"Smart Meter": The spy at the electricity meter - Source: https://www.shz.de/11343366 © 2018

Five reasons why you should not let a spy counter in the house. - Source: https://www.shz.de/11343366 © 2018

The Federal Government wants to prescribe an area-wide replacement of all electricity meters by digital consumption recording devices ("Smart Meter"). Even a remote transmission of electricity consumption should be installed - without the right of consumers. Five reasons why you should object:

1. The digital meters accurately record your power consumption for 15 minutes. These data reveal a lot about which devices were in service and when, how many people were at home and what they did when.

Not only the spouse can be interested, but also, for example, burglars looking for empty apartments.

Consumption records can deeply infiltrate our privacy.

2. "Smart Metering" costs you up to 90 euros every year. A nationwide installation threatens to cause a total economic damage in the amount of hundreds of millions of euros.

3. Pilot studies show that digital meters lead to lower consumption in most households. The consumer center criticizes: "High-tech in the cellars brings the consumers little added value, but permanent costs."

4. The Austrian Medical Association warns against health risks due to increased radiation exposure. Children are said to be particularly at risk. Austrians and Dutch are allowed to refuse smart meters - this is not planned in Germany.

5. Digital measuring systems can enable a remote shutdown of the power supply. Electricity companies long for the possibility of turning off the electricity from afar to offending customers. Experts warn, however, hackers could in the future paralyze the electricity in entire districts.

Overall, the installation of the espionage equipment is to be classified as a money printing machine for the industry, which has nothing to do with efficiency and environmental protection, but threatens to entail billions of heavy burdens on the already battered electricity consumers. 70 percent of citizens are opposed to the forced installation of digital electricity meters - and you?

- Source: https://www.shz.de/11343366 © 2018