Lee — Following several meetings discussing the rollout of new smart meters by electric provider Eversource, the Lee Select Board hosted a community forum on March 23, hoping to resolve some of the questions Berkshire residents—like Courtney Gilardi—have about the program. The new smart meters will replace the current meters of all Eversource customers in Massachusetts.
Gilardi’s two children suffer from electromagnetic field (EMF) sensitivity, an issue stemming from exposure to radio frequency (RF) signals. The illness prompted their physician to suggest the girls stay away from devices that emit those signals. As a result of EMF exposure, Gilardi said her daughters experience skin rashes, nausea, dizziness, and headaches.
For Gilardi, the problem is that the new digital electric meters transmit data from homes or businesses through a communication circuit, ultimately landing in the company’s information system. That transmission is accomplished through a constant pulsing of radio frequency (RF) signals, an issue for the Lenox/Pittsfield mother who has tried to maintain a hardwired household to minimize the risk of EMF contamination for her family. At the session, Gilardi voiced concern over the safety testing of such devices that lack an evaluation for their biological effects and asked Eversource to offer a program for elderly, disabled, and medically impaired individuals so those groups can avoid RF emissions. “Your home needs to be a sanctuary,” she said.
Eversource addresses benefits, concerns surrounding smart meters
Eversource Senior Vice President Jared Lawrence touted the smart meter rollout as one of corporate efficiency, obviating the need for drivers to go through community streets to collect ratepayers’ energy usage data. Likewise, the benefits extend to ratepayers endowed with increased control over their usage by gaining information in real time as to how much electricity they are using and avoiding a surprise bill at the end of the month, he said. The technology will also assist in power outages, allowing company technicians to detect outages as they occur, even if the homeowner or tenant is away.
Although smart meters have been in use in other states across the country, some users are opposed to the devices and have reported that, in addition to health risks, the units cause home fires and higher bills and constitute an invasion of privacy with the minute-by-minute data submitted to utilities…