Are the digital electric meters safe?

The digital meters that OUC installs meet all Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines and safety standards. OUC utilizes a low power “mesh network” where the meters act as repeaters passing the data to other nearby meters until it makes it to a main collector. The meters emit only a ¼-watt signal for just 1.5 seconds every four hours, which is significantly less than the radio frequency emitted by cell phones. Digital meters send information about electricity use to utilities by RF signals. The exposure from digital or smart meters is much lower than other common sources for two reasons (see image below): 1) infrequent signal transmission, and 2) distance from the source.

For more information and research on smart meters, please visit the links below:

California Council on Science and Technology:
Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters

Electric Research Power Institute:
EPRI Radio-Frequency Exposure Levels from Smart Meters: A Case Study of One Model