National Grid meters opposed; Pilot program in Worcester encounters concerns about health impact, privacy.

• Position: BUSINESS

Byline: Mark Sullivan

WORCESTER - So-called "smart meters" are anything but, say opponents of a National Grid program to install the new wireless electric meters at 15,000 homes and businesses in the city.

While National Grid says the new meters are perfectly safe, critics maintain the devices emit potentially harmful radiation and also pose threats to privacy and security.

"One of these meters will be installed on my grandchildren's wall over my cold, dead body," said Clare Donegan, 52, of Quincy, who is associated with the website HaltMAsmartmeters.org. She was scheduled to give a presentation Monday night at the Frances Perkins Branch of the Worcester Public Library on the anti-smart-meter effort.

Ms. Donegan warned that personal information gathered via the tracking of energy usage - when people are at work, when they are on vacation - "will now be available to who? We don't know. ... "The whole Big Brother aspect bothers me."

National Grid, which distributes power to most of Central Massachusetts, is installing the wireless smart meters in Worcester as part of a pilot program. The meters provide real-time information that enables the tracking of energy use.

The program includes a new pricing model that will ask customers to pay more for using electricity during peak periods, and less for using it during low-demand periods. Customers can avoid higher rates by changing their use habits.

"We understand that some customers may have questions or concerns about new technologies," said Deborah Drew, New England media relations manager for National Grid.

"We want to assure them that we have no reason to believe the meters in our program are unsafe. They operate outside, the signal is intermittent, and it operates at frequencies considerably lower than appliances and devices we all use on a daily basis.

"The safety of our customers, employees and the communities that we serve are our highest priority," Ms. Drew said.

Regarding concerns raised about the possible unwarranted monitoring of customers' private lives, Ms. Drew said: "For many years, have been safeguarding the privacy of customers' data and personal information and will continue to do so, even with the advent of new technology."

The transition to a "smart" power grid is a state and federal priority. National Grid's program in Worcester complies with a state law mandating all Massachusetts utilities test smart grid technology among a sample of customers.

The Edison Electric Institute...