The Lowdown on OPD5 Smart Meters
Q: Does OPD5 employ smart meters with radio frequency (RF) technology to read my meter?
A: Most of our power meters actually use our own power lines to transmit data directly back to us. But we do still have some meters out there that utilize RF to send us energy usage data for billing purposes.
Q: How does the RF technology work in those smart meters?
A: The fundamental purpose of a power meter is to account for how much energy your household uses so that your monthly bill can be calculated. Historically, a district employee was assigned to go out every month and read each and every meter. This was both labor intensive and prone to error. Nowadays many meters use RF to transmit real-time data about your home’s electricity usage directly to the OPD5 meter reading systems. These transmissions typically consist of short bursts of low-power RF, occurring intermittently throughout the day. This technology is much more efficient and accurate than is possible with in-person reads.
Q: Do RF transmissions from these meters pose any health risks to me or my family?
A: A great deal of research has been done on this topic. The bottom line is that, according to Federal Communication Commission (FCC) standards, smart meters present no known health hazards. Smart meters are designed to emit only low-powered RF signals. All of our RF smart meters fall well within approved limits imposed by the FCC. In addition, smart meter antennas are usually located outside of the home with RF transmitters directed away from the house. This further reduces exposure to people inside. Finally, smart meters do not continuously broadcast their RF signals all day, 24/7. Rather, they transmit only for very short periods, usually totaling less than a minute per day. Compared to other forms of RF activity in your home, exposure from a smart meter is negligible.
Q: Exactly how do smart meter RF signals compare with other electronics in my home?
A: Based on FCC standards, which averages RF exposure over 30 minutes of usage, exposure from a smart meter registers far less than what one would receive from other likely sources in the home? Here are just a few comparisons based on the FCC average exposure standards:
- Ambient signals that generate from TV, radio and cell phone towers in your area would normally bring about 10 times greater RF exposure within your home than what your smart meter produces.
- The WiFi router that provides internet access to most homes brings exposure of around 67 times that of a smart meter.
- The microwave oven found in most kitchens generates approximately 313 times more RF exposure than your smart meter.
- The cell phone that most people carry in their pockets, or hold up to their ears, brings more than 12,000 times more RF exposure than the smart meter.
Q: Can OPD5 use the smart meter to exert control over things like my thermostat settings to manage my usage during peak periods?
A: No. While some utilities do have programs like this in place, which require opt-in from the customer, OPD5 does not. And we have no plans to do so. We use smart meter technology for the sole purpose of receiving efficient, remote meter reads.
Q: Is it possible for me to just opt out of having a smart meter on my home?
A: OPD5 does not currently offer an opt-out program. Smart meters have become the industry standard. Our staffing and operation plans have adapted over time to meet that standard. At this point, installing meters that must be read in person would bring additional costs and personnel requirements which would have an impact on our ratepayers.
Q: Are there any other benefits to having a smart meter?
A: Definitely! Smart meters provide a cost-effective way to establish long-range communication between your meter and our central data collection points. They eliminate the need for OPD5 to send personnel out to do manual meter readings, making data collection more efficient and accurate.
Smart meters also play a crucial role in outage detection. Utilizing low-power wireless communication, smart meters report real-time energy usage which allows us to promptly identify and isolate power outages at both the customer level and throughout the grid. This enables us to dispatch crews more efficiently and reduce restoration times.
Finally, smart meters can provide us with real-time data on energy consumption. That way, if you have questions about, say, a sudden spike in your power bill, we can do a detailed analysis of your usage and work with you to determine what might have changed. We are always happy to field those kinds of questions. To speak with one of our customer service representatives please call our Mesquite office at 702-346-5710 or our Overton office at 702-397-2512.