Smart Meters

1. Smart Meters Not Smart for Maryland Not Smart For You February 2013 www.marylandsmartmeterawareness.org

2. Situation Smart Meter deployments are underway and accelerating despite serious problems: • Claims of projected consumer savings that are false • Ratepayers will end up paying for this dangerous and complex new technology • Smart Meters invade our privacy • Over 900 fires linked to Smart Meters • RF Emissions will threaten our health • Cyber Security issues will threaten the power grid itself • Individuals led to believe they have No Choice The public, state, and local governments are being misled about Smart Meters.

3. Background What is a Smart Meter? • A new generation of electronic utility meter • Major difference – they have radio transmitters • Your energy usage gets sent via microwave signals • Every home gets one, forming a “mesh” network • Some (unlucky) homes funnel data from multiple homes to regional collection points, resulting in evenhigher exposure to RF radiation • Customer has no control and no knowledge of what is being transmitted, how frequently, nor how much microwave energy their family is exposed to. For the first time in US history, a mandatory radio transmitter is to be “bolted” to your home and you’ll have no control over what it does.

4. Hidden Costs • Smart Meters are not nearly as rugged as traditional analog meters, yet intended tocontrolas well as measure electrical usage! • Service life of Smart Meters will be far less than corporate projections due to: • Environmental effects on the more delicate electronic internals • Meter updates or replacements necessary to patch vulnerabilities • Bug fixes required due to vastly increased complexity • Low bid suppliers in foreign countries “The Smart Grid costs too much, and we’re not sure what good it will do. We have looked at most of the elements of the Smart Grid for 20 years and we have never been able to come up with estimates that make it pay.” John Rowe, CEO, Exelon Corp.

5. Smart Meter Fires • The statistics for Smart Meter fires are starting to speak for themselves – over 900 linked to these meters. • One factor - Smart Meters are not certified by UL or any equivalent organization. • Fires believed to be a caused by combination of factors: • Low quality materials / cheap design • Lack of proper installation procedures and training • Installation procedures not followed by technicians Smart Meter fires are happening. This is not Hype!

6. Health Impacts • Non-ionizing, chronic low power microwave exposure is linked to serious adverse health impacts. • Bedrooms close to meters will be potentially harmful to sleep in due to constant RF exposure. • Families will be exposed to varying intervals of microwave bursts on 24 X 7 basis. • Blood Brain Barrier leakage • Cardiac Arrhythmias • Infertility problems • DNA and Cell damage • Brain and Breast Cancers • Autoimmune Diseases • Diabetes • Sleep Disturbances • Headaches • Vertigo • Disproportionate Impact on Children Health impacts of non-ionizing radiation are downplayed in some studies, but whose studies? Those sponsored by the Utility Companies!

7. Cyber Security Risks • Millions of Smart Meters will become new wireless entry points to the utilities and the electrical grid. • Offer a means for hackers to access systems and data without physical contact. (Conventional meters immune) • “Smart Appliances” equipped with “Zigbee” chips can become surrogate entry points. • What can happen? • Malware that changes recorded data or secretly intercepts it • Viruses that quickly spread across multiple meters and systems • Worms that can spread and target critical databases or controls • Commands entered to cut off power to targeted homes or regions “The so-called Smart Grid that is as vulnerable as the one we’ve got is not smart at all. It’s a really Stupid Grid”. Former CIA Director, James Woolsey

8. Privacy Issues • Smart Meters represent a breach of US citizens’ right to privacy but most are unaware; not connecting the dots. • Police routinely obtain smart meter data in Ohio and Texas without warrants • They collect fine grain details on types of electricity usage, how much, and at what times of day. • Conventional meters record total electricity usage without transmitting daily “Pattern of Life” details. • A new means for customer patterns to be developed and monitored with or without their consent. • Data was sold to third party marketers in California • Compounding these issues is the fact that hackers will find a way to obtain this data. Smart Meters constitute Orwellian surveillance of your home. They will enable utilities to selectively shut down appliances deemed to have been used too much or to cut off all electricity at their discretion.

9. Conclusion • The economic benefits of Smart Meters, if any, will accrue to utility companies, not the consumer. • Reports of Smart Meter fires indicate quality control issues and shortfalls in technical procedures / training. • Health risks alone justify public’s right to “Opt Out”. • Cyber security risks warrant national level scrutiny. • Privacy issues are a step toward Orwellian surveillance. • Lack of public awareness is the utilities’ greatest ally. www.marylandsmartmeterawareness.org