Should I opt for a dumb smart meter?

littlewren

My meters are due to be replaced in a couple of years and I am considering having smart meters now but in dumb mode as my energy company said I could do this. Will this reduce the EMF levels or not make any difference?
TIA

Verdigris

There is no EMF hazard from smart meters. They communicate in much the same way as mobile phones. You don't put a smart meter to your ears on a regular basis.

[Deleted User]

Verdigris said:

There is no EMF hazard from smart meters. They communicate in much the same way as mobile phones. You don't put a smart meter to your ears on a regular basis.

EMF............Arn't they a british electronic band?

No danger of EMF from a smart meter. Its not a microwave.

littlewren

I ask because I have seen two ENT consultants who both say smart meters can make tinnitus worse and I have it 24/7 as it is.  I mentioned things like microwaves, mobile phones, wifi etc to them but they both said they had seen an increase in patients with tinnitus with smart meters, I have also visited tinnitus websites and found people's tinnitus has got worse with them.  If the meters are dumb - as my energy company said they would set them as - would this make a difference to any emf levels (however small)? 

[Deleted User]

There are now tens of Millions of smart meters deployed in the UK. You cannot avoid the thing that you seem so worried about as depending on where you live, you may find that smart meters in your area are linked together by a Wide Area Network or they are transmitting data to the DCC via long range radio. 

We are all entitled to our opinions but I would be wary of basing any decision on the opinions of just two consultants. The balance of evidence is against them but that is just my opinion.

Finally, for what it is worth. All smart meters establish a Home Area Network (HAN) to connect the In House Display (IHD) to the communications hub. This HAN is so weak that I have had to place my IHD about a Metre away from the comms hub to get a stable signal.

[Deleted User]

Dolor said:

Finally, for what it is worth. All smart meters establish a Home Area Network (HAN) to connect the In House Display (IHD) to the communications hub. This HAN is so weak that I have had to place my IHD about a Metre away from the comms hub to get a stable signal.

This is very true. I always find the range between smart meters and the IHDs to be very short.

So I wouldn't worry about it. You would need so many smart meters in your house before EMF from them became strong enough to be an issue. We are probably talking thousands.

MWT

It was like this in the USA when smart meters first rolled out there, it died down after a year or two.

I imagine it will be the same here until some other technology change attracts peoples attention...

Phones4Chris

littlewren said:

..................  If the meters are dumb - as my energy company said they would set them as - would this make a difference to any emf levels (however small)? 

As no-one seems to have answered that directly, the answer is yes, if they are totally dumb, then they can't be emitting any EMF however small. In that case if that's what they've promised to install, there would also be no justification for them fitting the comms unit to the meter.

Verdigris

MWT said:

It was like this in the USA when smart meters first rolled out there, it died down after a year or two.

I imagine it will be the same here until some other technology change attracts peoples attention...

We had this nonsense when mobile phones first became affordable, in the 1990s. Everybody was going to get brain tumours. I've never read of a case of mobile-induced tumours, even unto the 5th generation.

brewerdave

Phones4Chris said:

littlewren said:

..................  If the meters are dumb - as my energy company said they would set them as - would this make a difference to any emf levels (however small)? 

As no-one seems to have answered that directly, the answer is yes, if they are totally dumb, then they can't be emitting any EMF however small. In that case if that's what they've promised to install, there would also be no justification for them fitting the comms unit to the meter.

I WAS told by a previous supplier ,that the meters are fitted with the comms. module - just not set up to operate as smart if you don't want it ?

Verdigris

If people are worried about being fried by EMF they shouldn't have electricity in the house, what with all those wires radiating all the time.