Smart meters - reassuring or not?

My letter to Smart Energy

I’ve read in the USA people are up in arms about the installation of Smart meters. It’s said the device is constantly transmitting to the power company so apart from the information being generated being an infringement of personal privacy it is also sending out powerful radio transmissions that may in sensitive people cause harm.

 

Is the UK meters set up differently as I see you can limit the connection to once a month?

Is the WiFi used to connect the meters and monitor same as used by a computer?

Their reply

In Great Britain all energy suppliers are obliged to offer their customers smart meters by the end of 2020.
It is important to note that the only data which is transmitted is on energy use. The customer controls this data and it is for the customer to decide how frequently they wish to share this information with the energy company. People can choose to just share the information monthly in order to receive an accurate bill although by sending more frequent readings it may be possible to access new services or tariffs.
The smart meters being installed as part of the Great Britain-wide rollout have been subjected to comprehensive health and safety tests. The smart meters used in Britain have undergone one of the most rigorous safety testing regimes in the world and exceed every UK and EU safety standard. You can find the hallmarks of this safety compliance on your smart meter itself, which will show CE and MID markings. Public Health England, whose purpose is to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, sees no risk to health from smart meters.
But also, all energy suppliers take installation safety very seriously. Installers are specifically trained to install smart meters and are governed by a code which ensures that safety is paramount. As a smart meter installation involves a visit to each customer’s home and the opportunity to check the safety of where and how the meter is installed, they can help improve safety.
Wifi is not used to transmit smart meter data. Smart meter data is currently transmitted over the mobile network and will be transmitted via a new dedicated piece of national infrastructure called the Data Communications Company. This is a dedicated, secure, independent communications network, which is not reliant on current mobile phone coverage or wifi and this should go live later this year. Before the network goes live, however, energy suppliers are using mobile networks to transmit the data.
This new network is being managed by the Data Communications Company (DCC). More information about the DCC and the network can be found on their online information leaflet, available here: smartdcc.co.uk/media/338770/15574_building_a_smart_metering_network_v3.pdf
I hope that this answers your questions. You can find more information about the benefits of smart meter data on our website: smartenergygb.org
Kind regards,
Jo

Smart Energy GB

1 Alfred Mews, London, W1T 7AA

smartenergyGB.org