How we ensure that smart meters are safe
There are exposure limits in place for the
protection of the public, set by completely independent international
bodies. ESB Networks ensure that all exposures from smart meters comply
with these independent safe exposure limits. In fact, because the
exposures from smart meters are so low, they comply by a large margin.
More on how we ensure smart meters are safe
The technology that smart meters use
Smart meters measure your consumption in
the same way that any other modern digital meter does. They then send this information to ESB
Networks using a 2G mobile-phone network. So you can think of the information as being sent in a text message.
More on the way smart meters work
The exposures they produce
Smart
meters produce low levels of radiofrequency EMFs, for the following reasons:
the power of the transmission is low, you are not usually right next to the
meter when it transmits and the duration of exposure is also low – typically
just one short message once a day in the first instance.
More on exposure limits
What the scientific evidence says
There
has been some concern about possible health effects of radiofrequency EMFs, especially
the higher exposures from mobile phones. Numerous scientific studies have been
performed. Taken as a whole, the evidence does not support any health effects.
Some individual studies do indeed report effects, but the overall evidence is
against.
More on the scientific evidence