A new report from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) concludes that the radio-frequency (RF) exposure levels from wireless smart meters are substantially below the protective limits set by the Federal Communications Commission for the general public’s safety.  This was true even when at close proximity.  Smart meter advocates believe the report’s findings are a valuable resource for changing the perception by some consumers who have associated smart meters with dangerous RF exposure.

The EPRI research studied  RF from a specific type of smart meter. The measurements were conducted at the manufacturer’s test facility. According to EPRI, “for a continuously-operating rack of 10 meters, each operating at a nominal power rating of 250 milliwatts  the RF power density level 1 foot in front of the rack was 8 percent of the FCC limit; at 20 and 50 feet, these values dropped to 0.18 and 0.11 percent, respectively. From 8 inches behind the rack, RF power density was 0.6 percent of the FCC limit.”

The EPRI report also includes detailed descriptions of RF emissions from individual meters under laboratory conditions, analysis of individual smart meter activity from more than 53,000 meters deployed in the Southern California area, and measurements of RF in a variety of ambient residential and community environments.

“RF is a ubiquitous and increasing presence in our daily lives as evidenced by the expanding use of cell phones and other wireless technologies,” said Dr. Rob Kavet, senior technical executive at EPRI. “Smart meters are integral technology to a modern smart grid, but consumers need to be assured that health issues associated with RF exposures from new technologies have been carefully examined and are well understood.

Smart meters of the type measured in the EPRI study use wireless communications to transmit data on electricity use, report outages, regulate load flow and other functions. These devices are vital in the development of the smart grid so utilities have gone out of their way to assure the public of the meters’ safety.

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