PG&E Makes Rare Move Over Corte Madera SmartMeter
January 12, 2011 9:28 AM
A PG&E SmartMeter. (CBS)
CORTE MADERA (KCBS)-
PG&E has done something it rarely ever does. It has removed a SmartMeter from a Marin County woman’s home, and put her old fashioned meter back in, for now.
Corte Madera resident Jane Levinson said the problem started months ago.
“I have a motion sensor at the corner of the house on the same wall that my electric box is located and that motion sensor started going off and on all night long,” said Levinson.
KCBS’ Margie Shafer Reports:
PG&E Makes Rare Move Over Corte Madera SmartMeter
Levinson suspected the havoc was caused by her SmartMeter, and called the motion detectors manufacturer, who confirmed they have received several complaints from California customers.
PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith said the utility has replaced the smart meter with an old meter, saying Levinson’s motion detector is too sensitive.
“On very rare occasions there have been situations where there is device interference with some electronic devices,” said Smith. “What we wanted to make sure we did in this case is immediately respond to the customer when she called because the motion detector was not operating as intended.”
Meanwhile, a much anticipated report from the California Council on Science and Technology released Wednesday confirms no significant health impacts from smart meters. The report states that the intensity of the radiation that comes from the wireless devices falls within federal limits. And the organization found those limits are adequate to prevent the electromagnetic waves from heating human tissue.
The study did leave open the possibility that other negative health effects from wireless devices may exist.
On Tuesday, a 62-year-old Rohnert Park grandmother was arrested after she and nearly a dozen others blocked a semi-truck delivering smart meters to an installer.