In recent years, an increasing number of devices and gadgets are evolving into the ‘Smart’ generation. Like televisions, fridges, and lighting, our gas and electricity meters are now capable of sending wireless communications in order to make our lives easier.

Smart Meters are able to send daily reports on your gas and energy usage to your supplier, making it easier for you to manage your bills each month, keep an eye on your usage, and pay only what you owe — rather than what has been estimated ahead of time. Automating this information also means that homeowners can avoid those semi-regular visits from the meter reader, as your supplier will be able to make an accurate recording of your usage remotely.

Smart Meters now account for just under 30% of all domestic meters. They can be a convenient addition to the home, but there are a number of negatives to consider — in particular, the impact that adding yet another Smart Device into your home can have on you and your family’s health if you do not have EMF protection.

Read more about the risks of using a Smart Meter in your home, and how to find the right EMF protection to mitigate the risks.

How do Smart Meters Work?

Upon installation, Smart Meters form a constant line of communication between your home and your energy supplier, over 3G, or a wireless network. They maintain a live record of your gas and electricity use and share this information with you, and your supplier.

In order to work, Smart Meters pulse electromagnetic radiation up to 14,000 times each day, a fact which is of great concern to anyone are of the risks of our overexposure to EMF.

What are the Risks?

The use of Smart Devices is becoming increasingly common within households and businesses; they are capable of interacting with users, working autonomously, and communicating with other smart devices via a wireless network. Although the use of Smart devices is rapidly becoming the norm for many homes across the globe, they still present very new technology, and while many remain sceptical about the dangers of EMF radiation, the risks continue to grow.

Devices that rely on continuous pulses of electromagnetic radiation, such as the Smart Meter, introduce a dangerously high level of EMF into homes and workplaces. In fact, standing within three feet of a Smart Meter can expose you to more EMF radiation than a cell phone.

In a peer-reviewed study of over 90 individuals exposed to wireless Smart Meters, the most common symptoms reported were:

• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Tinnitus
• Fatigue
• Cognitive disturbances
• Dysesthesias (abnormal sensation)
• Dizziness

Worryingly, these symptoms have been extensively recorded by individuals exposed to various sources of EMF — not just Smart Meters — and many people continue to introduce new technology into their homes without the right EMF protection. Other common symptoms of EMF exposure include memory issues, depression, irritability, and nausea.

Unfortunately, unlike other electrical devices such as computers and certain domestic appliances, Smart Meters must be switched on (and communicating wirelessly with your supplier) at all times, which means that we are constantly exposed to the EMF being emitted into our homes.

Worse still, The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently advises that EMFs are potentially carcinogenic. Experts around the world have been appealing to stop the roll out of Smart Meters in homes and businesses, but a large proportion of the public remain uninformed of the risks of overexposure to EMF, or how to ensure they have the right EMF protection.

Are Smart Meters Obligatory?

In the UK, the installation of Smart Meters is not mandatory, although many homeowners feel pressured to agree to the new scheme by their energy supplier. Initially, energy companies sought to give the impression that Smart Meters were obligatory, but this has begun to change following complaints to Citizens Advice.

EMF Protection

Our exposure to EMF is rapidly increasing, and Smart Meters are just one example of the proliferation of wireless communication devices within our homes. Now more than ever, it is vital that we take additional steps to ensure that we, our families, and our pets have the right EMF protection from the critical consequences of overexposure.

Understanding the risks of Smart Meters — and your right to reject having one installed — is a vital step toward limiting your exposure to EMF, and ensuring you and your family remain safe and well within your home. The new generation of ‘Smart’ home devices can help to make life simpler for many of us, but we risk paying the price with our health and wellbeing.