States Weighing

States weighing pros, cons of utility smart meters - Associated Press

The cost of using an air conditioner — whether it runs during the peak time for electrical usage or during off-peak hours — is still the same for many electricity users across the country. The same goes for using a clothes dryer.

Many utilities and state energy officials, some armed with federal stimulus money, think that should change and are advocating so-called "smart meter" technology in a growing number of states.

But opponents question whether the cost — from about $250 to $500, including installation charges — justifies a customer's savings, reported by homeowners to range from negligible to hundreds of dollars a year.

Joshua Hart, director of Stop Smart Meters, based in Scotts Valley, Calif., said the devices emit radio-frequency microwave radiation similar to a cell phone and have not been proven to be safe. He said some people claim effects ranging from headaches to cancers, with little recourse because they can't turn off the radio frequency.

PG&E, which now allows customers to delay the meter installations, cites a study showing the radio frequency falls well below the federal threshold. The utility says there's no evidence additional standards are needed.

Hart has chained the old, analog electric meter on his house to prevent it from being replaced. He is urging Connecticut and other officials to stop the meters.

"I would tell Connecticut state energy officials, if they consider the public's health and safety to be a priority, that they impose an immediate moratorium on any installation of smart meter or smart grid technology, pending a full investigation into widespread reports of damage to health and risk to safety and property," Hart said.