Right in the heart of Silver Springs Networks territory, in San Mateo County, this devoted husband and father of two young children decided his family’s health, safety, and privacy are vitally important to him–so important that he took it upon himself to hire an electrician to remove the PG&E smart meter that was irradiating his home, and replace it with a safe analog meter.
Questions about the RF radiation in his family’s environment began to arise in his mind when his wife was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, a cancer with links to environmental exposures. He is addressing the other various EMF issues around the home, and educating himself about the matter.
Even though the opt-out process was too slow for his family needs, he will be opting out officially as soon as the details are addressed by the CPUC. We invite you to attend this upcoming CPUC meeting to speak out about the extortionate fees to be imposed on ratepayers who choose to protect themselves from the smart meter:
CPUC Business Meeting, Wed. Feb. 1, 2012, 9 am (8:45am to sign up): 505 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco CA.
Next Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012, there will be an electrician at my house to remove my SCE imposed smart meter and replace it with an analog meter that I purchased from Freedomtaker.org. I sent a letter via certified mail to SCE over a month ago requesting that they remove the meter, among other things. (the letter came on a CD with the analog meter). I will hopefully video the process to a.) prove that we did our due-dilligence and had a qualified technician replace the meter and b.) document the readings on the digital meter before we disconnect it. I will keep you all posted as to how SCE responds.
LS,
Please advise your electrician to buy a good locking ring for your new meter.
The cheezy rings that come with new meters are pieces of crap, and that is what the sub-contractors use for the SmartMeters.
Last week, I had to pull a SmartMeter to do some upgrading on a main load center. I carefully clipped the seal, but had a hard time trying to save the aluminum ring.
I actually damaged the ring, but it just so happened that a PG&E service rep was next door doing a hot tap for a new main service.
I asked him to please give my customer a new ring and seal, it took about 2 minutes of his time.
I explained that I had to pull the SmartMeter to do what I had to do because there was no main service disconnect. He said , “you know the routine, you should of called us first”. I said , “I know, but this had to happen today, and I couldn’t wait for PG&E”.
I asked him what his opinion of SmartMeters was, and he said ” I have no opinion”.
I told him that this was a rental, and the new tenant may not want a SmartMeter, so I wanted to make sure that the seal was intact and they wouldn’t accuse the new tenant of tampering when PG&E comes out and removes the SmartMeter and puts in an analog meter. He did not say anything, but gave me a “look”.
I have pulled hundreds of meters in my career, but I hate those cheesy rings, the new one PG&E put on was nice, no naughty boy clamp, just a quality ring with a knurled nut for tightening, one would think that Wellington would use quality rings, but no, too expensive.
Redi-
Thanks for the advice. The ring that my new meter came with seems to be light-gauge aluminum. Although my gates are locked and access to my backyard is restricted, I will take your advice and put a heavy-duty locking ring on my analog meter.
I know that this is now buried beneath other blog posts, but I did want to follow up. I had the ‘smart’meter removed from my home on Jan. 31 by a licensed electrician. I heard NOTHING from SCE until today, Feb 14th. Two gentlemen came by my home this morning to try and get it all sorted out. They were civil, but tried to accuse me of stealing electricity. I told them that I have NO intention of stealing anything, that I will happily pay them for any and all electricity that I have used. They told me that I did not have an ‘approved’ analog meter. I told them that I would happily allow them to install one. Then they told me that the recent CPUC ruling does not apply to SCE, and that by the end of the week I would either need to let them put a new smart meter on my home or have my service disconnected. I allowed them in my yard and they photographed the analog meter. They checked its usage, and then tried to tell me that the smart meter is less dangerous than my computer or my cell phone. I told that that 1.) I don’t use a wireless network in my home and 2.) I don’t hold my cellphone to my head and 3.) They can believe what they want, I will believe my body (because my tinnitus all but vanished when the analog meter went in…). I told them that I will refuse a smart meter, and I will refuse a meter with the transmitter turned off. We shall see what happens next…
Nice to see this brave man protecting his family. I will try to use his video to show people in our state how it’s done. We’re taking back the power, and people like this are in the forefront – congrats!!
Here’s a video of my husband and I appearing before the Savannah City Council (our stint begins around 41:07). We were rushed through, and I left out a couple of key points, e. g., the law does not say you have to have a smart meter, and that the good people of Savannah should call their Public Utilities Commissioners to demand a free opt-out option.
But we were able to tell people to get their “DO NOT REPLACE METER” signs up immediately, and this was of paramount importance, as the power company was just beginning to go onto their private property and put unwanted “smart” meters up. I encourage anyone else who wants to spread the news to appear before their city and/or county councils. Be sure and let the media – TV, radio, newspapers – know you’ll be there, and why. Good luck and God bless!
http://savannahgovtv.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=0aa3f7ed88ebdb28c2c15b88f8e2fa8e
Electra,
If the utility is indeed just commencing their meter replacement program, you are still in a good position to resist. You can do much better than demanding a free opt-out option when you call your Public Utilities Commissioners. You cannot opt out of something you were never given the choice to opt into. What you can tell them is that you refuse to opt in, and to be sure to convey to the utility installers to stay out of your property. Indeed, this is essentially what the city council of the city of Mt. Shasta in Northern California has recently instructed their utility. Their resolution is worth reading:
http://stopsmartmeters.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MtShasta-Resolution-Smart-Meters-09Jan2012.pdf
A fantastic idea, and the perfect timing for any city which hasn’t been invaded yet. Thanks, Ron – I’ll be sending this out ASAP!
Meanwhile, putting up signs, building cages around your meter, and putting up fences are everyone’s best bet to protect yourself against getting a “smart” meter. Please tell your family, friends, and neighbors – wherever they are – to do this. The more people that resist, the stronger we will become! Just make sure the power company can read your meter clearly, and that you are not endangering you or your family in any way.