The Smart Meters being installed outside homes to measure or meter the electricity usage, have a bit of a problem and are under scrutiny.

Turns out, they have high voltage and some are prone to just combusting.

Some online people weigh in on the issue of why these combust;

I’m not sure the exact design, but if it requires an ABT to transfer it, and it’s shit (or slow as fuck), then yea, I can see it combusting through arcing of contacts that aren’t rated for the high voltage.

Some people speculate that there are lithium ion batteries in these smart meters, and that can cause a Class Delta fire. (if you ask ChatGPT, it’ll tell you wrong shit about Class D fires, I actually fought fires, it’s a Lithium is a metal and self oxidizing fire, hence Class D).

Again, I don’t know how these smart meters are made or installed, nor if there’s a uniformity. But it seems like they suck and should be recalled if they can combust. You know, if the government cares about consumer safety.

Some other’s are speculating that smart meters are surveilling homes and emitting frequency Electromagnetic Interference that causes people to be sick. This is a contentious debate, and I suggest you do your own digging to see what is plausible. But know, any amount of extra shit, is extra, and to say all of it will never cause issues or adverse effects, is not critical in thinking. (chronic exposure is a factor, and arguably we should not sleep next to cell phones)

To say something is impossible is different from saying something is causally related.

Anyways, here’s a random claim about EMF being an issue;

Ignoring the EMF and surveillance, let’s move on.

In Michigan, those opting out of Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) actually have to pay a one time fee to not have it installed, and then also are charged more per month. Like, does that make sense? You’re already paying for electricity usage, are they saying that the meters don’t measure that? What the fuck are you paying extra for?

Michigan seems to be scrubbing information on it’s websites;

In some areas, they actually change out the shitty meters after catching fire;

And fires do happen, or so this lawsuit claims;

Turns out, smart meters can localize fires to a target house. If it goes wrong. You might be able to find some oddities in neighborhood fires, where some houses burn, but others in-between don’t. Weird.

here’s another comment;

Here’s a video

going over this document;

Lots of shit burning in that document.

In reality

The reason the Government wants smart meters are many.

They can cut off houses remotely, you can imply and infer what that means.

If you don’t pay your bills or are deemed a threat for some reason, there goes your electricity.

Which helps in times of fires and other issues. But fire fighters and electricians typically already do that on sight, to either the neighborhood or the individual house. But I guess they can do it remotely which does aid to some capacity to shutting of power and fighting fire, as seconds are crucial. – But arguably, if these smart meters have lithium ion batteries, that also adds a potential effect to make the fires worse. Potato- pohtahto.

Smart meters give the government access to quickly and remotely shut off power in districts to preserve power to other areas. Similar to rolling black outs.

It could be used by the government or someone power hungry to disproportionately fuck over many people, like in the smart thermostat situation in Texas during it’s winter snow storms or Colorado;

They can control your electricity usage. And in some cases, they might even raise your usage to favor utility companies. As implied and inferred by this comment;

Some people are speculating that homes that are burning in LA had smart meters installed- while some without smart meters did not burn. Some are further speculating that smart meters can cause fires on command. I mean, seeing how we have a literal picture of one blowing up in flames, and that it appears to be shit by design, I wouldn’t doubt it.

I mean, it sure is weird to have all these neighborhoods burn down, and have some houses survive with trees still standing. If the flames are hot enough to catch neighboring houses, doesn’t that suggest it’d catch all the trees in between and houses to? Obviously it’s not guaranteed, but it’s worth questioning.

Another piece of speculative evidence;

Some people are pointing to the Lahaina fires as well (I couldn’t verify if this was Lahaina);

In some cases, in the UK, it appears the contracts with Smart meters means invasion of privacy;

And further into lala-land, if the EMF is regulated or controlled remotely, than they could theoretically cook you like a microwave. This is of course, taking a lot of liberties in speculation.

So best case scenario with a smart meter, you get better safety and metrics for city use and management if they’re good guys.

Worst Case, they (or nefarious hackers) can cut you off from your power and potentially burn your house down remotely- with or without you (slowly) cooking too in the process.

Not a bet I’m willing to make.

All in all

If it’s claimed to be ‘smart’ and remotely controlled, then consider from a security perspective, as well as cyber security perspective, who has control. It can be exposed to hackers or stupid government. Meaning they can screw over your livelihood.

For instance, here is some data gained from possible packet sniffing. Could this be hacked? Yea, I imagine so.

Also, why the fuck should someone pay extra every month to not have this shit installed? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to not make any changes and not upgrade? If the meter is that inaccurate, just use a better meter.

It’s clear there is something fucky going on.

In Closing

The LA fires are pretty shit. Lots of anecdotal reports of people being assholes, pouring gasoline in the sewers, lighting fires on the side similar to the Australian brush fires and Oregon wild fires a few years back. Some ‘rogue’ arsonists taking action, possibly pyromaniacs, possibly more. In any case, a lot of this is speculation, but the fact that the government isn’t openly investigating it isn’t speculation.

Surveillance and EMF concerns aside, it’s true that these smart meters can cause fires and are a potential fire risk. That’s evidenced above.

Typically anything labeled ‘smart’ isn’t.

Thermostats and appliances aren’t. And it’s also not clear how much or what degree the government wants access and control over your shit. Before you know it, they’ll want smart toilets that collect stool samples and cross reference the bacteria with your DNA to know exactly when and where you shit, so they can sell that to toilet paper companies, just like how the California DMV sold off personal information to third parties.

All in all, this is a shit deal.

*Not Valid Financial, Legal, Life, or Any Advice