I cannot tell you how relieved I am to write this post because at long last I have a good answer for those of you who have a smart meter installed at your home against your will.
Smart meters are being used by the majority of utility companies today, and while a convenient cost cutting measure for them, they are a concentrated source of electromagnetic radiation (EMF) for consumers. Smart meter radiation is of a similar frequency to WiFi, cordless phones and cell phones. However, while of a similar frequency to these other devices, smart meters transmit at much higher power and concentration so much so that consumers are starting to note chronic health effects from having them installed such as frequent headaches, inability to concentrate, lack of quality sleep, anxiety and more.
As awareness of the dangers of excessive EMF exposure grows, more and more people are realizing that the smart meter attached to their house is contributing in a big way to their health challenges especially if the smart meter is installed near the bedroom area of the home as these devices transmit on a 24/7 basis.
I’ve been blogging about the dangers of smart meters for several years, and until now the only concrete answer I had for people was to navigate the utility company bureaucracy and attempt to get it removed in favor of an old fashioned analog meter. Unfortunately, this approach is proving nearly impossible for the majority of people as the utility companies don’t really seem to care much about the health of their customers. Even worse, some power companies are flat out lying to their customers by insisting the meters are not smart meters at all, but less problematic AMR meters (Automated Meter Reading) which transmit one-way for very short distances and are not connected to the SmartGrid. While not true for all power companies, at least two that I know of are definitely employing the deny and divert approach when dealing with smart meter inquiries and complaints from their customers.
For those stymied by the power companies, clunky home approaches for blocking the smart meter EMFs were an option such as placing aluminum foil or some other form of metal shielding on the inner wall where the device was installed. This solution proved impractical in many cases and didn’t work very well for some people in alleviating symptoms. This is because the metal reflects rather than blocks the smart meter radiation which can unintentionally redirect or concentrate it to an area you don’t want it to go.
At Last! A Solution to Smart Meter Radiation
While reflecting smart meter radiation has proven to be an unreliable approach, there is a new device available that very effectively blocks it instead.
The device is called a Smart Meter Guard (check it out here) and it has been proven to cut 98% of the radiation from a smart meter! Better yet, the power company won’t balk if you use it as long as you don’t break the security seal (don’t EVER do this!). My friend Beth from Minnesota emailed me about it recently as she was informed about this new device by a building biologist who works for the company Intentional Environment.
There are now two other less expensive competitive products, the Smart Meter Cover (available here) and the Smart Meter Shield (available here).
How the Smart Meter Guard Works
These products work using a technology called a “Faraday cage”, named after the English scientist Michael Faraday, who invented them in 1836.
A Faraday cage is a metal enclosure made out of a conductive material (like metal) or a mesh of the same type of material. It serves to block external electric fields by channeling electricity through the mesh, providing constant voltage on all sides of the enclosure. Since the difference in voltage is the measure of electrical potential, no current flows through the space. This scientific phenomenon is applied to protect electronic equipment from lightning strikes.
Here’s how a Faraday cage works with regard to a smart meter. Your electrical utility box is made of and completely surrounded by metal. All of this metal is grounded and poses no health threat. However, the glass part of the smart meter is not grounded and this is where the radiation is transmitted and it is not straight out from the glass. It radiates outwardly in all directions including backward into your home. Once the Smart Meter Guard made from 316 stainless steel mesh and stainless steel support ribs (made in the USA) is installed, it covers the glass portion of the smart meter which is not grounded effectively containing 98% of the high frequency radiation so that it cannot escape even from the backside of the smart meter.
The 1% to 2% of the radiation that is not contained is sufficient to transmit a signal for about a mile or so (versus 30 miles without a Smart Meter Guard). Since most power company data receiving stations are less than a mile away, chances are very good that the utility company will continue to receive the signal it needs. As of this writing, no complaints have been received by the company that makes the Smart Meter Guard that power companies are not getting the signal from homes with a Smart Meter Guard installed.
How a Smart Meter Guard is Installed
The great news is that a Smart Meter Guard requires no assembly and is so simple to install that even non-handy people (like me) can do it. And, as long as the security seal is not broken on the smart meter, it is totally legal to install it.
All you have to do is slide the Smart Meter Guard over the glass portion of the smart meter. It will also fit over the metal ring at the base of the smart meter. The metal ring is actually what holds the smart meter in place to your utility box. Then, you simply tighten the securing screw so the Smart Meter Guard fits on snugly and remains secure even in windy situations (note that it does not need to be tight).
That’s it!
The cover will fit 99% of the smart meters on the market today. All you need is a screwdriver to install it, and the 316 stainless steel construction means that the Smart Meter Guard will not rust or corrode and is guaranteed to last 15 years.
The manufacturer of the Smart Meter Guard reports on its FAQ page that there are 3 types of electrical smart meters currently being used. Types 1 and 2 have the metal rings visible on the outside of the utility box. Type 3 has the metal ring at the base of the smart meter and the ring is covered by the metal lid of the utility box. While only about 4% of electrical smart meters are Type 3, if you find that you have one of these rare smart meters, simply request a rubber spacer (free) with your Smart Meter Guard so that it will easily be adjusted to fit this model.
Testing to Make sure Your Smart Meter Guard is Working
The only way to measure that the smart meter radiation is being blocked by the Smart Meter Guard is by using a High Frequency analyzer tuned for the 900 MHz range. The analyzer will measure the power density being emitted from smart meters. While most of us don’t have such a device for testing, this video demonstrates how the Smart Meter Guard drops the radiation down by at least 98% and how this is effective even within the house on the backside of the meter.
The reality is that technology is changing faster than we can adequately assess the long term health impacts. Proactive consumers tend to not take any chances with highly concentrated EMF sources like smart meters and will carefully consider the simple steps required to protect themselves and their families today.
The only problem that the Smart Meter Guard does not solve are the privacy issues that utility companies violate when they monitor and track your electrical usage habits on a 24/7 basis. If this is a concern for you, then by all means continue to seek replacement of your smart meter with an analog meter. In the meantime, however, at least you won’t have to suffer any negative health effects from smart meter radiation as long as a Smart Meter Guard, Smart Meter Cover, or Smart Meter Shield is installed.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
More Information About the Health Dangers of Excessive EMFs
Smart Meter Guard
Are AMR Devices Safer than Smart Meters?
Fitbit Health Dangers
Reducing Exposure to Dirty Electricity
The Health Hazards of Wireless Baby Monitors
Harvard MD Speaks Out about the Health Dangers of Smart Meters
My question is why don’t they test the EMFs INSIDE the house??? These 2 guys sound and look like snake oil salesmen to me.
They did! Watch until the end of the video!
does this work
If you have an android phone you can download the “gauss meter” app which uses your phone’s magnetic navigation sensor to detect EMFs. We have a smart meter which throws an EMF 20 ft into our home and caused us to become electromagnetic hypersensitive. We cant even drive our car without getting headaches and feeling nauseous. The worst symptoms are the ADD and dementia which leave you essentially retarded and ultimately cause you to pull back from social gatherings and become a hermit. Metal flashing does nothing to this emf so forget tin foil. Steel plating minimum 1/8″ must be used to have any effect. this EMF field is abnormal however, my parents 3 houses and my nLaws home does not have the same EMF. If you are concerned you can pick up trifield emf meter which has been a life saver. We are in process of having the meter removed from the home entirely which will cost $2600 by the first estimate. Good luck
Go to plumbing supply store, get some sheet lead and built a lead lined box.
The problem with this is that it will block the signal to the power company and they will just send someone out to take it off.
It’s a fair point to consider lead as a means of blocking EMF radiation. It obviously works for most types of radiation, including Uranium 235, Plutonium 238 and 239, and X-rays too of course.
As much as people hate lead paint, I believe it actually does a reasonable job of preventing some EMF radiation from passing through walls from cabling, fridges, computers, etc.I don’t see why people couldn’t use an undercoat of lead based paint (properly dressed and protected whilst doing so of course!) and then add several coats of acrylic over the top. It might block about 10-20% of EMF emissions.
I have considered getting an electrician to remove the meter box and place a lead sheet behind it and see what effect that has on EMF scores.
Or you could just use TIN FOIL.
Did you read the article on why tin foil doesn’t work very well besides being totally unsightly? Tin foil doesn’t block anything … it just reflects and concentrates the EMFs in another direction … potentially into another area of the house.
This post got me to thinking about some vocal problems I have been having the past 18 months or so.
As a professional singer, the sudden deterioration of my voice last winter (2014), really hit me hard. I’m getting by as best I can these days, but my singing voice is a far cry from what it used to be.
The problems have been mostly impervious to any treatments I have thrown at it. NRT made a slight improvement, but not by much. I went to an ENT doctor as a last resort — he shoved his camera down my throat (yuk and ow) and found….nothing. No inflammation, no nodules, no polyps. Nothing. To his credit he send me home, rather than try to guess-treat me.
Now this post shows up in my news feed and I start thinking about the timeline of when we got solar panels and subsequently our new smart-meter…exactly the same timeline as when these problems started.
It seems like a high price tag, but I’m totally ready to shell out $140 if there’s even a *chance* that this device might give me back me voice. I have spent a LOT more than that on ineffective treatments! Stay tuned!!!
Kenny, please keep us updated on your situation! I really hope it helps you.
I hope you are finding some help for your voice. My has been destroyed by Lyme Disease, Bartonella & Babesia. Not sure which one of the three is causing the problems. I have lost the upper end of my range, my voice cracks and breaks at random times. Sometimes me whole throat just tightens up. When I am not singing my voice is deep and hoarse.
If you’ve ever had a tick bite or lived in a tick endemic area like the east coast or great lakes area, then you might consider this if you can’t find any other solution.
Thanks Sarah, I will. I just got it installed yesterday (August 19) and I’m feeling so hopeful that this is the answer.
Even if it doesn’t help my voice, I’m glad to have it on there anyway — who the heck knows what adverse effects it might be having on me, my family or the environment.
Hi Lisa — I don’t have any other symptoms of Lyme, and a tick bite is unlikely, as the onset was the dead of winter 2014 outside of NYC.
I’m still able to sing professionally — I just don’t have what I used to. Fortunately, if I stay within my “new” range it sounds okay enough to still have a career! When I “push” it hurts and sounds crappy. I do have similar symptoms to yours.
I’m looking forward to seeing (and hearing and feeling) what the next couple of months holds.
I have also bought some Shungite stones, which I also hope will be helpful. I have a bracelet, and i put some loose stones in the bottom of my water bottle.
Please let us know if your voice improves!!!!
That’s odd since glass is generally inductive, not conductive. And you do realsie that a Faraday Cage has to be complete to work right? Just having a ring around the smart meter is not going to be effective.
I think their tests might be rigged. It really only took me about 10 minutes on the internet to verify these things.
I also highly doubt the mesh would be able to absorb the EMF and negate it from going out of the rear of the meter box. How would it do this is there isn’t any mesh to prevent the EMF from going that way? A Faraday Cage just doesn’t work that way. It’s not a sponge, it’s a barrier.
Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong but this product sounds highly dubious to me and most likely a con.
Here’s an explaination of how a Faraday Cage works: youtube.com/watch?v=R8tKcPIlkuc&spfreload=10
The mesh touches the metal at the sides of the smart meter so that is how the cage is grounded from what I understand from the manufacturer. It also has a money back guarantee, so if you want to get one and test it yourself to be sure first, you can do that.
From what I know, a Faraday cage must be metal mesh all the way round, otherwise it doesn’t ground correctly and is basically useless.
True, I could buy it and test it but I’m pretty certain this is not a legit product and is just preying on people’s generally misguided, and emotionally driven, fears of EMF radiation.
But, I will consider it – even if it’s just to debunk it.
If read the research linked to in the article, it will explain why the cage works covering just the front of the meter. Also, if you check the EMFs before and after you install it, the EMFs go down close to zero (see video link).
Our new house made me so sick I had to move out. I think part of the problem is EMF. When I tested with both a Trifield meter and an Acoustimeter, the highest results seemed to be magnetic fields coming from a transmitter attached to the water meter. I need to learn more, but according to my husband, an electronics engineer, a faraday cage will not reduce magnetic fields.
I’m confused. Why do you describe smart meters as being located inside of the utility box? Our meter is not housed within our utility box at all… it actually sits on the side of our house by itself, just above the breaker box.
Amazon listed this EMF Meter and mesh fabric, which I’ve read is supposed to be put on the back of the wall in which the Smart Meter is placed. Do you have a specific EMF meter you prefer, and do you recommend using the mesh fabric too? Thanks so much for sharing this solution!
You don’t need the mesh at the back just the part that covers the glass … see the link in the post to the Smart Meter Guard recommended and the video which shows how it cuts the EMFs both in front and at the back of the smart meter.
We’ve had one of these covers on our Smart Meter for 2 years, and when we bought it, we asked how it works. We were told that the steel panel on the back of the meter box protects the back side from leaking any EMF into our homes. So you only need to worry about the glass, as Sarah said. When you cover the glass with the mesh cover, you eliminate 98% of the EMF, which allows the 2 % to be just enough for the utility company to pick up with their meter reading equipment. It really is a great product.