £23 a year. And that "saving" depends on whether people change their behaviour once the smart meters give them more detailed information about how they are using energy.

So, while energy companies will be getting guaranteed savings of £9 billion from more accurate automated meter readings, our "savings" are not by any means guaranteed. Zoe McLeod of Consumer Focus says people who are already energy savvy and have switched to low-energy appliances and heating, will probably see little benefit.

Already, poorly designed schemes introduced in Australia, California and the Netherlands have provoked mass consumer rejection that has helped no one and wasted money. When the Australian Energy Regulator released figures to show that Australians would see between A$90 (£61) and A$219 (£149) increases in their bills every year between 2011 and 2015 to pay for smart meters there was outrage - particularly as the figures were released on October 31, on the eve of the Melbourne Cup.

British Gas, which aims to have 1.5million meters installed by the end of 2012, has surveyed 700 of its 400,000 customers already supplied with smart meters. Two thirds said they had implemented energy efficiency measures since getting their meters, which is a good thing, but more than a quarter said a year after getting their meters they consulted them less than once a week, meaning that after early interest, the meters cease to be of use to consumers.

The consumers' group Which? has called on the Government to stop and reconsider the smart meter scheme. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is currently finalising finer details, with decisions to be made in March. But can the DECC guarantee:

My privacy will be protected as part of the legal framework of the scheme? Under current plans, my household energy data will be pulsed electronically to the utility companies every half an hour. If somebody has access to that level of information about my daily habits, anyone can easily discover when I am out of the house.

Mysterious offers to upgrade my inefficient fridge or washing machine don't suddenly arrive as utility companies make commercial use of my data - as has happened in Japan?

If I want to switch supplier, I will easily be able to do so. Jenny Driscoll, energy campaigner for Which? says there is evidence from the early roll-out phase that householders are being told they can't switch supplier because they have a smart meter. "That's absolutely unacceptable," she said.

The "smart" system that will convey the data will not be vulnerable to hackers. "There is a real threat of cyber attack on the smart communication system," warns the Public Accounts Committee report.

The current £11.7 billion bill for smart meters, shouldered by consumers, will not spiral out of control, with the public being required to write a blank cheque. "We would like to see a mechanism to cap customers' bills if costs to the smart meter system spiral," says Zoe McLeod of Consumer Focus.

Complaints from early adopters of the smart meters are made public. At present, although we know complaints about the system have been registered with OfGem, the data can't be published. If we are being asked to foot a nearly £12 billion bill surely we should be told where the problems with the system lie, so at least we can be alert to them?

Until all these points are met satisfactorily by those pushing smart meters on us, my front door will be firmly closed to the meter man, or maid.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/9099149/Are-smart-meters-worth-it.html

COMMENTARY: Remove Wi-Fi from classrooms

Posted 2 days ago

David Pattenaude

The Petrolia Topic

The Ontario English Catholic Teacher's Association is the latest group warning against Wi-Fi in the classroom.

The union studied the effects of microwave radiation from Wi-Fi, and has published a report stating classroom computers should only be hard-wired.

The union's provincial health and safety committee recognized research that shows up to one million Canadians may have "severe and immediate" reactions to Wi-Fi. That's three per cent of the population. Symptoms can range from headaches to heart palpitations, including speeding heart rates.

The report says all new schools should be hard-wired only, and Wi-Fi should not be installed in any more classrooms. Wi-Fi is a microwave transmitter used to connect to the Internet without a cable.

Microwave exposure is linked to infertility, erratic heart rates, learning impairment, behavioural changes, leukemia and cancer, especially in children.

Acting on the concerns of parents, a growing number of schools and school boards across Canada have torn out Wi-Fi and replaced it with a hard-wired Internet system to ensure the safety of students.

A hard-wired system turns regular electrical outlets into high-speed Internet ports. It's faster than wireless, and there's no safety issue.

Most schools in Ontario already have safe cable connections that are faster and more secure. But school boards are installing microwave systems that continuously expose students to strong microwave signals. It's cheaper and safer to simply add more cables where needed.

In May 2011, the World Health Organization warned microwave radio frequency radiation from Wi-Fi, cellphones and other wireless devices is now considered a "possible carcinogen" and placed it on the same list as DDT, lead, and car exhaust.

In some Ontario public schools, some children have complained of health problems after commercial grade microwave transmitters were installed for Internet connection.

Cellphones and Wi-Fi came to the market without adequate safety testing as a gift to telecom companies to help them expand the wireless systems quickly.

Canada's federal health agency, Health Canada, maintains Wi-Fi is safe but there's no evidence proving that.
"We don't know the long-term effects of Wi-Fi," said Health Canada's top radiation researcher, Beth Pieterson.
Meanwhile, local school boards were assured by Lambton and Chatham-Kent medical officers of health that Wi-Fi technology is safe — and a plan to implement Wi-Fi in all Lambton Kent District School Board schools for the 2011/2012 school year was approved. The St. Clair Catholic School Board already has Wi-Fi access at some of its schools.
But according to www.safeschool.ca, there's evidence microwave radiation can cause biological changes and adverse health effects, and that Wi-Fi is a dangerous choice for schools.

Children are more sensitive to agents in the environment and the long-term effects of this radiation on children is unknown, so we should err on the side of caution and use the precautionary approach when it comes to microwave radiation in schools and at home.

Schools should reconsider placing Wi-Fi in the classroom for continuous daily exposure and schools that already have Wi-Fi should consider turning Wi-Fi off when not in use, and disconnecting Wi-Fi that is never used.

Governments and school boards can no longer say Wi-Fi is safe and should get it out of classrooms.

Every child has a right to a healthy and safe school and the medical community's "First do no harm" philosophy should be the guiding principle with Wi-Fi.

— David Pattenaude is a reporter with The Petrolia Topic.

http://www.petroliatopic.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3479339

http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1298268--board-turns-down-call-for-wi-fi-ban

Board turns down call for Wi-Fi ban

Wi-Fi free. Aurora Montessori School teacher Alex Murray oversees Sarah Asgari, 8, in the school's computer lab, which doesn't use Wi-Fi. STAFF PHOTO/MIKE BARRETT

The York Catholic District School Board doesn’t plan to review the use of Wi-Fi networks in its schools despite a recent recommendation from the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association that installations of such systems cease. 
Classrooms should be hard-wired, the association said, citing research the World Health Organization released this week.
The health organization warned of a possible link between radiation from wireless devices and cancer.

While Health Canada cautioned parents to limit cellphone use by children, scientific evidence shows low-level exposure to Wi-Fi is not dangerous.

The Catholic board is reviewing the position paper, board spokesperson May Moore said.

The board understands and is very sensitive to the safety concerns expressed by some on the use of Wi-Fi technology in schools, she added.

There is research and opposing views on the issue, but as a public institution, the board must rely on the expertise and advice of public health authorities at Health Canada and the Health and Long Term Care Ministry, she said. To date, both levels of government don’t view Wi-Fi emissions as a human health hazard.

The use of wireless technology in schools and administrative buildings adheres to Health Canada standards and regulations and is well below the exposure limits set by the World Health Organization, Ms Moore said.

Should these internationally set standards change, the board will immediately review its policy on Wi-Fi use and respond appropriately, she said.

Yesterday, Premier Dalton McGuinty said he has been reassured by Canadian experts that Wi-Fi doesn’t pose a danger to students.

A January update from Health Canada states exposure to low-level energy, such as that from Wi-Fi equipment, is not harmful to the public and finds its research to be consistent with the findings of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and the U.K. Health Protection Agency.

But the teachers’ position paper echoes the message a group of York Region parents have been pushing, “Safety of this technology has not thoroughly been researched and, therefore, the precautionary principle and prudent avoidance of exposure should be practised”. 

At least one Aurora private school has opted for the plug rather than a Wi-Fi system.

The parental group fighting for the removal of Wi-Fi from York Region schools meets Friday at William’s Cafe in Richmond Hill. 


http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1298268--board-turns-down-call-for-wi-fi-ban

The Dangers of Wi-Fi (WiFi, Wifi, WLAN, Electromagnetic Radiation, Wireless Internet, EMF, EMR, RFR)

Smart Meter Wars: Sheriff Wowak Recall Update

Smart Meter Wars: Sheriff Wowak Recall Update

by Joshua Hart
Tuesday Feb 21st, 2012 2:38 PM

The focus of those fighting the illegal installation of smart meters in Santa Cruz County has by necessity remained on helping people sickened by PG&E's toxic deployment. Those areas throughout the US still with analog meters are being advised to make preparations to defend their communities and resist this dangerous technology. Santa Cruz County has in many ways become a statewide and national leader in this regard.

February 21st, 2012

A Sheriff is not expected to cherry pick laws or interpret health science. Yet Santa Cruz County Sheriff Phil Wowak has done both, subverting the democratic will of the people, arresting peaceful protesters while actively facilitating PG&E's unlawful installation at the cost of our health, privacy and safety.

Today, we renew our demand that Sheriff Phil Wowak enforce ordinance 5084 banning smart meters, a law enacted (and re-enacted) unanimously by our county board of supervisors and supported by the majority of County residents. We call on our state and federal elected officials to step in and protect public health, at the very least ensuring that existing FCC regulations are adhered to. (CA Assm. Bill Monning is considering introducing such a bill).

Our top County public health official- Dr. Poki Namkung- has confirmed that smart meters pose serious health risks and that scientific studies reveal real biological damage caused by wireless technology such as smart meters. Decision makers must heed warnings from health officials that are getting louder, and put the brakes on the wireless juggernaut. Should public buildings, schools, buses and libraries be places where the public is involuntarily exposed to a recognized class 2B carcinogen?

Link to download Dr. Namkung's report (pdf): http://emfsafetynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Santa-Cruz-Public-Health-Official-Smart-Meter-report.pdf

It is clear that an 'opt out' program will still expose all residents to radiation from thousands of smart meters, which each have a range of more than one mile and pulse up to 190,000 times daily, according to PG&E's own figures. Concern is also growing about so-called 'dirty electricity' which is generated by the meters and travels into homes along electrical wiring attached to the grid. No one can opt out of this 'dirty electricity' and it can have profound health impacts, according to Samuel Milham MD in his book of the same name.

Word of California's smart grid debacle has been spreading through grassroots channels and hundreds of groups in the US and abroad have formed to fight installations. The UK has now made smart meters a voluntary, opt-in program in response to public pressure.

We have no regrets about launching this recall effort last year- at the least it led to a community discussion of how law enforcement tends to act in the corporate interest, often at the expense of the public; a discussion about the effect of wireless technology on health. It granted an audience with Sheriff Wowak at the Santa Cruz Freedom Forum- an audience that members of the public alarmed about this issue had been seeking for months.

Link to Phil Wowak/ Joshua Hart debate on smart meters at Santa Cruz Freedom Forum Sept. 21st 2011:
http://stopsmartmeters.org/2011/09/25/%E2%80%9Cwho-will-protect-us%E2%80%9D-questions-for-santa-cruz-sheriff-phil-wowak-freedom-forum-meeting-sept-21-2011/

Smart meters are a false solution to climate change, a trojan horse health risk and spy into your private home life. Any fee being sought by utilities to avoid the smart meter is extortion, and is designed to prevent large-scale abandonment of this ill-fated technology. We join thousands of other PG&E ratepayers who refuse to pay and submit to PG&E's 'protection racket.'

We assert the rights of local communities to refuse to opt in, and we condemn the CA Public Utilities Commission for ignoring thousands of written and publicly voiced health complaints, illegally plowing ahead with no regard for human health and safety, environmental protection, or consumer rights. The poisoning of drinking water in Hinkly, CA as dramatized in the film Erin Brockovich as well as the San Bruno gas explosion (both caused by PG&E) may pale in comparison to the damage we risk if smart grid development continues unchecked. 

http://stopsmartmeters.org

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/21/18707856.php

Former Toronto, Winnipeg fullback Warren Hudson succumbs to brain cancer

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Former Toronto, Winnipeg fullback Warren Hudson succumbs to brain cancer

DAN RALPH

TORONTO— The Canadian Press

Published Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012 11:59PM EST

Last updated Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 12:09AM EST

He was a devastating blocker who routinely drove opposing defenders into the ground. But Warren Hudson will also be remembered as someone who never kicked a fellow player when he was down.

Hudson, who was named the top Canadian in the 1990 Grey Cup, died Thursday of brain cancer. He was 49.

“Warren was so competitive, so driven yet didn't have an ego,” said Don Moen, a former teammate of Hudson's with the Toronto Argonauts. “He was the kind of guy who would run over someone, then go over and help him up.

“He's probably the greatest person I've ever known. Warren and his family never ceased to amaze me, they never once asked ‘Why?“’

Moen routinely overcame injury to appear in a club-record 222 games over 13 seasons with the Argos. But he said it was Hudson who was the epitome of toughness and class, on and off the football field.

Known for dishing out punishing blocks and paving the way for speedyrunning backs, the Toronto native spent nine seasons in the CFL with the Argos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

He appeared in three Grey Cup games but it was the 1990 contest in Vancouver that Hudson truly stood out, helping Winnipeg earn a lopsided 50-11 championship win over the Edmonton Eskimos at B.C. Place.

Hudson had four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown and also ran in for another in being named the game's outstanding Canadian. His first TD came on an 18-yard pass from Tom Burgess before scoring on a two-yard run.

Both of Hudson's touchdowns capped a wild third quarter for the Bombers, who outscored Edmonton 28-0 in the frame to blow open the contest. Winnipeg went into halftime with a 10-4 advantage.

Winnipeg hasn't captured the Grey Cup since, the longest championship drought in the CFL. The Bombers have made five appearances in the big game since 1990, losing them all, including a 34-23 decision to the B.C. Lions in last year's final at B.C. Place.

The six-foot-two, 225-pound Hudson was a running back's best friend. In 1989 with Toronto, Hudson led the way for Gill Fenerty to rush for 1,247 yards.

During Hudson's three-year run as a starter in Toronto, the speedy Fenerty rushed for 3,094 yards.

The following season after being dealt to Winnipeg, Hudson paved the way for Robert Mimbs to run for a league-high 1,341 yards.

They're impressive stats for a player who made the jump to the CFL after playing junior football with the Oshawa Hawkeyes. Originally Hudson played linebacker but was converted to fullback.

Hudson spent three seasons with the Bombers before returning to Toronto to finish his CFL career in 1993. He appeared in 144 career games, rushing for 1,507 yards on 296 carries with 23 touchdowns.

Hudson also registered 204 career catches for 1,951 yards. He was named a West Division all-star in 1990 and ‘92.

After his retirement, Hudson worked as theatrical stagehand, helping design sets used during a run of the musical “Les Miserables” at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

In 2003, Hudson suffered a seizure while driving home from one of his son's hockey games. The family initially thought Hudson had a stroke, but instead he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour called anaplastic astrocytoma.

“I saw Warren (Wednesday night) and he was at peace,” Moen said. “He kept this to himself for years because he didn't want anyone to know about it and worry about him.

“He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him, never once did he ever say that this wasn't fair. Like I said, he was truly an amazing guy.”

Hudson, who died in an Oakville, Ont., hospital, is survived by his wife, Kelly, and sons Cory and Will.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.

Donations can be made at CaringBridge.com, where an in-trust account has been established on behalf of Hudson's children.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/former-toronto-winnipeg-fullback-warren-hudson-succumbs-to-brain-cancer/article2341643/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2341643

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