HB1743

Please oppose HB1743. Why smart meters? Our current meters in NH are getting old and need updating. The logical next step is to update to Smart Meters. Many residents have been waiting over 10 years for the updated meters. The major stumbling block seems to be that the smart meters emit significantly less radiofrequency radiation. Research shows that smart meters emit significantly less radiofrequency radiation than cell phones during active use. Why? Mainly Because they transmit infrequently and are located outside your home. According to Honeywell data, cell phones emit 10,000 times greater RF radiation than smart meters based on typical FCC exposure measurements averaged over 30 minutes of usage. What are the benefits of smart meters? Smart meters provide consumers and utilities with real-time energy data that enables more accurate billing, cost savings through time-based pricing, and faster outage detection. By offering detailed information into energy consumption, these digital meters help households identify inefficiencies (save $$) and reduce their environmental impact. This information also allows utilities to improve grid efficiency and service reliability. What Do Smart Meters Do That Helps Consumers and Utilities? For Consumers, smart meters improve billing accuracy, real-time usage monitoring, lower energy bills, time-of-use savings, For Utilities, faster outage detection & restoration, reduced operational costs, improved forecasting, better grid management. Environmental,Reduced carbon footprint, and lower emissions. More Consumer Benefits of Smart meters: Accurate Billing: Meters send readings daily or half-hourly, eliminating estimation errors and chance of overpayment. Real-Time Visibility: Smart meters monitor hourly energy use and establish historical patterns to identify high-consumption appliances, and ways to adjust habits to save money $. Time-Based Savings: Participate in time-of-use rates to shift your consumption (use) to off-peak hours AND lower monthly bills. When energy use is higher, before 10:00 am and after 4:00 pm during the week, your cost is higher. If you wait until off-peak hours to wash dishes or laundry, you can save money$. Usage Alerts: Receive notifications when your consumption exceeds preset thresholds, helping prevent bill surprises. Utility & Grid Benefits. Smart meters strengthen the energy system's reliability and efficiency (saves $$). Faster Outage Response: Utilities will be able to detect and restore service more quickly when outages occur, reducing disruption. (Less time without power.) Cost Savings & Revenue: Research shows smart meter adoption increases distribution efficiency and generates revenue for providers, which can fund infrastructure improvements (saves money for consumers.) Utility Monitoring: Utilities can spot equipment problems early and forecast demand trends across service areas. Less time without lights, heat, etc.

The exposure to radio wave emissions from smart meters pales in comparison to the the exposure to cellphones. This is unnecessary.

Smart meters don't really pose any radiation risks - so this bill just raises alarms in the mind of the public.

Smart meters do not emit enough radiation to be of concern and this bill would be onerous.

smart meters do not pose a risk. Continuing to talk about this canard, scaring consumers and having rate payers foot the bill for making these claims in any form is ridiculous. ITL