{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Citizens Utility Board","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org","title":"The Facts on Smart Meters | Citizens Utility Board","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"S7O509YnVH\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/facts-smart-meters\/\">The Facts on Smart Meters<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/facts-smart-meters\/embed\/#?secret=S7O509YnVH\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;The Facts on Smart Meters&#8221; &#8212; Citizens Utility Board\" data-secret=\"S7O509YnVH\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","description":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;The Facts on Smart Meters&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;What are Smart Meters?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]ComEd and Ameren aim to replace old analog electric meters with \u201csmart meters,\u201d also called digital or advanced meters. Analog meters have tiny mechanical dials that someone\u2014you or a utility worker\u2014has to read each month in order to measure a home\u2019s power usage. The new meters have a digital face, and unlike traditional meters, they can send\u2014automatically and almost instantly\u2014your power usage to the utility using a wireless radio.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699797969{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;What is Radio Frequency?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]Radio waves and micro waves emitted by transmitting antennas\u2014collectively called \u201cradio frequency\u201d or \u201cRF\u201d energy\u2014are a form of electromagnetic energy. RF energy is used in many commonly-used household items, such as radios, televisions, cell phones, wireless laptops, walkie-talkies, baby monitors, garage door openers, microwave ovens, and now, digital meters.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;How Do Digital Meters Use Radio Frequency?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]Digital meters use a low-power wireless radio to communicate with the utility, periodically transmitting real-time customer energy-usage information. This information can help the utility company better manage the power grid, quickly detect and isolate power outages, and help reduce meter-reading costs. Customers, on the other hand, gain real-time access to their own home\u2019s energy usage, helping them to better control costs. Digital meters communicate with the utility only periodically, meaning they\u2019re not always emitting RF. In fact, California utility PG&amp;E estimates a typical digital meter communicates with the utility as little as one minute a day. And unlike cell phones, you don\u2019t hold a meter to your ear. The devices often are on the other side of a wall or tucked away in the basement. At 10 feet away, PG&amp;E reports, a digital meter communicating with the utility emits 300 times less RF than a typical cell phone.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Is Radio Frequency Dangerous?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]Although some critics have voiced concerns that radio frequency from digital meters poses a health risk, the devices\u2019 RF levels, even at maximum capacity, fall far below Federal Communications Commission (FCC) safety standards\u2014typically 70 times less\u2014and far below RF levels used in many common household devices.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1477592429219{padding-top: 35px !important;padding-right: 35px !important;padding-bottom: 35px !important;padding-left: 35px !important;background-color: #cccccc !important;}&#8221;] RF emissions in microwatts per square\u00a0centimeter (\u00b5W\/cm2) FM radio or TV broadcast station signal:\u00a00.005 Digital meter at 10 feet:\u00a00.1 At a coffee shop with Wi-Fi:\u00a010-20 Using a laptop computer:\u00a010-20 Talking on a cell phone (held to head):\u00a030-10,000 Microwave oven, two inches from door:\u00a05,000 [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Exposure to very high levels of RF radiation warms body tissue, producing a \u201cthermal effect\u201d that can be harmful. But the lower levels of RF utilized by digital meters and other household devices have not been shown to produce this \u201cthermal effect.\u201d In its 2011 report, \u201cHealth Impacts of Radio Frequency Exposure from Smart Meters,\u201d the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) writes that \u201cwireless smart meters, when installed and properly maintained, result in much smaller levels of radio frequency (RF) exposure than many existing common household electronic devices, particularly cell phones and microwave ovens.\u201d In addition, there has been no [&hellip;]","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/CUB_IL_LogoBadgeRGBAdminLogo.png","thumbnail_width":254,"thumbnail_height":254}