How much radio energy a smart meter gives off
페이지 정보
본문
A smart meter is an electric meter with a radio inside it. That radio sends short bursts of information to the utility company. If you have a smart meter on your house, you might wonder how much radio-frequency energy it actually gives off.
The meter does not transmit all day long. It sends data in short bursts, and how often depends on the network the utility uses. Some meters send a burst every few minutes, others less often. Because the radio is on for only a fraction of the time, the average power level over a full day is much lower than the peak power during a burst.
Published measurements taken near smart meters have found that the averaged level is a small fraction of the exposure limit set by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC limit is the same rule that applies to cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, and other consumer devices. The numbers from those measurements show that even close to the meter, the exposure is well below what the FCC allows.
Distance does most of the work in reducing exposure. The radio signal gets weaker very quickly as you step away from the meter. If you walk from the meter to the other side of the room, the level drops a lot. If you go to the next room or outside, it drops even more. A person standing a few feet from the meter gets far less energy than someone pressed against it.
Some people still prefer a meter without a radio. Utilities will usually swap one in, but it costs money. There is often a one-time fee and a monthly charge to pay for someone to read the old dial by hand. The amounts vary between utilities. A few utilities, including the big ones in California, offer a lower rate for low-income customers. If you want to know the exact fee for your house, look at your utility's tariff, which is the official document that sets the price.
If you are worried about your own exposure to radio-frequency energy, talk to your doctor. If you want to know the legal rules, the FCC has public documents on exposure limits. If you want to opt out of a smart meter, call your utility and ask for the tariff. No sticker, shield, or device has been shown to block the radio energy in a way that makes a meaningful difference, and the best protection is simply putting some distance between you and the meter.
For more on this, see smart meter radio levels.
