With B.D. Erickson II of SATIC Inc, Episode 230
What You’ll Learn
- How B.D. Erickson’s son was diagnosed with Electro Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS) after living under high-voltage power lines, and the NASA blanket fix that changed everything [04:19]
- Why dairy cows won’t go within 4 feet of an electric fence, and what that reveals about the biological effects of electromagnetic fields [14:11]
- What dirty electricity actually is, why CFL and LED bulbs create it, and how incandescent bulbs clean your power [08:23]
- How smart meters do data dumps between 2-4am that correlate with neighborhood-wide sleep disruption [40:00]
- The difference between plug-in filters ($700 for a 4-pack) and wire-in filters ($1,200-2,000), plus the 30% federal tax credit available on Form 5695 [50:00]
- Why 5G millimeter waves work on the same principle as a microwave oven, causing cellular damage from millions of impacts per second [60:00]
- How SATIC’s Field Shield product reduces EMF to zero on a tri-field meter by sliding behind your headboard and plugging into ground [55:00]
- Why competitors’ filters have 1 filter each (requiring 20-30 units) while SATIC packs 8 filters per unit (requiring only 2-4) [10:00]
Why It Matters
Dirty electricity is the invisible EMF most people never test for. Unlike radio frequencies or magnetic fields, it rides through your home’s wiring and radiates from every outlet, lamp, and device. According to power systems engineer B.D. Erickson II, 8-15% of the population now shows symptoms of Electro Hypersensitivity Syndrome. That’s potentially 1 in 7 people experiencing sleep disruption, anxiety, and nervous system irritation from something they can’t see, smell, or taste.
Your bedroom might be the worst offender. Smart meters send data bursts between 2-4am. Solar inverters create continuous dirty electricity on your lines. LED and CFL bulbs degrade power quality every time they’re switched on. Most people assume their home’s electricity is clean because it powers their devices without problems. But the degraded waveforms riding on that power are silently stressing biology around the clock.
The good news: this is one of the most fixable environmental health problems. Plug-in filters, wire-in panel solutions, and behind-bed shields can reduce dirty electricity to near zero. And unlike most biohacking tools, some of these qualify for a 30% federal tax credit.
Who Should Listen
- Anyone with unexplained sleep issues. Smart meter data dumps between 2-4am correlate with widespread sleep disruption. This episode explains why and what to do about it.
- Homeowners with solar panels. Solar inverters are one of the biggest sources of dirty electricity. Erickson explains how wire-in filters solve this problem.
- Parents concerned about EMF exposure. Erickson’s journey started when his 8-year-old son developed EHS symptoms. He shares the specific steps that resolved them.
- Biohackers who’ve addressed RF but not dirty electricity. If you’ve optimized Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cell phone exposure, dirty electricity is likely your biggest remaining gap.
- Anyone living near power lines or cell towers. High-voltage lines create massive electromagnetic fields. Erickson explains why grass dies under them and what that means for nearby residents.
Episode Overview
B.D. Erickson II didn’t plan to become a dirty electricity expert. After his wife was killed by a drunk driver in Honolulu, he moved his young son back to Missoula, Montana. They settled into a home directly under the valley’s largest high-voltage power lines. Within 18 months, his son’s behavior changed dramatically. School called. The symptoms matched Electro Hypersensitivity Syndrome perfectly.
Erickson, a power systems engineer by training, read Sam Milham’s book Dirty Electricity and called the author directly. Sam answered on the first ring and confirmed the power lines were the problem. Erickson and his brother rolled a NASA blanket (aluminum foil, grounded) across the attic. The house went quiet for the first time in over a year. His son’s symptoms eased almost immediately.
That experience launched SATIC Inc, now in its 18th year. Erickson examined existing products like the Stetzerizer filter and found them effective but rudimentary. He built something better: plug-in filters with 8 filter stages each (competitors use 1), wire-in panel solutions for homes with smart meters or solar, and the Field Shield for bedrooms. Every product is made in Missoula, Montana.
This conversation covers the four main types of EMF, why dirty electricity is the most overlooked, how smart meters disrupt sleep between 2-4am, the 30% federal tax credit for power conditioning equipment, and practical steps to measure and reduce exposure throughout your home.
Key Terms
- [08:23] Dirty Electricity: Degraded electrical power carrying high-frequency voltage transients. Caused by smart meters, solar inverters, CFL/LED lighting, and DC devices. It rides on your home’s wiring and radiates from outlets and appliances.
- [07:51] EHS (Electro Hypersensitivity Syndrome): A condition where individuals experience symptoms like irritability, anxiety, insomnia, skin sensitivity, and fibromyalgia-like pain from exposure to electromagnetic fields. Erickson reports 8-15% of the population may be affected.
- [14:11] Stray Voltage: Unwanted electrical potential that radiates from wiring, fences, and power lines. Dairy cows can sense it within 4 feet, refusing to approach electric fences even without physical contact.
- [23:44] Schumann Resonance: The Earth’s natural electromagnetic frequency, approximately 7.83 Hz. Considered healing and grounding. Animals maintain constant contact with it through bare feet on the ground.
- [55:00] Field Shield: A 2ft x 4ft panel that slides behind a headboard, plugs into the ground wire, and blocks EMF radiation. Reduces readings to zero on a tri-field meter according to Erickson’s testing.
- [60:00] Millimeter Waves (5G): High-frequency electromagnetic waves used in 5G networks. Operate on the same principle as a microwave oven. Erickson explains they cause cellular damage from millions of wave impacts per second.
What Is Dirty Electricity & Why Is It the Most Overlooked EMF?
The short answer
Dirty electricity is degraded power carrying high-frequency voltage transients on your home’s wiring. It’s the one type of EMF that standard meters don’t detect. While most people know about radio frequency (Wi-Fi, cell towers) and magnetic fields (power lines), dirty electricity hides in plain sight. Every outlet in your house radiates it, and the typical bedroom has 10-20x the safe threshold without anyone knowing.
What Erickson found
Erickson explains that four primary sources create dirty electricity in modern homes. Smart meters are the first. They convert power using switching technology that injects high-frequency noise back onto your wiring. Solar inverters are the second. Converting DC solar power to AC creates significant electromagnetic interference. CFL and LED bulbs are third. They use internal drivers that chop and convert power, generating dirty electricity every time they’re on. Fourth, any device that converts AC to DC (chargers, adapters, electronics) degrades power quality.
Erickson discovered this firsthand when testing his own home after his son’s EHS diagnosis. Sam Milham, epidemiologist and author of Dirty Electricity, confirmed that power line proximity was the likely cause. Erickson opened competing products and found them using single-stage filtering. He built multi-stage filters with 8 components per unit instead of 1.
The incandescent bulb insight is particularly striking. According to Erickson, incandescent bulbs actually clean electricity because they use pure resistive load. CFL and LED bulbs do the opposite. SATIC now manufactures EMF-free LED bulbs that avoid this problem.
What to do about it
Start by measuring. An EMI-specific meter (like the SATIC Shield EMI meter) can reveal dirty electricity levels that a standard tri-field meter misses. Test every outlet, especially in bedrooms. Then address the worst sources first: plug-in filters for most homes, wire-in filters for homes with smart meters or solar panels.
“I read a book by a guy named Sam Milham called Dirty Electricity. And I was like, this is it.” – B.D. Erickson II
How Do Smart Meters & Solar Panels Create Dirty Electricity?
The short answer
Both smart meters and solar inverters convert power in ways that inject high-frequency noise onto your home’s wiring. Smart meters do data dumps between 2-4am, correlating with widespread sleep disruption in neighborhoods. Solar inverters continuously create dirty electricity as they convert DC to AC power.
What Erickson found
Erickson, who also founded Satic Solar (Montana’s leading solar company), has unique insight into this problem. He explains that solar panels generate DC power. Your home runs on AC. The inverter bridges that gap, but the conversion process creates significant electromagnetic interference that travels through every wire in your house.
Smart meters present a different problem. They communicate wirelessly, sending usage data back to the utility. These data transmissions happen primarily between 2-4am, right during your deepest sleep cycles. Erickson reports that neighborhoods with smart meters show correlated patterns of sleep disruption during these hours. The meters also use switching power supplies that inject noise onto your lines 24/7.
A telling indicator: if your phone gets hot while charging, that’s dirty electricity. The charger is creating electromagnetic interference as it converts AC wall power to DC for the battery.
What to do about it
For homes with smart meters or solar, Erickson recommends wire-in filters installed at the electrical panel ($1,200-2,000). These qualify for a 30% federal tax credit on Form 5695 as energy-efficient power conditioning equipment. Plug-in filters help but can’t fully address the volume of dirty electricity these sources create.
“Electricity will always do two things. It will always follow the path of least resistance. It will always find its way to ground.” – B.D. Erickson II
Related: Basic EMF Protection Guide
Why Does Sleeping Near Electrical Wiring Disrupt Recovery?
The short answer
Your bedroom walls contain electrical wiring that radiates electromagnetic fields all night. Combined with dirty electricity from smart meters, chargers, and LED nightlights, your sleep environment is often the most electromagnetically polluted room in the house.
What Erickson found
Erickson tested his own home and found that bedroom outlets had the highest dirty electricity readings, between 10-20x the safe threshold. This makes sense: bedrooms typically have outlets on multiple walls, often with wiring running behind the headboard. You spend 7-8 hours with your head inches from radiating conductors.
The human body runs on electricity. Nerve signals operate at negative 50 to 100 millivolts. External electromagnetic fields at vastly higher intensities interfere with these delicate biological signals. Erickson points to the cow analogy: dairy cows feel stray voltage within 4 feet of an electric fence and refuse to approach. Humans, he argues, can likely feel it too but are too mentally busy to notice.
What to do about it
The Field Shield is Erickson’s solution for bedrooms. It’s a 2ft x 4ft panel that slides behind a headboard and plugs into the ground wire. On a tri-field meter, it reduces readings to zero. For whole-bedroom coverage, combine it with plug-in filters on bedroom outlets. Unplug devices at night, especially chargers. Switch LED nightlights to incandescent alternatives.
“I would postulate that if humans were a little quieter in our minds, then when we got close to that electric fence we could feel it just like a cow.” – B.D. Erickson II
Related: Shield Your Body From Electrosmog
The Erickson EMF Protection Protocol
- Get an EMI meter that measures dirty electricity (standard tri-field meters don’t detect it) and test every outlet in your home, starting with bedrooms.
- Check whether you have a smart meter on your home. If so, prioritize a wire-in filter at the electrical panel ($1,200-2,000) to address the continuous noise it injects.
- If you have solar panels, install a wire-in filter at the panel. The inverter creates significant dirty electricity during all daylight hours.
- Install plug-in dirty electricity filters throughout the home. A 4-pack (~$700) covers most houses. Place them in bedrooms first, then living areas.
- Put a Field Shield behind your headboard to block EMF radiation from bedroom wall wiring while you sleep.
- Replace CFL and standard LED bulbs with incandescent bulbs or EMF-free LED alternatives. Every CFL and LED bulb creates dirty electricity.
- Unplug devices and chargers at night, especially in the bedroom. A plugged-in phone has access to the grid’s full energy potential for emitting EMF.
- Keep your phone off your body, use speaker mode for calls, and never hold it to your ear. The battery limits EMF output when unplugged, but the grid amplifies it when charging.
- Get barefoot on the earth daily to ground at Schumann resonance frequency. This helps offset the effects of man-made electromagnetic exposure.
- File Form 5695 for the 30% federal tax credit on qualifying power conditioning equipment like wire-in filters.
*Source: B.D. Erickson II’s EMF Mitigation Framework, SATIC Inc*
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dirty electricity & how is it different from other EMFs?
Dirty electricity is degraded electrical power carrying high-frequency voltage transients on your home wiring. Unlike radio frequency (from Wi-Fi and cell towers) or magnetic fields (from power lines), dirty electricity travels through your electrical system and radiates from every outlet and appliance. Standard EMF meters don’t detect it. You need a dedicated EMI meter to measure it.
How many SATIC filters do I need for my whole house?
Most homes need 2-4 plug-in filters, available as a 4-pack for approximately $700. SATIC filters contain 8 filter stages each, compared to competitors that use 1 filter stage per unit (requiring 20-30 units). Homes with smart meters or solar panels should also consider a wire-in filter at the electrical panel for $1,200-2,000.
Do SATIC dirty electricity filters qualify for a tax credit?
Yes. Wire-in power conditioning equipment qualifies for a 30% federal tax credit filed on Form 5695. This applies to the wire-in filter products installed at your electrical panel, not the plug-in units.
Why do smart meters disrupt sleep between 2-4am?
Smart meters communicate usage data back to the utility company through wireless data dumps that primarily occur between 2 and 4am. These transmissions create electromagnetic interference during your deepest sleep cycles. Additionally, the switching power supplies inside smart meters inject noise onto your home wiring 24 hours a day.
What is the Field Shield & how does it work?
The Field Shield is a 2ft by 4ft panel that slides behind your headboard and plugs into the ground wire of a nearby outlet. It creates a grounded barrier between your head and the electromagnetic fields radiating from bedroom wall wiring. On a tri-field meter, it reduces EMF readings to zero according to B.D. Erickson II.
Are LED bulbs bad for dirty electricity?
Standard LED and CFL bulbs create dirty electricity because they use internal drivers that chop and convert power. Incandescent bulbs actually clean electricity because they use pure resistive load. SATIC manufactures EMF-free LED bulbs that avoid this problem while still offering energy efficiency.
What percentage of people are sensitive to EMFs?
According to B.D. Erickson II, approximately 8-15% of the population shows symptoms associated with Electro Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS). The number was previously estimated at 8% but has risen to 12-15% as EMF exposure from smart meters, 5G, and connected devices has increased.
Products, Tools, & Resources Mentioned
*Outliyr independently evaluates all recommendations. We may get a small commission if you buy through our links (at no cost to you). Thanks for your support!*
Dirty electricity filters & EMF protection
- SaticShield Plug-In Dirty Electricity Filters (code HPL15 saves 15% + free shipping + free 30-min consultation)
- SaticShield Wire-In Panel Filters (code HPL15 saves 15% + free shipping + free 30-min consultation)
- SATIC Field Shield (behind-bed EMF blocker, code HPL15 saves 15%)
- SATIC EMF-Free LED Bulbs (code HPL15 saves 15%)
- Cornet ED88T EMF Meter
Books mentioned
About B.D. Erickson II
B.D. Erickson II is the CEO of SATIC Inc and Chief Innovation Officer of EPIC Energies. He’s a power systems engineer with an applied science degree who founded Satic Solar, Montana’s leading solar company. After his son was diagnosed with Electro Hypersensitivity Syndrome from living under high-voltage power lines in Missoula, Montana, Erickson built dirty electricity filters that outperformed everything on the market.
His company is now in its 18th year. All products are made in Missoula, Montana. Erickson has helped over 100,000 people lower their EMF exposure. He studied under Patrick McKeown and is a certified NLP practitioner. He personally called Sam Milham (author of Dirty Electricity) early in his journey, and the two became friends.
Connect with B.D. Erickson II: SaticShield.com
Related Episodes
- E62: Shield Your Body From Electrosmog
- E191: LifeWave Phototherapy Patches
- E115: PEMF Therapy Health Benefits with Bob Dennis
- E88: Scalar Light Healing Therapy with Tom Paladino
- E225: EMF Safety Best Practices with R Blank
- E210: Circadian Rhythm & Quantum Health with Carrie Bennett
- Article: Best EMF Radiation Protection Devices & Companies
Music by Alexander Tomashevsky
Full Episode Transcript
BD Erickson II [00:00:00]: We’ve got Amazon, Microsoft, we have Google, we have Apple. These are the biggest, most powerful companies in the world. They don’t want you connected, Nick. They need you connected, baby. They need you connected. Right.
Nick Urban [00:00:13]: You’re listening to High Performance Longevity. The show exploring a better path to optimal health for those daring to live as an outlier in a world of averages. I’m your host, Nick Urban, bioharmonizer, performance coach, and lifelong student of both modern science and ancestral wisdom. Each week we decode the tools, tactics and timeless principles to help you optimize your mind, body and performance span. Things you won’t find on Google or in your AI tool of choice. From cutting edge biohacks to grounded lifestyle practices, you’ll walk away with actionable insights to look, feel and perform at your best across all of life’s domains.
Nick Urban [00:01:07]: Hey, it’s your host Nick Urban here. Before we get into the interview with B.D. Erickson, I want to first take you behind the scenes. You see, after we recorded this interview, his team generously offered to send me some equipment to test. Now, if you’ve tuned into very many of these shows, you’ll know that I sometimes talk about non-native electromagnetic fields and specifically how many of them can be detrimental to human biology. Not just human biology, but all biology. Well, I personally have a meter that measures three of the four main types of EMFs. It’s a Cornet ED88T.
Nick Urban [00:01:39]: Those of you tuning into the video version of this can see that I’m holding it up. And you can see that I have very high radio frequency levels right in front of my computer, my workstation, which makes sense, but historically there’s been one type of EMF that I haven’t been able to measure, and that’s been dirty electricity. You see, meters like the one I have here don’t pick it up. It’s the elusive forgotten form of EMF. So when I got the SATIC Shield EMI meter, I was surprised to see that my house has high levels of dirty electricity.
Nick Urban [00:02:23]: Not only are they the worst, but the levels I recorded there are between 10 to 20 times higher than what is considered the safe threshold. So luckily, I’ve been able to remedy that situation with SATIC Shield’s Field Shield product. But if you haven’t tested your house for dirty electricity and other EMFs you can get meters for relatively inexpensively and you can make it a project to test your whole neighborhood.
Nick Urban [00:03:19]: With a meter, I was able to measure a significant reduction in dirty electricity levels throughout the entire house from simply plugging in one of their filters. I think I’ll need about three or four for the entire house, but even just one makes a big difference. If you want to try Field Shield, get one of their meters or the dirty electricity filter, the code HPL15 should save you 15% on your order.
BD Erickson II [00:04:02]: Glad to be here.
Nick Urban [00:04:03]: Let’s start off with something that might shock most people, and that is that you discovered that your own son was being poisoned by invisible forces in your home. Tell us that story and how it led to the development of your mission.
BD Erickson II [00:04:19]: You know, something that never entered my mind, something that you don’t really think about until it comes into your sphere. So my son and I were living in Honolulu, Hawaii, and my wife was killed in an auto accident by a drunk driver. It’s very hard for he and I. Some time later, he and I moved home to Missoula, Montana, where we belong, where we’re from, closer to my family and hers, for the help that I needed with little guy.
BD Erickson II [00:05:14]: It’s not like, no, Nick, these are the biggest power lines in the whole valley. And we giggle like, how could we miss it? Two hyper-visual males, right? Our second kind of chuckle is that we’re not going to have to mow a lot of the property because where those lines go over, directly underneath them, the grass is gone, it’s dead.
BD Erickson II [00:06:03]: Can you come in? Well, of course. So, you know, I go in to have the talk and they’re lovely ladies inside and out. And I mean that sincerely. They said, you know, Dalen has not missed one day of school in two years. You’re to be commended. And Dalen has not gotten any grade other than an A ever. You’re to be commended.
BD Erickson II [00:06:44]: He said, but have you noticed? He’s off. He’s not as fun loving, he’s a little more irritable. The homework is not done with his usual care. His grades are about to slip. Is everything okay at home?
BD Erickson II [00:07:14]: You really do. And so I said, we have been through a lot, but yes, I’ve noticed it too. So their plan, right, to get a counselor maybe and talk about maybe some medicine to calm this little edgy, busy, overactive mind. Now, I wasn’t super woo woo at this point, right? This is 18 years ago. But the last thing that I wanted to do even then was put my 8-year-old on drugs.
BD Erickson II [00:07:51]: Because it wasn’t him. It wasn’t the tragedy, it wasn’t him. Something was off and markedly so. So then you go down the rabbit hole of being your own doctor, of trying to find what’s bothering him. And it did not take long to find out that his symptoms matched up with something called EHS. Electro Hypersensitivity Syndrome.
BD Erickson II [00:08:23]: I read a book by a guy named Sam Milham called Dirty Electricity. And I was like, this is it. And so I actually called Sam and he answered the phone on the first ring, man, he took my call, he became a friend. I talked to him. He said, yeah, man, it’s those power lines.
BD Erickson II [00:08:51]: So the first thing that my brother and I did was climb up in the attic and we rolled out what they call a NASA blanket. And it’s an aluminum foil blanket. And we rolled it out eve to eve, cable to cable, and grounded it. And when we grounded it, my son, the house went quiet. The house was calm for the first time in the year and a half that we had lived there.
[Full transcript continues in the audio. Listen above or on your favorite podcast platform.]
BD Erickson II [01:16:15]: Power level? Yes, the power level. So when I’m holding my phone and it’s not plugged in, the amount of signal that it can send is limited to the amount of energy in the battery. It can’t send more power than it possesses. You cannot give that which you do not possess.
BD Erickson II [01:17:41]: Do not keep the phone by your face, do not keep it on your person and don’t hold it up to your ear, put it on speaker mode, keep it off your body and then we are not messing with your phone. Don’t be holding it, put it down, get away from the dumb thing, don’t keep it in your pocket.
Nick Urban [01:17:57]: Well that’s a good summary of some of the action steps to take and why it’s important to address dirty electricity specifically. BD if people want to connect with you and they want to grab some of these systems, these American-made systems, how do they go about that?
BD Erickson II [01:19:15]: He did not ask me to sell anything. He really just wants good advice. We have a discount code HPL15 and anybody when it says coupon code before you check out, please put in HPL15 and you’ll get extra things. Number one, you’ll get a 15% discount on the entire cart at checkout. Number two, you’re going to get free shipping. And number three, you’re going to get an absolutely free 30 minute consultation with the team.
Nick Urban [01:20:33]: Well, BD, thank you for your genesis into this area of your pain to purpose story. I’m glad that you have this out there now. The education and the products to help empower people to take control of their health because it’s an area that education is slowly trickling out around. Eventually people will look back on your work and appreciate it. So thank you for joining me on the show, sharing this and creating your products.
BD Erickson II [01:21:16]: Thank you for having me. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re helping us all.
