Smart Meters
At this point the Nelson Residents Association has not adopted any policy about Smart Meters -
we are still investigating what we read and hear.
But we'd like to make available the information we receive.
They plan to start installing Smart Meters in Nelson in September;
there are already some trial boxes installed
Many individuals are putting the following notice on your meter box...
Hi Pam,
The city wi-fi is a joint initiative between Nelson City Council and Uniquely Nelson. We have contracted a wi-fi provider to install the infrastructure and data service. At this stage we envisage the service being launched in late August and will involve a network of around 14 transmitters around the city streets. The intended area of coverage is the entire length of Trafalgar Street (between Selwyn Place and the river) and much of Hardy & Bridge Streets, radiating from Trafalgar Street.
The transmitters work like a spider-web, with each transmitter strategically placed to give the best coverage into the street and within line of sight of the next transmitter. The wi-fi coverage will be best outdoors on the street, as the signal doesn’t travel well through walls and buildings. It is not intended to replace any wi-fi that cafes and retailers currently provide within their own businesses.
RegardsPlease look into this yourself. Make up your own mind!
If you don’t do anything it is likely that you will get a smart meter sooner or later.
The aim is to raise awareness and allow for an informed consent on whether you would like to have a smart meter or not.
The links below have NOT been checked for scientific accuracy or for reference accuracy. Also there are a lot more links that are presenting concerns rather than benefits of smart meters. Therefore, please do your own research!
There is a movie called ‘TAKE BACK YOUR POWER’: http://www.takebackyourpower.net/.
(This movie is also available on DVD from the Residents Association,
phone Pam Frahm to get on the list to borrow it: 03-5476322)
This is being circulated by Network Tasman in June 2014
Note above: "As meters age a small minority can start to run slower or faster and record electricity consumption inaccurately. This means that some people's power bills may change once their electricity usage is on the correct tariff and being recorded correctly."
Keep doing your research, many call this letter above - "Dis-information".
May 28, 2014
A new posting from Stop Smart Meters - asking questions of Mr Andrew Stanton from Network Tasman specifically about the Nelson/Richmond area. Check out this site: http://www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/answer-the-questions-network-tasman-ltd/
See also: http://www.networktasman.co.nz/Advanced_Meters/Radio_Frequency_Fields.asp
Critique of New Zealand Report: ‘Health and Safety Aspects of Electricity Smart Meters’. This report comments on research stated on the Network Tasman Limited website.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xomljyl2c6qm7eb/AADl99o6BAI3S0eYMfARhVUFa/New%20Zealand%20critique_3.pdf
The following link explains well how the same numbers can be used to support opposite arguments (second youtube video on that page), but this link takes patience. It describes how ‘brief exposures become continuous exposures’.
http://smartmeterpowerstruggle.wordpress.com/
You can also find information on youtube about it, for example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLeCTaSG2-U
The above link is called: The Dark Side of 'Smart' Meters. It has some more details that add to the information from the link on the smart meter power struggle page above. How do smart meters work and why is that a problem…
This is what a NZ side recommends if you don’t want a smart meter:
http://www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/how-to-avoid-getting-a-smart-meter/
- Information from Australia and the movie ‘take your power back’
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/what-is-the-smart-grid-new-video-from-australia/ AND
- Biannual Literature Review on Biological Effects of Non-ionising Radiation
February 2013
Wikipedia:
The BioInitiative Report is a report on the relationship between the electromagnetic (EMF) associated with powerlines and wireless devices and health. It was self-published online, without ‘peer review’ on 31 August 2007, by a group "of 14 scientists, researchers, and public health policy professionals". The BioInitiative Report states that it is an examination of the controversial health risks of electromagnetic fields and radiofrequency radiation. It has been heavily criticized by independent and governmental research groups for its lack of balance.
Indian Council of Medical Research: ‘…on critical examination of the Bio-initiative 2012 Report, has observed that the report is not based on multi disciplinary weight – of evidence method leads to a scientifically sound judgment & objective and there is no balanced reflection of the current state of scientific knowledge. However, the evidence given in the report cannot be ignored and hence, need further investigation in this area…’
Here is a link to the report itself:
The BioInitiative Report: A Rationale for Biologically-based Public Exposure Standards for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF)
Some of the above links stated that ‘RF EMR was classified by the World Health Organisation and IARC as a Class 2B carcinogen in May 2011’
After looking briefly at the WHO website this came up: ‘The main conclusion from the WHO reviews is that EMF exposures below the limits recommended in the ICNIRP international guidelines do not appear to have any known consequence on health.’
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/standards/en/
The Benefits of Smart Meters
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Demand+Response/benefits.htm
Smart meters update from the Coastal Erosion Meeting - May 2014
I have attached 2 items above with some questions from our community with responses from Network Tasman. There was a large crowd turnout for the presentation last week and while there is still more discussion to be had, it was a helpful and informative beginning dialogue.
For the frequency that our meters work at (920Mhz) the limit is 4.6 W/m2 averaged over a 6 minute period.
A study conducted in Australia with the same type of meter we are using showed that the worst case meter was transmitting at 0.82% of the threshold at a distance of 30cm from the meter.
Regards,
Network Tasman ltd