by Tracy Chamberlin

The switch is scheduled. Come this fall, La Plata Electric Association will start changing out all its meters across four counties in Southwest Colorado.

The new meters LPEA plans to use will allow the co-op and its members to access the meters wirelessly. But a group of local and state residents, the Colorado Citizens Awareness on EMF and Smart Meters, is concerned about what else these devices are emitting.

“This is a 21st century issue,” said Holly Hargett, a former Telecommunications Commission member in Oceanside, Calif., and representative of the group.

Hargett and the other members are concerned about the effects electromagnetic fields and wireless technologies, like the meters LPEA plans to use and other so-called “smart meters,” have on health and the environment.

They plan to take their concerns to City Council at next Tuesday’s meeting and to the LPEA board the following day, asking LPEA to halt the installation or allow members to opt out. Currently, LPEA does not offer an opt-out option. According to its website, “the only way for someone to opt out is to not be connected to LPEA’s power grid.”

But the Colorado Citizens Awareness group wants that option. “We want people to still have their freedom of choice,” Hargett said.

LPEA officials contend that the system must be updated, and after more than a year of research, they have settled on a wireless model that operates on a radio frequency.

Similar wireless devices generally work by sending electromagnetic or radio waves from tower to tower, allowing customers to search the internet, talk on the phone, or download the latest app.

Since wireless products hit the marketplace en masse in the 1990s, people have been asking what impacts they could have on consumers and the environment. These concerns generally fall into one of three categories: health, security and cost.

The World Health Organization’s response to uncertainty about the risks was to create the International EMF project in 1996. The project is tasked with assessing the effects electric and magnetic fields have on health and the environment. Research so far has concluded that exposure to certain levels has not produced any known health risks.

However, in a June 2011 news release, the WHO revealed “electromagnetic fields produced by mobile phones are classified ... as possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

This has added more fuel to the controversial fire.

There are also differences in types of wireless devices and the strength of the electric and radio fields they produce. The WHO is continuing to study the effects these fields have on people, animals and the environment. They’ve determined informational gaps and that more research is needed.

For now, acceptable restrictions and limitations on these fields are regulated by the Federal Communication Commission. “The FCC sets limits on what’s acceptable,” said Ron Meier, manager of engineering for LPEA.

He added that if someone is within 1 foot of 10 of LPEA’s new smart meters, that person would receive 0.02 percent of the FCC’s safe limit. LPEA also will take a radio frequency meter to any customer’s home who has doubts.

Another concern with wireless products is security and privacy. The debate focuses on whether or not wireless devices are more or less vulnerable than other products, and if a customer’s information can be used for other purposes.

 
“Is our private information going to be sold to third-party marketing?” asked Hargett.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission requires companies to have written permission from consumers before selling demographic and usage information to a third party. Furthermore, the security offered to LPEA members who pay their bills online would be protecting users who choose to track their usage online under the new metering system, Meier added.

The third concern is cost. Some say smart meters will increase a customer’s monthly bill, while others contend it will reduce the cost for power in the long run.

One of the reasons LPEA customers could see an increase in their energy bills is because the technology is more accurate, and no watt will be missed.

With increased accuracy comes the ability to track energy usage by the hour instead of by month. Customers would be able to track their usage by the week, the day and the hour, providing tools to control their energy usage.

LPEA also expects the cost for meter readings and disconnect/connect to drop, which could benefit the co-op’s bottom line and environment.
Instead of regularly having employees drive to a property and manually disconnect or connect power, LPEA would have the ability to do it from the home office.

For example, a property that typically serves transitory populations and is constantly being switched on and off would be a candidate for this type of device.

“It’s not going to cause a rate decrease,” Meier said, but when the company saves on the bottom line, the entire coop membership benefits.
For the Colorado Citizens Awareness, it’s still about choice. “If you look at other wireless products,” Hargett said, “we have the choice to turn them on or off.”

LPEA plans to begin smart meter installation next fall. Meier said the process should take little time if the equipment is in good working order.
The co-op plans to host public presentations on the devices and the process. The first two are scheduled for 3 and 5:30 p.m. April 26.

For more information on smart meters, visit: www.lpea.org or http://cocitizensonrf.blogspot.com.