New AMR alternative to smart meters still spews 'dirty' electricity, harmful radiation

(NaturalNews) As an alternative to the notorious "smart meters," which a growing number of people now recognize as a major public health hazard, some utility companies are now offering a slightly dumbed-down meter containing technology known as AMR, or automated meter reading, that is supposedly safer. Don't be fooled: AMR meters still emit "dirty" electricity and radiation that could be harming you and your family.

Sarah Pope from The Healthy Home Economist recently warned her readers about AMR electric meters after coming to the realization that her own utility company, Tampa Electric, had installed one without permission on her family's home. Pope investigated the technology further and came to the shocking realization that much like standard smart meters, AMR meters still emit dirty electricity that can make those with sensitivities ill.

As you might already know, advanced smart meters are specially built to sustain two-way communication between one's home and the power company, provisioning for a constant connection to the "SmartGrid." The technology was originally touted as a way to save utility customers money and improve energy efficiency, although it was later revealed that smart meters send a continual surge of electricity throughout the walls of homes and businesses that makes some people sick.

AMR meters, on the other hand, only allow one-way wireless communication, which supposedly eliminates some of this dirty electricity. Tampa Electric explains it like this:

The radio signal is picked up by a 'collector' inside a meter reader's vehicle. This is similar to the operation of your garage-door opener or a SunPass [a Florida-based toll road device for vehicles].

They go on to say:

This one-way, digital technology provides significant benefits, such as:

• More accurate meter readings than traditional dial meters
• Increases privacy for customers because no meter reader enters their property
• Reduces access issues for customers with dogs or locked gates

Smart, AMR meters both use a switched mode power supply, which releases dirty electricity through home wiring

Sounds great, right? What about the fact that AMR meters still send dirty electricity through the wiring of one's home? The reason for this, as explained by the Smart Meter Education Network, is that both smart meters and AMR readers rely on a switched mode power supply, which adjusts the normal current running through one's home to accommodate the needs of the meter.

"Digital meters -- whether or not 'smart' -- cause dirty electricity to flow through your home's wiring," explains the Smart Meter Education Network. "The problem is what is called the 'switched mode power supply.' Switched mode power supplies are used to run the digital meter (whether a smart meter or a radio-off opt-out smart meter).

"In order for a smart meter to be powered, the 240 volts coming off the power line to the meter must be stepped down to 4-10 volts. A switched mode power supply is the device used to step down the voltage from 240 volts to 4-10 volts. This generates an enormous amount of what is commonly known as 'dirty electricity' and referred to by electricians and electrical engineers as 'voltage transients,' 'voltage harmonics,' 'line noise,' and 'power quality issues.'"

After developing symptoms from the AMR meter on her own home, Pope discovered that the technology is really no different than that of a typical smart meter, albeit perhaps slightly muted. The damaging effects are still present, in other words, and concerned folks need to take action for the protection of their families.

"An increasing number of people are finding that exposure to dirty electricity triggers or exacerbates health problems," she writes. "While the effects of dirty electricity cannot be smelled, touched, seen, or felt, it is nonetheless very real and problematic for those who experience it."

Sources:

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com

http://www.smartmetereducationnetwork.com