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I have seen covers that claim to reduce the amount of radio frequency radiation when put over a smart meter. Are these OK to use? Will the power company tell me if I am blocking too much radiation for their communication needs? — Tim You can put on a smart meter cover, but that could cost you — and not just for the price of the cover. Smart meter covers ranging from $30 to $300 or more are being marketed as ways to protect people from radio frequency waves. If a customer puts a cover over a smart meter, it could block the meter’s ability to communicate with Pacific Power, said Cory Estlund, manager of field support for Pacific Power. The company may then estimate the customer’s bill based on historical usage, rather than actual usage, he said. In addition, Pacific Power may need to visit the property to remove the communication barrier, which could result in a $75 tampering fee, according to Pacific Power. This summer in Jackson County, Pacific Power is installing thousands of smart meters, which transmit information about a household’s electricity use for a few minutes each day. Pacific Power maintains the signals are safe. People are already exposed to radio frequency waves from radio and television broadcasting, cellphones, wireless Internet routers, garage-door openers, microwaves and other devices, according to Estlund. A cellphone puts out 1,100 times the energy of a smart meter. Wireless Internet systems — which many people keep on all day and night — emit 2.2 times the energy, according to Pacific Power. The power company is giving customers an option to opt out of a smart meter installation. About 1 percent of customers are choosing that path. But Oregon customers who opt out will be charged a $137 meter fee plus a monthly meter reading fee of $36. If customers change their mind within six months, Pacific Power will install a smart meter and refund the $137 meter fee. Monthly meter reading fees will not be refunded. Oregon customers who request the removal of a smart meter after it’s been installed will be billed $306, plus $36 for ongoing monthly meter readings. Customers who decide within six months to have a smart meter reinstalled will have the $306 refunded, but not fees for monthly meter readings that have already occurred. Smart meters will allow Pacific Power to eliminate about 100 meter reader positions statewide, although the company says about a quarter of those employees have been placed in other positions within the company. The smart meters can alert Pacific Power of an outage and when service is restored, plus help customers track their usage, according to the company. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.