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The meters aren't UL approved (at least here in Florida they're not). While the equipment at the pole is not UL approved either, it is not sitting on the side of your house. The components that you bought when you built your home and were installed by your EC were UL approved.

So you suppose that the utility is installing unsafe devices? Don't you think that they have insurance carriers as well? ("U" stands for "underwriters.")

There have been house fires directly attributed to the meters however, the power company assures us this only happens to old homes with old wiring.

Sure there have. The meter is not doing anything to stress the houses internal wiring, so this in nonsense. Do you imagine that this meter is designed to send surges of excessive current throughout the house?

In the case of fires, the power companies have told homeowners they must go through their homeowners insurance. Insurance carriers have denied the claims citing the meter as the sour space and the power company as the responsible party. The homeowner is stuck in the middle and after having lost a home, must pay a lawyer to intervene on their behalf. AFAIK, no cases have been brought forth - yet. The U 'underwriters' in UL have no exposure here since they have not approved the meters.

As far as stressing the internal wiring, I never said it did. I repeated the power company's claim that fire in conjunction with the installation of the smart meter *only* happens because the house has old, outdated wiring. I'm guessing knob and tube.

I'd prefer not to beta test the meter which is why I opted out. As I said in my previous post, this is a win/win for the meter maker and the power company. Since it usually results in an increase in billing, it's also a way for the power company to obtain an increase without approval (Florida must approve FPL's increases).