Terahertz

Bad media: Smart Meters

I joined Angus Reid Forums a while ago as a way to do two things I like: Making money and giving opinions.

One survey that has come up a number of times for me has been about BC Hydro’s Smart Meter program. The goal is to install these meters in every house so that the province can read usage rates remotely (saving time and therefore money) and to better monitor consumption, so as to promote energy efficiency (and catch grow-ops).

People are upset, and the Union of BC Municipalities passed a resolution calling for a stop to the program. There are legitimate concerns about the costs and whether this will lead to peak-hour billing, which can cause rising rates.

There are also illegitimate concerns that mirror the unfounded fears about Wi-Fi and any new technology.

It’s really annoying to see the same bogus claims repeated, and to be given equal weight as the actual evidence

A number of people believe the devices can cause cancer because they emit radio signals. But BC Hydro project manager Gary Murphy said the meters produce a tiny fraction of energy compared to cellphones and other ubiquitous wireless devices.

One sentence gives an unfounded claim, the next gives a minimal explanation of the safety. It’s quite disturbing that balance has taken precedence over real journalism. Imagine the quote, “many people think the FSM created the universe last Thursday, but some others disagree.” It’s not journalism, it’s pandering.

We also have people writing in to the paper claiming that this is so opposed that another citizen’s initiative may be launched, similar to the long process that brought about the end of the HST.

The last time I wrote about Smart Meters was because the BC Greens were blowing what little scientific-credibility they had by chasing this phantom issue and I’m sure this won’t be the last time I write about it.