A report on wireless "smart" meters installed by Vermont utilities says the devices release a fraction of the radio frequency emission limits set by the federal government.
The report was prepared for the Department of Public Service. It’s based on lab testing and field measurements of wireless meters used by Green Mountain Power and the Burlington Electric Department.
James Porter is director of telecommunications for the department. He says the meters tested well below levels set by the Federal Communications Commission.
"They’re less than microwave ovens. They are substantially less than cell phones," he says. "At their peak value, from three feet away from a smart meter, I think we were around 3.9 percent of the FCC limits."
Porter says he hopes the report will ease concerns about the health impacts of the technology. But he says consumers will not be charged by utilities if they decide not to have the meters installed.