Smart meter: Difference between revisions

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==Consumer-impact summary==

Smart meters are in and of themselves mostly harmless ~~(**Note: there have suspicions of harmful amounts of EMF and RF being emitted from the meters due to lack of shielding, no major studies found at time of page creation)~~, but when coupled with third parties collecting, processing, and retaining data this could put the end user at risk of data leaks:

Smart meters are in and of themselves mostly harmless, but when coupled with third parties collecting, processing, and retaining data this could put the end user at risk of data leaks:

*User Freedom: Many of electric, water, and gas distribution companies are asking or requiring customers to switch to smart meters. In some cases customers can opt out if they pay a monthly fee and in rare cases companies will allow customers to opt out for free. <ref>{{Cite web |date=July 19, 2025 |title=Smart electricity meters being imposed against will of consumers |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/smart-electricity-meters-being-imposed-against-will-of-consumers-patwari/articleshow/122771583.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250720070854/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/smart-electricity-meters-being-imposed-against-will-of-consumers-patwari/articleshow/122771583.cms |archive-date=20 Jul 2025 |access-date=September 27, 2025 |website=Times of India}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |date=September 9, 2025 |title=Smart Meter Opt Out - Eversource |url=https://www.eversource.com/residential/account-billing/smart-meters/smart-meter-opt-out |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260209182557/https://www.eversource.com/residential/account-billing/smart-meters/smart-meter-opt-out |archive-date=9 Feb 2026 |access-date=September 27, 2025 |website=Eversource}}</ref>

*User Privacy: Most smart meters use third parties to collect, process, and store data without the customers knowledge. This data can be used to infer patterns in electricity, identify when users are home, identify what appliances they are using<ref>{{Citation|last=Quinn |first=Elias L. |date=Spring 2009 |title=A REPORT FOR THE COLORADO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION |url=https://www.culawschool.org/tlpc/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ELias-PUC-09I-EG593-Framing-Paper-Elias-Quinn.pdf|pages=iv}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260209183115/https://www.culawschool.org/tlpc/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ELias-PUC-09I-EG593-Framing-Paper-Elias-Quinn.pdf Archived])</ref>, etc.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ==Consumer-impact summary==
-Smart meters are in and of themselves mostly harmless (**Note: there have suspicions of harmful amounts of EMF and RF being emitted from the meters due to lack of shielding, no major studies found at time of page creation), but when coupled with third parties collecting, processing, and retaining data this could put the end user at risk of data leaks:
+Smart meters are in and of themselves mostly harmless, but when coupled with third parties collecting, processing, and retaining data this could put the end user at risk of data leaks:
 *User Freedom: Many of electric, water, and gas distribution companies are asking or requiring customers to switch to smart meters. In some cases customers can opt out if they pay a monthly fee and in rare cases companies will allow customers to opt out for free. <ref>{{Cite web |date=July 19, 2025 |title=Smart electricity meters being imposed against will of consumers |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/smart-electricity-meters-being-imposed-against-will-of-consumers-patwari/articleshow/122771583.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250720070854/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/smart-electricity-meters-being-imposed-against-will-of-consumers-patwari/articleshow/122771583.cms |archive-date=20 Jul 2025 |access-date=September 27, 2025 |website=Times of India}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |date=September 9, 2025 |title=Smart Meter Opt Out - Eversource |url=https://www.eversource.com/residential/account-billing/smart-meters/smart-meter-opt-out |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260209182557/https://www.eversource.com/residential/account-billing/smart-meters/smart-meter-opt-out |archive-date=9 Feb 2026 |access-date=September 27, 2025 |website=Eversource}}</ref>
 *User Privacy: Most smart meters use third parties to collect, process, and store data without the customers knowledge. This data can be used to infer patterns in electricity, identify when users are home, identify what appliances they are using<ref>{{Citation|last=Quinn |first=Elias L. |date=Spring 2009 |title=A REPORT FOR THE COLORADO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION |url=https://www.culawschool.org/tlpc/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ELias-PUC-09I-EG593-Framing-Paper-Elias-Quinn.pdf|pages=iv}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260209183115/https://www.culawschool.org/tlpc/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ELias-PUC-09I-EG593-Framing-Paper-Elias-Quinn.pdf Archived])</ref>, etc.