Are you wondering if the new smart meter is safe for home? You’ve probably seen electric company employees paying monthly visits to check your electric meters and document how much power you used and need to be billed for. During recent years, however, the number of visits from “meter readers” has gone down dramatically. In this article, we’ll cover how to make them safe for your family.
Electric companies have been more commonly replacing the old analog meters that required employees to read them with smart meters instead.
These newer devices utilize wireless signals to send consumer information back to the power companies that installed them and prevent the need for an employee to manually drive out and read the meter.
The use of smart meters might be a cost-effective and savvy business move for the power companies, but the meters themselves may pose health risks to consumers. You can get an EMF meter to see just how much one of these smart meters is putting out.
What are the Risks of EMF Radiation?
While plenty of people have at least heard Electromagnetic Field exposure (otherwise known as EMF radiation) mentioned in passing, not everyone is familiar with the kinds of risks that it actually poses for their families.
The use of modern technologies such as cell phones, wi-fi modems, and other forms of wireless technology have increased by leaps and bounds over the past few years.
These technologies are certainly convenient, and most people would be loath to give them up if asked. However, others who are aware of the related jump in EMF radiation question whether or not the ever-increasing use of wireless technology is really safe.
Various internet modems and DSL routers emit EMF radiation–often at alarmingly high levels and close proximity to where we work, live, and sleep. Numerous studies suggest that a variety of negative effects may have been connected with prolonged EMF exposure, including the following:
Disruption of the body’s energetic field which leads to increased stress and fatigue
Increased risk of memory loss and possibly other forms of brain damage
Changes to DNA and potentially increased risk of cancer
These potential threats to our health and the well-being of our loved ones should not be ignored. Unfortunately, EMF exposure cannot be completely eliminated no matter how many devices you turn off in your own home, since neighboring buildings still utilize wireless technology–including smart meters.
However, while you cannot completely avoid EMF radiation, you can at least take some steps of your own to reduce the levels of exposure that your family experiences at home.
Utility companies usually have stipulations in place that forbid consumers from completely blocking the signals put out by smart meters, but you can still curb the amount of radiation that your body is exposed to.
One of the simplest ways to reduce the EMF radiation that you experience from smart meters is to purchase and install a good smart meter guard.
So, What Exactly is a Smart Meter Guard?
Put simply, a smart meter guard is a wire mesh cover that you can install over the smart meter attached to your home in order to cut back on the amount of EMF it puts out.
The technology utilized by smart meter guards is known as a Faraday cage, and is named after its inventor: the English scientist Michael Faraday.
Faraday cages are crafted from a conductive metal, and function by absorbing and redirecting the energy from external electric fields. While this technology is commonly used to protect sensitive electronic equipment from threats such as lightning strikes and other electronic interference, it can also serve to block EMF frequencies from permeating our homes.
Primary Types of Shields Used in Smart Meter Guards
There are two main styles of shielding materials utilized by the smart meter guards that are currently on the market today: RF Absorbers and RF Reflectors.
The company Smart Meter Guard has created a smart meter guard that reflects radiation and you can easily get it and cover your smart reader.
As the name would suggest, RF Absorbers serve to absorb the signals that they come into contact with, conducting and releasing the energy in the form of heat. Since the energy is released as a very mild level of heat, this type of guard does not generally need to be grounded.
RF Reflectors, on the other hand, reflect unwanted signals instead and redirect the energy through a grounding wire. RF Reflectors perform very well, absorbing more energy than absorbing guards do, and must have a strong ground in order to ensure peak efficiency.
RF Reflector guards are often believed to be more efficient and effective at blocking signals than RF Absorbers are, since grounding enables them to handle a higher volume of energy.
What are the Benefits of Smart Meter Guards?
Now that you’ve learned about some of the risks of EMF radiation and the main types of smart meter guards that you can use to decrease your home’s level of exposure, let’s take a look at some of the main benefits.
Smart meter guards are extremely simple to install.
Depending on where you live, you might be able to opt out of switching from the old analog meter to the newer smart meter entirely. However, in many areas the switch to smart meters has been mandated and consumers are not provided with the luxury of choice.
If you live in an area where you are required to use a smart meter, a smart meter guard is an extremely easy way to take partial control over how much EMF radiation you allow to permeate your home.
Smart meter guards are perfectly legal as long as you don’t tamper with the stickers on your smart meter during guard installation, and are relatively easy to find and purchase online. Additionally, the installation of smart meter guards is extremely simple.
Most smart meter guards are designed to simply slide over the external case of the smart meter and then tighten over it with a screw mechanism. If you have chosen to go with the highly effective RF Reflector style of smart meter guard then you’ll need to install the grounding wire as well, but this is quite a simple task to complete as well.
Smart meter guard installation should not damage the siding of your home, nor should it interfere with the functionality of the smart meter. The tiny percentage of the signal that makes it through the Faraday cage is enough to transmit the legally-required information to your utility company, making this safety measure both legal and safe.
Smart meter guards dramatically reduce the EMF radiation put out by smart meters.
Smart meter guards don’t just help reduce the negative effects of your smart meter by a little bit: A good smart meter guard can help neutralize up to 98% of the EMF radiation put out by your smart meter!
The signals put out by smart meters are far stronger than is usually necessary to transmit consumer information to power companies, affording you plenty of room to cut down on EMF radiation without compromising the data signal.
You may not be able to reduce the amount of EMF radiation from devices like cell phones, external power sources, routers, or other common forms of technology, since many of these are heavily used by the public on a daily basis.
However, the simple act of installing a smart detector guard can help you greatly reduce the amount of EMF radiation that is present in your own home.
When you are able to cut down on the amount of EMF radiation that you’re exposed to, you may experience benefits such as reduced stress and anxiety, better quality of sleep, and decreased aggravation of symptoms from other ailments.
Are There any Shortcomings to Watch Out for?
Unfortunately, a good number of smart meter guards are only designed to fit over the front of the smart meter, meaning that they cannot always block EMF radiation that leaks through the siding of your home from the back of the device. As a result, you’ll want to keep an eye out for models that provide 360-degree coverage while you shop around for the ideal fit.
Some varieties of smart meter guards are built with a metal screen designed to slip behind the smart meter and help fix this problem. If you cannot access one of these or manage to make it work with the way your particular smart meter has been installed, there are a number of other products that can help, such as Faraday bedroom nets or EMF-blocking paint.
It is highly recommended that you take advantage of extra preventative measures such as these in conjunction with your smart meter guard in order to provide the best possible protection for yourself and your family. Extra measures are especially encouraged if your smart meter is located close to any of the bedrooms in your home, since EMF radiation can interfere with sleep quality and bodily regeneration.
To Recap:
Unfortunately, EMF radiation is impossible to completely avoid if you frequent public areas and take advantage of modern technologies such as wi-fi and cell phone networks. On top of the many other sources of EMF radiation that are outside our control, many utility companies mandate the replacement of old analog electricity usage meters with newer smart meters.
These smart meters greatly contribute to the amount of EMF radiation that is present in the home, which can worsen issues such as anxiety and restless, poor-quality sleep. Fortunately, while we may not be able to control whether or not a smart meter is installed on the exterior of our homes, we can exercise some damage control with the use of smart meter guards.
Smart meter guards are relatively affordable Faraday cages that are easy to install and can block up to 98% of the EMF radiation that smart meters would otherwise be leaking into your home. Some types of smart meter guards even include protection for the back of the smart meter, providing an added layer of absorption for all-around, complete coverage.
Installing a smart meter guard is a nice, simple, and easy way to help dramatically reduce the amount of EMF radiation in your home and take a step towards a happier, healthier family.