What is a Smart Meter? “Smart Meters” (sometimes referred to as “Advanced metering infrastructure”) are electricity meters which transmit information about electricity consumption to the supplier through a radio link (rather than requiring someone to come round and read the meter). In the future, some types of smart meter may also be able to communicate with compatible home appliances.
How do Smart Meters work?
Smart meters have a small radio transmitter which transmits to a nearby relay point. Two systems are used in New Zealand:
Can the radio transmissions from a Smart Meter affect health?
Measurements in New Zealand and overseas show that exposures to the radio signals from Smart Meters are tiny fractions of the limits recommended by the Ministry of Health. There are several reasons for this:
Don't some people think that the radio signals from Smart Meters could cause cancer, or symptoms such as headaches, fatigue or electrosensitivity?
While some research suggests that people who use cellphones (which are also radio transmitters) more than 30 minutes per day may have an increased risk of brain tumours, it is far from certain that there really is a cause and effect relationship. The same research does not suggest any risks from exposures as low, or as brief, as those from Smart Meters.
Careful investigations have found that no other symptoms are produced by such low exposures.
Where can I find more information?
Last updated: 16 May 2018
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