Smart Meters Opt-out Edit page

SmartMeter™ opt-out program

https://www.pge.com/en/save-energy-and-money/energy-saving-programs/smartmeter/opt-out-program.html

Marinero Condos Smart Meter Initiative

The HOA Board strongly recommends, in your interest and for the health and safety of others, that all owners opt-out of PG&E Smart Meters ASAP. The process is very easy; click the link above. 

Your HOA Board Members have recognized the possible danger and each Board Member at 28 Marinero Circle has already requested that PG&E remove our Smart Meters. We now strongly recommend that each homeowner follow our example. 

Your Smart Meter may not be near your condo, but your neighbors’ might be. This program is to protect everyone, it must be a community-wide effort.  

RATIONALE

Per our bylaws and CC&Rs, the HOA Board has a duty to protect our residents’ quality of life from risks known to exist, including hazardous impacts.

The American Cancer Society, WHO and the National Toxicology Program (with the National Institute of 
Health) have all stated that electromagnetic fields (EMF) such as those used by Smart Meters may cause cancer and numerous other illnesses because they emit substantial, continuous, and extremely high levels of radiofrequency of radiation. A Harvard-educated physician says that there is no evidence whatsoever that Smart Meters are safe for human beings.

The harm caused by wireless signals is now recognized by health and legal authorities as dangerous. In clusters, Smart Meters emit far more radiation than they would individually. In fact, PG&E testimony states that there are “14,000 to 190,000 transmissions or pulses per day from each of their Smart Meters”.

BACKGROUND

Around 2011, PG&E installed 37 electric and 37 gas Smart Meters at 28 Marinero Circle and another 13 of each at 99 Lyford Drive. There are several clusters which emit far more radiation than the same number of individual meters.

SAFETY CONCERNS. 

WHO and the National Toxicology Program have stated that Smart Meters emit substantial, continuous, and extremely high levels of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) that can cause cancer. 

PG&E testimony states that there are “14,000 to 190,000 transmissions or pulses per day from each of their Smart Meters”. That means the clusters of 19 gas Smart Meters at 28 Marinero emit 266,000 to 3.61 million pulses of EMF radiation daily, and the 18 electric Smart Meters cluster in the laundry room emits a proportionally high number vs. a “safe” dosage of EMF radiation of 1.0 microWatts per square meter.

An independent consultant took EMF meter readings throughout our condominium, revealing radiation “beyond the upper limit” at up to 41,600 microwatts per square meter.

This is the same kind of radiation caused by 5G devices. In fact, one Smart Meter can provide the equivalent of up to full body radiation exposure of 160 cell phones with 5 bars. 

Experts have linked excessive radiation to cancer and numerous other illnesses:

                   ANY of these symptoms could be caused, in whole or in part, by EMF radiation.

FIRE CONCERNS.
Where traditional (analog) gas and electric meters are reliable and have surge protection, Smart Meters have no surge protection. This has resulted in thousands of Smart Meters fires in homes and apartments because of overheating which cause sparks, burning, arcing, and lightning strikes. 

In Stockton, CA alone, 5,000 Smart Meters burned in one day and exploded in flames after a truck hit a utility pole. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, there have been thousands of incidents of fires apparently caused by Smart Meters by PG&E in California, Portland General Electric, BC Hydro and Saskatchewan Power in Canada.

OVERCHARGING CONCERNS.

A Wall Street Journal article states that “Consumers from Texas to California have reported… higher electric bills after converting to Smart Meters”. It appears to your HOA Board that continuous signals sent by Smart Meters may cause overcharging of accounts by 10% or more. 

LEGAL CONCERNS.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that PG&E is facing multiple consumer lawsuits over house fires started by Smart Meters –– some of which caused deaths. There are also documented lawsuits alleging negative health and safety concerns, lack of privacy, inflated energy bills following Smart Meter installation, overcharging, and misuse of federal monies due to fire risk.

The HOA Board is asking you to opt-out now in order to avoid or mitigate any possible fire, injury, illness, or other damages to persons, property and/or to the community that is or may be caused by in whole or in part by one or more Smart Meters or by their wiring or installation. 

In August, 2021, the Washington, DC Circuit Court of Appeals criticized the FCC standard on which construction and regulation of all EMF-emitting devices is based. The Court said the 1996 regulation was “arbitrary and capricious”, and not based on science. 

At the same time, there are no unbiased institutional studies suggesting that even minimal levels of EMF are safe. Therefore, current science and law both lead to the same conclusion, that Smart Meters appear to pose a clear and present danger to our lives and should be removed as soon as possible. Your HOA Board strongly recommends that all homeowners opt-out now so that we may all have safe homes in our community.