Your Smart Meters are different than ours, apparently.
Ours are called smart meters because they have certain hours where it is cheaper to run the hydro. Time of Use billing. The majority of us think this is just a con, a way for the hydro companies to make more money.

Here's the breakdown:
From 7pm to 7 am weekdays and weekends and holidays it is Off-peak charge at 6.2 cents

From 7-11 am is peak pricing at 10.8 cents, and again from 5-7pm.

11am to 5 pm is mid-peak pricing at 9.2 cents.

These are winter hours. In May it changes to peak pricing from 11-5, and mid-peak from 5-7. Why the change between the 2 seasons?

They are not read remotely, so no radiation danger.

Will we/Do we have a choice?

Jasdip--yes, that is a smart meter--if you have any health issues at all, you may want to look into the dangers of them.

Minnie--whether or not we have a choice, I refuse to have something on my property spewing out dangerous radiation. And as I know how the utility companies operate, all you need do is tell them you will be holding them accountable for any health issues (and maybe toss in a mention of the BPU), and yes--I think you'll find there's a choice.

I have a Smart A/C Saver on my central AC unit. It saves a lot of money on my bill. During times of heavy electrical use in the summer, it will periodically turn off my AC for a few minutes at a time. I really don't even notice the difference in my house at all. It saves on my electric bill for sure. It gets a radio signal from the electric company to turn on and off. I don't know why radiation would be involved. I've been happy with the program.

Do you use a cell phone?

DH and I talked about getting what Dedtired has. I think the option was too hook up to 2 or 3 high use items. DH wanted to do it, I was leery of the shutdowns. Never did get it. Azalea-I'd like to know more about the radiation. How does that come into play?

I have one - no problem here - my heat and a/c are turned off most of the time and I'm not worried, at this point, about it being dangerous.

Lisa, give it a try. You can always have it taken off if you don't like it. I have noticed no difference whatsoever in the temperature in my house even on the hottest days. I think it saves on wear and tear to the condenser, too, since it is not running quite so much.

Radiation is pretty scary. I can't help but think it's contributing to cancer rates. Computers emit radiation, and people sit right next to them for hours at a time. Cell phones do too and are often held up to your head or in your pocket...and most people sleep with them nearby. Granted, each device only emits a little bit but it adds up when you interact with them for hours a day every single day.

That being said, life is deadly and you aren't able to remove all the dangers! It's just good to be aware that things that seem harmless aren't always.

The electric meters went smart here about a year ago, last week the gas meters were changed to smart meters. We were given no choice and most people would not even know it happened but since I am home all day I knew because I talked to the person. I would guess in most cases no one is home to know it happened. The gas one had no previous mail outs or notices. The electric one did send out a flyer a few weeks before saying that at some time in the next few weeks we would be getting them, but that was the extent of it.

Since then I have not had the power go out a before that it was going out every time it looked like it was going to rain! I called them the first time it went out to ask if the new smart meters could help them determine the cause of my power outage and they said let us look into it. I got a call back to say yes it did and they had a crew working on it. It has never gone out since. It has paid for itself as far as we are concerned.

But a smart meter and a smart saver are two different things. We have had a smart meter for over a year and no, we had no choice. We can have it taken off for a large fee and would then be required to pay a monthly fee to have someone come out to read it--prohibitive for most people. I hate the idea of having this thing, but again, there is little choice.

With a smart saver, the power company controls your settings, right? I guess if you're gone all day.....but then you could just turn it up/down/off anyway. I don't want anyone else to control my settings. They make us well aware of when the high usage hours are.

How do you know if you have a smart meter? I just took a look at mine, but since it doesn't say Smart Meter, I can't tell. :-)

I agree with you about radiation, Azzlea, and for the same reason: radiation to remove my adenoids when I was a child. I avoid it whenever possible. I'm still mad at myself for agreeing to a freakin' CT scan two years ago. I was in such pain (with what turned out to be shingles), and it was 3:30 a.m. in the ER, and the (truly stupid) ER doctor said my childhood radiation was "nothing," so in desperation I agreed. But I shouldn't have. It didn't do a thing for my diagnosis or pain; it just blew all my years of being careful to avoid radiation.

On our hydro bills, next to our name it says "time of use".
That's the smart meter pricing.

The link below is to a comparison chart for radiation from smart readers versus radiation from everyday items in the home.

The smart meter radiation rates are very low compared to other items, and the radiation is only emitted for 1-2 seconds at a time. I'd be more concerned about cell phone use than smart meter use.

Below is a sample comparison of smart meter versus microwave ovens versus cell phones from that site.

Cellular Telephone: 7.8 W/m�
at 2 feet for 1-20 minutes per use

Microwave Ovens: 0.0043 W/m�
at 3 feet 3 inches for 1-10 minutes per use

Smart Meter: 0.0018 W/m�
at 10 feet for 1-2 seconds at a time

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.puc.state.tx.us/consumer/facts/factsheets/elecfacts/smartmetersafety.pdf

I also have a small box that transmits my electrical use to the utility. It's not near my meter. I can't remember the last time I saw a meter reader come to the house so maybe it transmits gas, electric and water, too. IDK. All I know is somebody is getting the message, because I get a bill every month!

We have both a smart electric meter and a smart gas meter. I am not happy but we have no choice where I live.

I don't worry about health issues with them. If you are worried about that don't watch tv, use a radio, sleep next to a modern alarm clock,use a cell phone or even a wireless phone and stay away from the laptop on wifi, don't use wifi at all and definitely stay away from Starbucks. Oh don't go out into the sun either. The latter is a different kind of radiation however. The radiation of the sun is ionizing like an X-ray and puts out heat. Electromagnetic radiation is non ionizng. Doesn't put out heat or gamma rays. Oh better stay off the ground and don't garden. May be radon there and that is another form of ionizng radiation.

Hairdryers, electric shavers, electric toothbrushes and similar personal grooming products can create very high (20-200 mG) magnetic fields at their normal operating distance. Better toss those.

What I don't like is the potential government instrusiveness with them. That is what we should all fear, not radiation.

For a while I watched my bills closely since some people had issues with that but my bills have remained the same as always.

Didn't have a choice, unfortunately.

Wildchild, it's so reassuring to know that you've got all the answers and condescend to share them with us. I feel much better about that CT scan now.

First, let's not confuse nuclear radiation or nuclear medicine with non-nuclear radiation from electric/electronic devices...two different things.

Second, if your home has electricity, or you use a cell phone, or you have power lines in your area, you are exposed to increased radiation (microwaves or EMF). You are exposed to radiation when you are sitting at your computer reading this, or cooking/microwaving your dinner, or making toast, or reading by lamplight, or shaving with an electric razor, or listening to music or watching tv, or using your garage door or tv remote, or just sitting in your house (you are receiving radiation from the wiring in the walls).

Third, I've heard about the claims that these meters pose a cancer risk and that they have really high levels of radiation compared to cellphones, but I have yet to find any reliable scientific reports proving that these devices pose any significant risk (or even more risk than the numerous sources of radiation we are all exposed to). One could undoubtedly measure radiation from these if you were standing right next to them and they happened to be transmitting a signal -- much like a cellphone. When I did a recent Google search on this subject, the first couple hundred hits were for obscure (and sometimes pretty weird) web sites, some of them into conspiracy theories, that seem to be feeding off and quoting one another. The one scientific study I saw said that a smart meter might exceed FCC standards if you were standing within 6 inches of it. I'm not saying that exposure to any kind of radiation is good...I'm just saying that there is no way to have zero risk from it unless you want to live in, say, the jungles of Borneo. Until there is more evidence about this from recognized scientists, I don't think it's warranted to stress out over smart meters.

I worked in the public health and environment field for decades, and the one thing I learned is that people are always more afraid of the potential risk they are unfamiliar with than the familiar risk, and attach a disproportionate level of concern to the unfamiliar. If you do just one of these things -- quit smoking, cut back on fast food, look both ways when you cross the street, or always buckle your seat belt -- you will have eliminated much more risk in your life than all of the combined risks posed by terrorists, nuclear power plants exploding, cell phones giving you brain tumors, etc.

The argument against the smart meters is based solely upon peoples ignorance and fears of the unknown. It is true that the meters emit radiation, but the question then becomes, what type of radiation? Or more precisely, what is radiation?

The opponents of smart meters are banking on the fact that when most ppl hear or read the word "radiation" they instantly think of nuclear radiation and fear that it will give you cancer or make you glow in the dark. Nonesense-

The word radiation is derived from the word "Radiate" which simply means that energy is passed through the air from the source, such as heat energy radiating from a log on the fire in your fireplace, or radiating off the heating element in your electric oven or we could talk about light energy radiating from a lightbulb, does that give you cancer? Why not, its radiating isn't it?

Now by technical definition all Radio, TV, Radar, Cell phones and other wireless devices work by means of "Electromagnectic radiation" called RF (Radio Frequency) radiation. so technically speaking if you are using a wireless mouse we could say you have a radioactive device in your hand....Do you suppose it will give you cancer? I think not.

But lets get back to the smart meter. Per FCC (Federal Communications Commission) rules smart meters have a tiny cell phone type transmitter which is limited to a maximum RF output of 0.5mW which is one half of one milliwatt and that transmitter is hanging on the outside of your house where it is unlikely that you will come in close contact to it more than perhaps a few seconds a day as you walk past it.

By contrast, your cell phone is limited to 7mW or 7/100th of one watt, about 14 times as much power as the smart meter and many ppl have that stuck to the side of their head 3 or 4 hours a day if not more.

Taking this to the next level, I have been a general class amateur radio operator (ham radio) for over 30 years and I like a million or so other hams in this county and about 30 million around the world constantly use hand held radios (walkie talkies) that have a maximum 7watts output power(700x the output power of your cell phone) and there have been hundreds of studies over the years to determine if there is any risk of cancer from using these radios, all of which came back negative. And for the record, our handheld radios run the full frequency range from 3.5mhtz to 1296mhtz.

In addition, ask yourself how many police, firemen, military, construction or service ppl use hand held radios daily, all running in the 4 to 7 watt range? Do they have a higher incidence of cancer? According to the studies conducted by the FCC they don't.

Now if your really worried about nuclear radiation and catching cancer, you better toss that bikini and get an umbrella because the sun is the greatest source of nuclear radiation in this solar system. A sunburn is technically a radiation burn and there are hundreds of studies that will confirm that prolonged exposure to harsh sunlight can give you skin cancer.

In fact, the harsh burns that are caused by an atomic bomb are exactly the same as a third degree sunburn, the only difference is, the bomb could do it in a micro second instead of sitting out in the sun all day.

Oh yes, and did you know that the allowable emissions of gama rays from a TV set is about 20 times higher than a microwave?

Allisande - I don't have all the answers at all. I just trust science over woo-woo.

Apparently I am not alone as others have posted similar views.

Sorry you don't like my tone but I am sick of "woo woo" all over the net. The funny thing is the people that promote it are generally in much poorer health than me.

So many fearful people. Afraid of modern, safe food but take supplements on the advice of some internet whacko.
Afraid of this, afraid of that.

My daily life is also filled with them. Won't do that won't do this. One friend won't walk in an area of power towers. Another won't eat carbs, still another is afraid of flushing a toilet without putting the seat down. She actually follows guests into the bathroom to remind them..

I've had it up to here and I speak out. Don't like it. SOB

Would rather listen to some fame ho like that ridiculous OZ character than their own doctors.

So yeah I am going to post my opinion. Those that don't like it can just SOB. It's been said before.

Calling me out and bullying me for my opinions doesn't work. I'm not mentally fragile thank goodness.

I sympathize with those that are to a degree but I'm not responsible for their darn "feelings" about me or my posts.

Some of the posters here get on their soapbox about every fear mongering thing they see.

I do the opposite.

Well said, Kudzu 9, Lazypup and Wildchild!!

Bravo, Kudzu 9, Lazypup and Wildchild!!!

Alisande--your power company would need to let you know beforehand that they will be out to replace your current meter with a smart meter. I am also leery of the radiation but have finally decided there's not much I can do about it. It's one thing to CHOOSE to have more radiation in our houses, and quite another to have it forced upon us. Anything to keep human labor hours at a minimum.

Wildchild, yet again, PG&E is a privately held company, not "the government"!!!!!!! I too have a problem with with businesses squeezing info out of me, usually without my permission.

Yes Sjerin I know I know. But a private company that would be all too willing to share or could be forced by the government to share info to remain in business.

After all local governments are now telling private companies what sort of bags they can use.

Government has decided what light bulbs can be sold and manufactured.

It is very very naive to believe that government can't get info through private companies. In Texas recently a District Court Judge struck down a Federal law which gives authorities the right to access cell phone records without a warrant. But that was Texas. We'll see how it plays out in this land of fruits and nuts.

Government never gets involved in private companies or private lives. Oh no. LOL

Don't forget the CPUC is who thinks it's perfectly well and good for PG&E to charge for the opt out. That is a government agency after all. PG&E is the provider. The PUC calls the shots. Note the .gov
in the URL.

Here is a link that might be useful: PUC

We call that "time of day" and we have had that type of meter for the 17 years we have lived here. I guess I don't understand why they would emit radiation.

Azzalea, I just happened upon an article from the Sunday paper that says this about thyroid cancer:

"....diagnoses rose a whopping 173 percent between 2002 and 2012, making thyroid cancer one of the fastest-growing types in the U.S." It goes on to say, "One of the few known causes of thyroid cancer is radiation, and some experts believe excess exposure may be behind the increase."

I always read that thyroid cancer is highly curable; it's sad that your husband's cousin lost her battle with it.

You could read this; it explains how smart meters work.

"The RF (radio frequency) from an electric SmartMeter� is roughly one one-thousandth that of a typical cellphone."

It is a tiny amount, and it is given off for approximately 45 seconds per day. It's less than you get from a baby monitor.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.pge.com/myhome/edusafety/systemworks/rf/faq/

I meant to ask: Aren't all meters outdoors? I'm almost never in the vicinity of mine. I would think that would be a factor.

Yes, they are outdoors next to the house but I don't know that that makes much of a difference. I would love to opt out.

WC, the puc does exactly what pg&e asks them to do--they are worthless. I grew up in Portland and their puc really does the job. I most certainly never said "government" can't get any info; on the contrary, they can get anything they want. I object more strenuously to businesses getting my info and manipulating their marketing because of it. "Government" has no interest in me, personally. I'm thrilled plastic bags have been banned in SJ. It's about time.

We've been using a smart meter, that informs the power company of the times of day that the client uses power, and they bill at a lower rate for off-peak hours.

Some claimed that their power bill went up, and I heard a figure of something like $20.00 a month from people in different jurisdictions, but that hasn't been our experience.

When the landlord heard that it'd cost him about $40.00/month if he installed a separate service in his shop here (he lives elsewhere) ...

... he decided to run the whole thing through the one meter, and that I should tell him how much he owed for the shop.

We just adjusted for last year's bill ... and the total was about $3.00 under $100.00/month (and he's happy with paying about 15%).

I can't see working myself up into a tizzy about possible radiation that may be coming my way: it seems to me that it's peanuts ... and wouldn't be troublesome if I were to carry the thing around in my back pocket all day, every day.

If you want to worry about something - how about the food that's increasingly sourced from all over the world, these days, and produced in factories that undergo what kinds of regulations ... and, supervision?

Plus ... I'm of the opinion that much of our food produced and processed in-coutry isn't overseen nearly as much as it used to be: in some cases, they've worked out situations where the processors self-regulate.

But to have the women/(men?) roast turkeys at home to bring to a turkey supper at the church ...

... has become a big "no-no"!

ole joyful

We had no choice. And to make it worse, we were one of the 10,000 selected for the "test" market. So the two of us and the dog were on Smart Meters while most of Toronto residents were not. People with several people living in their households were using power like crazy and there we were, as per usual, turning off lights and trying to be careful of our power usage - a lot of people leave every light on and have every gadget going. No one should have been charged the Smart Meter rates until everyone had been set up. I only knew it was being installed because I was going out with the dog and the installer was next store and told me she would be "working" on our meter next and asked me if we had an alarm, because shutting off the power might disable it. So I waited. I only found out when I received a letter a few months later that she was installing a Smart Meter. Not everyone on the street received one. So one day the neighbour whose meter had been changed just before ours told me that their electricity bills were a lot for a household with just 2 people - she didn't know they had a Smart Meter - had either not received the letter or had opened it thinking it was junk mail. So I broke the unhappy news to her. Whenever we have a power failure I look outside at their meter to see if it is "off" as well. Otherwise you could be sitting a long time waiting for everyone's power to come back on.