SMART METERS - what the public should know.

Powercor is planning to change all household electrical meters to a new digital type that they are calling 'smart meters'. The Victorian Government made this decision and is the first state in Australia to do so. This is being implemented now and Powercor estimates it should be completed by the year 2013.

It will operate using 'high frequency' radiation from telecommunications microwave digital towers (wireless connections). These 'high frequency' radiation levels will be between 900MHz (megahertz) and 2.4GHz (gigahertz), which are in the microwave spectrum. 

This radiation level is in the range emitted from the 3G (third generation) and next G' radiation towers. A microwave radiation tower in the area is required for this smart meter' to operate.

Powercor say they will monitor all household's electricity use every half an hour using these high frequency radiation beams which read the meters remotely and therefore no person will be required to come out again to read meters for billing purposes, etc. This means every household will have radiation going through their house and property constantly to the new 'smart meter'.

Since Powercor will be monitoring power usages every half an hour they will know the household's occupant's every move e.g. time going to bed at night, getting up in the morning, when going out for the day or on holidays etc. by the changes in power consumption. Powercor and whoever else they may give this information to will know far more as to what happens in your home. This poses a privacy risk and has the potential for the information to be sold, given to thieves, or obtained through hacking.

Powercor has also come up with a term they call 'load shedding' whereby they will be able to switch off your power remotely at any time for whatever reason including high usage times, fires, storms, etc. They can also reduce the power to your home down from the 240 volts required for appliances to work correctly which can damage or destroy them. 

You won't be able to prove this so won't be able to claim back through Powercor for compensation. They will know exactly how much power you are using and if they deem it too much they can turn your power off or reduce it with the flick of a switch from their office. Currently Powercor can only turn off an entire power grid of suburbs at a time which they did last summer, but not individual properties remotely.

We will NOT be having a smart meter installed at our home. Contacts are: Peter Wallace, Customer Management Project Co-ordinator of Powercor, Locked Bag 14090, Melbourne City Mail Centre, 8001,or phone him on 03 9683 4135 or Powercor hot line 132206.

Alternatively, contact the Energy & Water Ombudsman (Victoria) (EWOV) on 1800 500 509, or www.ewov.com.au. You could also contact the Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu (MP for Hawthorn), 325 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, 3I24, or 

phone him on 9882 4088. 

I obtained this information on the 'smart meter' from Powercor, the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Department of Primary Industries and Origin Energy.

Powercor and CitiPower are sister companies privately owned by Cheung Holdings.

There are various ways of shielding your house and yourself from this microwave radiation.

Visit www.yshield.com.au, click onto shielding products and research, or media sections, then click onto the page's headings. 

For more information contact us on 5346 1114 or PO Box 369, Sebastopol, Vic. 3356. 

Regards, Wendy and Stewart McClelland