by Shaun Knox, Global News | see original article
Fires prompt full recall & investigation of why testing never happened
Note: Global news has disabled video embedding. Please see original article link for the video.
REGINA – SaskPower has announced that they are removing all the smart meters that were installed in the province.
The minister responsible for SaskPower Bill Boyd said the utility company will be taking out all 105,000 smart meters around Saskatchewan.
“I think the concerns about safety are paramount here, the concerns are significant enough, anytime families are at risk in Saskatchewan, actions have to be taken and that’s why we’ve directed SaskPower accordingly,” said Minister Boyd.
The removal of the smart meters over the next six to nine months will cost around $15 million, according to SaskPower.
“We view it as similar to a recall situation and the people of Saskatchewan shouldn’t be responsible for the costs of this and we’ll do everything we can to recover those costs,” said Boyd.
Boyd will also be reviewing why the new meters weren’t properly studied or tested before they were installed in homes.
“I don’t know whether there was enough testing done. We’ll certainly be conducting, along with SaskPower, an internal review of the procurement procedures around this around the safety concerns people had,” added Boyd.
“We want to determine when these were originally ordered, if there were safety concerns known at that point in time, so we have a lot of questions we’re going to be discussing with SaskPower about how this came to be.”
Earlier this month SaskPower temporarily suspended its installation of smart meters around the province after half a dozen caught fire.
UPDATE 1 August 2014:
See also:
SaskPower ordered to remove all 105,000 smart meters in the province
www.takebackyourpower.net/news/2014/08/01/saskpower-ratepayers-to-be-spared-cost-of-failing-smart-meters-premier
PGE replacing 70,000 electricity meters because of fire risk
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/07/pge_replacing_some_electricity.html
When is BC going to wake up and remove these cancer causing devices. We have the all time worst government history in power, including BC Hydro!
No, not possible. ONTARIO has the absolute MOST F****D up power company.
no no you have it wrong. QUEBEc is the worst. I built a box around my analog meter they couldn’t get it off ha ha aha ha. They keep calling me to change it. I just yell NEVER and hand up. Over my dead body. We must organize a national synchronized sledge hammer event.
I missed what exactly are they replacing them with?!
The focus seems to be more on fire safety than any other potential untested hazards.
We’re not certain either at this moment. The
people of SK would likely need to demand safe analogs without any
digital or transmitting components (and leverage by holding them
liable), otherwise the utilities are likely to default to non-wireless
digital meters. If anyone has information on this, please post.
Hopefully analog types!
Newfoundland has been installing digital meters. Wondering if it’s the same type. Is it?
JACorbett, it’s likely. You could start by getting the specs of the meters from the utility. We’ll be coming out with more information comparing meter types. For now, here’s a helpful resource: http://stopsmartmeters.org/frequently-asked-questions/faq-smart-meter-basics/#which
We live in the US. Our state, Vermont, gave us the opportunity to op out of the program. Many decided the smart meters were dangerous and made the choice not to switch.
Is this something you had to do through National Grid? Do you know if people in NH have the same options?
Don’t take any “option” It’s the same thing. You must keep your analog meter. It is fine and good for 100 years but most important: IT IS SAFE.
In Quebec many people refused the meter with posters taped over it saying you have no right to remove my meter. Others built boxes and cages.
Please email is you want the posters and even the plans to build a wood box.
onyourknees7@gmail (dot) come
Thanks so much! I have found sites showing these plans. I rent, so I’d have to get my landlord to do it. I mentioned this to him last year and he says he doesn’t want a new meter. But I have to make him understand that they can do this when he’s not home. My state doesn’t have the funding yet, so it’s not an immediate threat, but I’m VERY concerned. I was considering moving to NH someday, so I wondered if people were fighting back against these meters there, since they seem more politically active than my state, as far as individual rights….live free or die, etc… 🙂
I just emailed you!
I’m currently going through this too in NH – We have a guard up w/ sign ~ they can read the meter but can’t remove it – PSNH call with their ‘imperative’ and serious messages… I’m sending the certified letter of refusal today… Peace to you guys!
I hope were able to keep your analog meter and didn’t choose the “option” THE “OPTION” IS THE SAME THING.
Don’t miss the advantage of net – metering. This technology allows for solar and renewable power to be fed back to the grid…. promotes the development of renewable “green and clean” power from your home…. Besides, if you use a cellphone the rf risk is greater (by far) than a smart meter…. do your homework!
lol, not even close. But nice try.
Experts have already demonstrated how FULL BODY EXPOSURE radiation from Smart Meters FAR EXCEEDS the amount of radiation you receive from a cell phone. Smart Meters consume far more energy than the analog meters, and power consumption and power costs have RISEN IN EVERY JURSIDICTION IN THE WORLD where Smart Meters have been installed. We won’t go into the fire and privacy issues since most on here are already aware of those facts. greenteam99, I would suggest to practice what you preach and “do YOUR homework”, but I suspect you are one of those individuals employed by BC Hydro to spread the lies and deceit.
I’m curious. Has power consumption held steady or fallen somewhere? Hasn’t it increased EVERYWHERE, smart meters or not? In the places where smart meters went in, have there been opportunities to reduce the surplus power generated (wasted) as a constant buffer against moment-to-moment fluctuations in demand?
Some people might like to see links to the research you are referring to.
Here’s a link to a proposal for how to end extreme poverty AND limit humans’ impacts on the environment to levels that most people feel are acceptable, for a sustainable and more just civilization.
Greenteam99, smart meters have been independently measured to be produce 1,000x to 8,000x the maximum power density of radiation, compared to a cellphone, from the same distance away. We did a test ourselves and the spike was 1,400x higher than a 3-bar cellphone on a call.
Also, cellphones are not associated with:
– systemic issues related to billing increases,
– home fires,
– surveillance of your ‘offline’ in-home activities,
– voltage transients on your home wiring, and
– providing the ability of anyone to shut power off to your appliances or entire home without any recourse.
I had no choice. In the condo/apartment building where I live, they
were swapped out without a discussion – What is worse, the panel
enclosure with 16 meters is right beside the entrance to my unit. I
asked the installer if there were fire retardant materials lining the
enclosure… He just laughed and said “Lady, I’m just contracted to
install them”
GeminiKirkit, you are not required to accept a ‘smart’ meter. We invite you to subscribe to our site (upper right), for solutions & further info.
It was a decision made by the strata council, I am a renter in a condo building – I have no say in what the condo owners council does… what would it matter if I decline the one servicing my unit if the other 15 in the cabinet right beside my entrance are all smart meters?
You still have full say in this matter. There are ways in which you can Notice your utility and its executives that they will be held liable for all harm from any meter which has detectable radiation from where you live.
In addition, we’re developing a Non-Consent Form to which people such as the 15 in your building can easily sign onto to remove their consent, demand removal, hold utilities (and their execs) criminally & financially liable for all harm, and state acceptable terms.
Stay tuned Gemini, we’ll be releasing more info soon. In the meantime:
Here’s an example of a document you can use to remove your consent in writing, and hold them liable for all harm: https://takebackyourpower.net/news/2014/05/16/template-notice-demand-removal-2014/
Another, written by Jerry Day as I understand it: https://takebackyourpower.net/documents/templates/alt-NOTICE-OF-NO-CONSENT-2014.pdf
As even the WHO is forced to lie that the microwaves are safe and without negative health effects she can not do anything…(We need to have “corporations” like ICNIRP taken down and put in to court)
Congratulations Josh. A victory for you and the whole campaign.
The world is on a wireless revolution and that is fine for the world but I limit my use as rider09 says this is all cancer causing the govt should not be mandating we have these on our homes its almost like demnanding people to smoke if you feel it is a health issue you should not be forced to have one
If you have a line phone (because you don’t want to use cell because you prefer to limit your exposure to EMFs), you should be able to have a smart meter that communicates to the power company through that line.
smart meters dont need any line, they send digital signals on the grids that care picked up by special equipment, your power can be turned off and on from a desk 100 miles away from you
That’s a pretty dumb comment chief, smart meters ARE NOT REMOTE BREAKERS.
Chief is right. For most companies, these meters are designed to allow for remote disonnect/reconnect to avoid costs associated with truck rolls.
Agreed with Chief and Bart. The meters are touted as a way for the power companies to “regulate power usage during peak times”, which means they can shut off residential power in favor of more lucrative commercial power, if they choose to do so. Most areas are working on legislation/ “guidelines” surrounding when they can and cannot turn off/ brown out your power. By the way, in a blanket way, this is already done by power providers during true peak times.
We have such a system that chief mentions here in Sweden, exactly and it works without stupid wireless cancer causing microwaves.
Here, in Texas, they aren’t “forcing” us to take one (I had a sign up on my existing meter for 2+ years saying DON’T REPLACE IT – CenterPoint energy called the Sherriff’s office when I first put it up). Anyway, their new solution is to charge you $40 a MONTH to keep the old meter.
This same thing is happening with these draconic meters. Listen to this !
http://www.michaelsavage.wnd.com/2014/08/michael-savage-koch-brothers-behind-lavish-hotels-for-illegal-aliens/
We need to bring these criminals down !
Aside from the issue of whether an electrical device was of poor design or whether the technicians installing it were competent, there are good reasons why power producers would want to be able to monitor usage and match supply with demand more accurately.
If people are willing to cut their usage during peak demand times, they should get a discount from the price charged to those who are not willing to do so. If the price of electricity goes up during times of peak demand (or when the wind is light on a cloudy day and supply is low), then cutting use during those times when the system is near its limits would mean getting a substantial discount.
How do people who oppose smart meters generally (not just defective or incorrectly installed meters) suggest power companies respond to the highly variable output of renewables (wind and sun)? Are they aware of the rationale for having smart meters? What is the alternative? Are they aware that power producers have to always produce more than what is being demanded at any one time, so that the grid voltage does not drop below a certain point that would likely damage equipment or cause brown-outs? If the power available from renewables is highly variable and not easily predictable from moment to moment, the amount of surplus production from the conventional sources must be increased OR a means must be created whereby the demand can be curtailed (by automatically turning off people’s A/C compressors for short periods, for example). If we block this as an option, then the surplus generation moment to moment may have to increase from about 15% to about 20% of total demand. That could mean faster depletion of resources (and more expense, more burning of coal). Pick your poison.
Installing meters is expensive. Part of that expense might be covered by the reduced need to keep a surplus power supply on line. Part of it apparently is going to be funded by the ‘opt-out’ customers (if the program in my city is any indication). Since those opt-out customers make it impossible for the power company to curtail their demand at the times of peak demand, the excess capacity that is necessary is necessary largely because of their opting out. (Preventing the need for building of capacity that will only be used for two hours each day is a very worthwhile thing to do. Building capacity that will only be used for about two or even four hours each day is very expensive. In all fairness, that cost should be paid by those who contribute to the peak demand more than it should be paid by those who use modest amounts more steadily.)
I am curious how opponents of smart meters respond to these concerns. Do they think the price and availability of electricity should be the same, regardless of the cost of producing it from moment to moment or hour to hour?
Cure for what ails the planet – Equal sharing of natural wealth
We have same situation with hydro Quebec, after installation of new meter, out thermopomp compressor burned, but no one advised us, that could be much worse case.
apparently all appliances are at risk and Hydro has no responsibility. The smart meter is not compatible with ordinary appliances. They want us replacing them with “smart” appliances too. They want us on the “smart” grid for their control.
People and their ridiculous cancer and radiation crap. Phones and other wireless devices do not promote or cause cancer, except those cancererous, conspiracy theorist people who spread that garbage.
Which telecommunications company do you work for SIR?
None. I just know how to read and research. Conspiracy theorists and myths propagated on false information raise my ire. Simple as that. You do not need to work in telecommunications to know myths and false information.
I told FPL that I did not want any “smart” meter installed – fortunately I caught them just in time — so no meter was put in. That was last year — it was suppose to be a volunteer program. This year, it all changed, and if I didn’t switch out the analog meter, I would be charged a $95 “enrollment” fee, plus $13/mo, for the meter to be read. After my bill came last month — which was 4X what it normally is, I spoke with the supervisor about this unlawful and unfair “enrollement” fee into a program, that offered me absolutely nothing — and basically is illegal highway robbery!! And nothing can be done! hummm
That is disgraceful… how can they legitimately force folk into paying money over for ‘nothing’… Corporate giants are ‘robbing’ people. It is that simple… It’s disgusting. Surely there has to be a way of combating them.. Surely
The so called smart meter is something that I thought long and hard about and have determined that if my electric water heater can heat a tank of water (80 gals) in four hrs or less > then I have deduced that the smart meter is quite smart at making money for the utility co. while costing the consumer much more than a simple timer on the water heater.
Holton,MI … Since getting our meter our bill has doubled! I can’t believe the increase an were using less! I have not had my central air on once this year an my father passed away so there for he hasn’t ran his a/c unit! An yet thy say we’ve had an increase in watts from this time last year!! BULL CRAP!! They are ripping us off!!
Interesting that the most important danger of the DEATH meters never came up – namely the medical dangers. The real purposes, of course, is the spying upon and culling of the global herd composed of us “useless eaters” as Henry Kissinger phrased it.
Sorry in advance for my english, i’m french
The meter industry made an unbelievable mistake in making those smart
meter. In fact it is a design flaw by a change in electric philosophy.
Explanation
The old meter was made to act like a Faraday cage, the new one is made to
act like a containment chamber. Why they did that ? I presume that is a constraint to put electronic in the meter.
The old meter was made with a glass cover with a metal ring and this ring
made contact with the base metal connected to the ground. In addition,
there is 2 metal plates at the back of the meter at the 10h10 position that also make contact with the base metal. So when a voltage surge happen, it will be divert to the ground. The old meter is acting like a faraday cage protecting all the inside and also part of all the electronics of the house. Of course, it’s not a perfect protection and a direct hit by lightning will pass through. But this do most of the job
for a very little price.
For the new meter, to be a containment chamber, they replace the glass cover by a polycarbonate one, the glass was too dangerous because the cover can explode sending glass pieces all around, the glass cannot contain the pressure when voltage surge happen inside and its explode. No more metal ring and the 2 metal pieces are gone. Of course in that way, your appliances are in danger to blow by voltage surge.
2 incidents happened to prove what i said :
Palo Alto, August 25 2011, a surge happened for more than an hour, 80 smart
meters caught on fire and burned out, the 120 old meters touched by the same surge were all ok.
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/…
Forest Standard, Ontario, october 31 2013, 70 smart meters blow out and some really explode and send pieces all around.
http://smartmeterharm.org/2014…
We now know that the voltage surge is the problem for those meters, what cause voltage surge ?
Lightning strike, live 25kv cable broke and touching the 120/240v cable, branches
in storm making contact between those cables, defective transformer, bad taps on transformer, etc.
So no matter what, all smart meters from any companies are dangerous for fire and explosion if any of those cases happened
About me, i am an ex-technician in a meter shop, i have calibrated or repaired or expertised more than half a million meters
These meters are NOT limited to Saskatchewan or Ontario or Pennsylvania or Oregon. These same combustible, incendiary, flammable, explosive fire starting meters were ALSO randomly installed in secret on homes in BC. YOu may well have one on your home, to this day, a pilot program prior to the official smart grid deployed them all over the place.
There was a stealth smart meter pilot program conducted in BC, beginning a few years prior to the July 1, 2011 grid deployment.
It used these exact same model of Sensus smart meters, the same incendiary combustible meters, same model and make, same deal, same risk of fire.
Yet, no one seems to know that the same meters were, and some still are, installed on homes in BC.
WARNING: In an effort to hide the evidence of negligence in BC, Hydro has sent out signed letters as well as deploying aggressive thuggish guys who are running around only now, long after the fact of the news of fire danger to homes in Saskatchewan. Meanwhile this government insists that the meter in BC are “safe”. Well the fact is none of them are. However, these ones are now notorious for what any smart meter is capable of doing, setting a home on fire, and tBC Hydro needs to cover up their own tracks.
So, as usual, they are sending out unqualified techs, not licensed electricians, letters as well as guys threatening disconnection while holding in their hands the so called replacement meters.
These swap in devices are an insult, old junked analogue meters, or else plastic junked digital meters, not re-calibrated, soon be declared no longer viable for use, an interim step on the way to an Itron, nothing more.
So they are basically handing over interim swap-in meters that are garbage, soon also to be taken out out of service. The junk offerings are dirty, many decades old, traditional electromechanical meters, recycled from Fortis swap outs, in all likelihood.
The thugs doing the rounds are trying to swap the arson meters out before any property owner catches on and makes the connection between these and the the fact that right on their own homes are these identical illegal fire starting meters. All smart meters are also commercial corporate rf antennas without siting permits, making further inroads and increasing their hold on private property, an expansion of joinder by easement, then usurping, taking over “ownership” of and operation override of the circuit box service panels in all homes, while overtaking full control of entire electrical systems of all homes, and, in this case, using the same models which started fires in Saskatchewan and elsewhere.
Will the meek inherit the smart grid?
Great opportunity to expose them.
Even greater opportunity to tell them that in exchange for allowing them to remove the incendiary metes, they must enter into their billing system the safe electromechanical meter you yourself then buy as your own privately owned replacement meter, the one YOU own. Tell them that you will hire your own electrician to install YOUR meter in place of this piece of dangerous arson junk and they will inter its meter ID and other billing info into their billing system, or else.
The Sensus combustible meters are not only still all over BC but are also all over Ontario, about 49% of installs there are these same high risk meters.
Everyone needs to take a picture of the smart meter they have to determine if it is the same high risk meter and make sure the video links the meter to a recognizable surroundings as proof that this is YOUR home.
Then? Why not do as those in Kelowna are doing?
File with the RCMP a numbered report for trespass, tampering, reckless endangerment, violation of electrical and building codes, nullifying of home insurance clauses.
Such files will only be considered and accepted if done with the Watch Commander, not reception, not a constable. One is in charge of each shift with the RCMP .
Look for this info on the face of your so called “meter”.
FLEXNET
Model 530X
ICon
Sensus
Type ISA 1
Or the subsequent generations of this tech iteration such as:
iSA2
or
iSA3
Add that to this and do you get the picture yet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y41eF0-PtdI…Get your solar panels today.
Once again profit over safety. New technology does not mean safer technology