We ♥︎ honesty! Beat EMF may earn a commission through links on this page at no additional cost to you.
The problem with smart meter radiation can be solved with one simple tool – a smart meter Faraday cage.
Sure, smart meters may simplify certain processes or even give homeowners greater insight into their energy usage, but they also come with risks.
The biggest concern has been the electromagnetic fields (EMF) and the radio frequency (RF) radiation that these devices emit.
Studies suggest that this radiation is more intense than what comes out of your cell phone. I’ve done the research, and I believe wholeheartedly that the world is better off sticking to the old school analog meters.
But some utility companies won’t even allow you to do that.
At the very least, they’ll make it inconvenient. But that’s a rant for another day….
ELIMINATE THE MYSTERY (& OVERWHELM) OF EMF PROTECTION
Get a self-paced, step-by-step path to less EMF in your life—without weighing you down with complicated terminology & information overload.
So the solution is a cover or shield that blocks the radiation like the one pictured below:
If you decide you want to buy instead of DIY, we recommend this Smart Meter Cover.
It blocks 98% of radiation (and it’s already done for you).
Before we get to the tutorial, let’s cover a few basics…
What Is a Smart Meter?
The smart meter is just a more “advanced” home meter that wirelessly transmits signals to your utility company. The older analog meters required somebody to visit your house to get a reading.
Granted, they make things a lot easier for your utility company.
But just remember, that smart meter tracks your energy usage and sends it to your utility company repeatedly throughout that day.
Every time that happens, harmful radiation seeps into your home.
Why You Want to Block Its Signal
In short:
You want to block the signal coming out of your smart meter because you want to protect yourself and your family.
The World Health Organization (WHO) listed RF radiation as a possible carcinogen, which means that they think it could cause cancer.
Other studies will tell you that similar radiation causes changes in your blood and the calcium in your body
Some studies even say it breaks down your DNA.
People with smart meters report symptoms like insomnia, dizziness, headaches, nausea, ringing in the ears, and all sorts of other health issues.
Fortunately, even if we’re “stuck” with the smart meter, we don’t have to be stuck with its radiation.
They make Faraday cages that block up to 98% of the radiation your smart meter emits.
If you’re interested, we have a complete guide to the best smart meter covers you can read here.
But today, I want to share how to make your own…because who doesn’t like to save a buck or two, right?
Tutorial for a DIY Smart Meter Faraday Cage
Building your own Faraday cage for your smart meter isn’t difficult, and it’s definitely worth the small investment.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Aluminum window screen or aluminum foil
- Scissors
- Nylon thread
- Hot glue gun or superglue
- Compass (for drawing circles)
- Foil tape
- Magnets
To assemble your Faraday cage, follow these steps:
- Cut a square piece of aluminum window screen that is bigger than your smart meter.
- Use your compass to draw two circles on the screen. Draw one circle that is slightly bigger than your smart meter. Draw a second circle around the first one and make it about 1” larger.
- Cut out the smaller circle.
- Cut tabs back to your second line and fold them up. This will be the base of your Faraday cage.
- Cut a strip of aluminum window screen that will wrap around the tabs you just cut. It should be wide enough to cover your smart meter.
- Use the hot glue gun to glue the strip around the tabs.
- Now you need a cover. Cut a circle of aluminum slightly larger than your new opening.
- Use the nylon thread to sew the cover onto the cylinder.
- Slide the cage over your smart meter. Use foil tape to secure the square end to the back of your meter. Or you can glue magnets to the back of your meter and glue pieces of steel to your Faraday cage.
Alternatively, you can simply wrap your smart meter in aluminum window screen and aluminum foil and secure it with a zip tie, foil tape, or a hose clamp.
The method that I described above just looks nicer.
Here’s a quick video that shows another way to do it:
Video credit: Environmental Radiation LLC
If you want to save time and buy one that’s already done, read our guide to the most effective smart meter shields.
Tips to Keep in Mind When Shielding Smart Meter Radiation
Before you attach your homemade Faraday cage, there are a couple of things you need to remember.
For one, you should really measure the RF radiation before you cover your meter. That way, you can measure it after and see the difference to verify it’s working.
You can buy an RF meter and measure the radiation yourself or hire a consultant who specializes in EMF and RF mitigation.
I know utility companies will fight you tooth and nail if you want to keep the analog meter, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility.
Don’t hesitate to ask and express your concern over smart meters. They might reinstall your analog meter or make it possible for you to buy a refurbished one.
The Faraday cages work great, but the best way to eliminate radiation is to get rid of it all together.
If your utility company raises a stink about your cover, there are other ways to protect against smart meter radiation, which you can learn about here.
But as I said earlier, you don’t need to go through a lot of trouble to build the cover (and most utility companies don’t care as long as they still get their information).
Your goal is to essentially cover the meter in aluminum, so you can use a combination of aluminum foil, aluminum window screen, and foil tape as long as you have a way to secure it.
That’s it for today. I hope this quick tutorial for a smart meter Faraday cage helps you reduce your radiation levels at home!
And if you decide you want to buy instead of DIY, I recommend this one:
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
As always, let me know if you have questions.
Read Next: What’s a Safe Distance from a Smart Meter?
Side Note: I just want to quickly address the times we’re living in. Many people are feeling hopeless, depressed, confused, isolated…just overwhelmed. Can you relate? If you need a dose of hope right now, please click here to read my personal note to you.
Certified EMF Expert, Chief Editor & Researcher at Beat EMF. I’m in charge of testing all the products and sorting through the duds to deliver effective EMF solutions for your family. Learn more about me here.
Kudos on an excellent tutorial, especially the video! Thank you for all the invaluable information in this article. Do you have a link to the sheet regarding no permission given by the owner to install the meter, which he suggests to post next to the meter? Also, do you know of a reasonably priced radio frequency meter?
Hi Dorothy,
Thank you for your kind words. The EMF Help Center site has some good forms. If you look in the middle column on the home page, scroll down, you’ll see a hyperlink that says “Notice to Installers” and “Warning to Passerby.”
As for a radio frequency meter, I like the Trifield TF2 for personal home use. Hope that helps!
Can I just wrap the entire meter in aluminum foil? The power company never comes to my house and I don’t live in a neighborhood…
You can, but it won’t last, you’ll need to replace it every few weeks. And you’ll need to leave a small gap somewhere so the power company can still receive enough signal to read it.
Learn how to write a notice of liability. Get it notarized and recorded on the Public record. Then get a certified copy and send it to the head honcho at your utility company. What you are doing is holding them responsible for their hazardous equipment. If they fail to respond to your notice, which, they probably will, you have them by the short hairs. By maxim of law silence is consent. The second thing I will tell you is, they charge off all their expenses against our credit and then send you a bill. Think about that for a second. Why are they sending you a monthly bill after they-ve already charged off their expenses against your credit(which you are not even aware you have)? That is a crime of double dipping…and they all do it…Banks, cops, utility companies, hospitals, etc.
Hi there, great info! Do I need to ground the diy faraday cage that I’m going to put on my smart meter?
The only reason you would ground it is to also “shield” against the smart meter’s electric fields. Grounding is not required to shield against the radio frequenices (RF), which is the primary issue.
What about the back of the meter? Why wouldn’t the back be covered? Won’t that leak into your home from the back?
Hi Kim,
Yes, a cage/cover for the meter is not the ‘be all, end all’ solution. If what’s on the other side of that wall is a bedroom or high traffic area, you’ll want to shield the inside as well on that wall. However, if it’s simply a utility room, laundry, closet, etc, that’s really not necessary.
Options for indoor smart meter shielding include paint (MUST be grounded – I recommend an electrician do that) or this smart meter shield kit.
I agree, I think stopping the front of the meter from emitting to the utility company is less important than shielding the back where radiation goes into my house. I think that’s just a matter of a piece of lead sheet slid behind the meter box (remove the meter, remove the screws holding the box to the wall (watch out, all electrical connections are live), slide lead sheet slightly larger than meter box behind box, reinstall screws, reinstall meter… This way the radiation still goes outward to the curb, neighbors, etc, but not inside the house.
what can be done to shield from 5G?
Hi Joe,
Same thing as 4G just possibly double layering fabrics/metals depending on what type of shielding you’re using. Also, don’t get a 5g-compatible phone.
Do you sell the covers in the U.K. or can you recommend anywhere?
Hi,
If I remember correctly UK meters are square instead of circular, right? If that’s the case, I don’t know of any pre-made shields, but you can buy some mesh and follow this diy tutorial to make your own.
how far will the rf emit?
as our meter is on a pole along with the disconnect
about 200 feet from the house
Wow, this is all so crazy. I literally thought I was going nuts or something was wrong with my brain but by talking to a few friends/relatives of mine we all have experienced the phenomenon of hearing some sort of radio station playing in their heads. But in all reality, I now conclude it’s the rf from all this bullcrap around us, poisoning us!