What are the Three Tiers of Residential EMF Testing Surveys?

Top-Tier

We believe we are unique in this category and will outline the reasons below.

Middle-Tier

Typical Building Biology Institute’s Professional Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist residential test inspections and surveys.

Lower Tier

Standard Testing includes residential tests by Building Biology Institute BBECs, Industrial Hygienists, Home Inspectors, Mold Inspectors, etc.

Lowest of the Lows

This tier will not be expounded on for obvious reasons. These persons often make false online claims such as being licensed “EMF Experts, “Licensing is Mandatory”, “EMF Specialists,” and “EMF Medical-Legal Experts.” These people are usually one-man companies that do not list their personnel, do not post licenses or certificates, and operate in densely populated areas such as New York and New Jersey. They market themselves not only with false claims but are also in constant attack mode against their perceived competitors, leveling misinformation and fictitious stories.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

LOWER-TIER:

Standard EMF Surveys

These include:

1. AC Magnetic and Radio Frequency testing. Sometimes, “dirty electricity” can be detected with an inexpensive plug-in meter, such as a Greenwave, Stetzer, or Alpha Labs Broadband EMI Meter. This latter test takes about one minute to perform.

2. There will be none to a few mitigation suggestions, such as “call your electrician,” “buy some shielding, “get some distance, or “turn things off.” Most of these technicians, or engineers, will advertise themselves as Professional EMF Testing Specialists, EMF Medical Experts, or just EMF Experts. (For all of you in the New York Tri-State area, where there are a few rascals, please know there is no state license for EMF Testing.)

3. There is no consistency with persons conducting Standard EMF surveys, so you don’t know what level of competency you will receive. This is in contrast to the next Tier of EMF Survey providers.

MIDDLE-TIER:

Building Biology Institute Professional Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist EMF Surveys

The good thing about hiring an EMRS is that all are trained and have learned testing procedures and protocols. The certification program is somewhat rigorous, but neither the IEEE, the US Government, nor any state government recognizes it.

Many training staff hold a B.Sc. in electrical engineering; a couple hold an M.S. degree. This organization also has other types of engineers, electricians, and medical practitioners.

Although competency levels vary, as in any profession, more experienced EMRSs are generous with their time, supporting and assisting newer EMRSs with questions and on-the-job issues. So, if you hire an EMRS, you will get a modicum of consistency, depending on the integrity of the individual EMRS.

The tests you should expect from a certified EMRS are:

  1. AC Magnetic Field, AC Electric Field, and DC Magnetic Field flux densities.

  2. Radio Frequency Broadband Meter testing from 20 MHz to 8 GHz. (Some use inexpensive spectrum analyzers to identify frequencies. A few use more capable uncalibrated SAs.)

  3. “Dirty Electricity”: Most use a plug-in EMI Broadband meter, but some also use an oscilloscope and an antenna.

  4. Stray current tests on all utility services.

  5. Some EMRSs will check the building’s grounding with a ground tester. Ask if they offer this service.

* What distinguishes an EMRS from others in this industry is that they receive the training to work with electricians to detect and solve wiring errors that cause actionable EMF. They have a competent understanding of various shielding techniques and adhere to very strict safety guidelines for sleeping areas.

Limitations

  1. Most EMRSs use inexpensive factory-calibrated equipment, so any reports they file would not stand the rigors of a court of law.

  2. Because the equipment is not ISO certified as having been calibrated with accredited degrees of uncertainty, or +/- dB error, the actual levels measured are not replicable or verifiable by scientific standards.

  3. Standard-issue equipment has frequency spectrum gaps. For example, RF from 1.0 to 20 MHz is not accounted for, even though thousands of FCC-licensed equipment emit RF in this range.

  4. The typical EMRS uses EMF-sensitive persons to establish whether a mitigation protocol works. Although this is a very compassionate approach, it lacks scientific rigor.

Top-Tier:

EMFnYC Surveys and ELEXANA Surveys

James Finn is a voting member of the New York Section of the IEEE, a member of the EMC Society, a member of the NFPA, HIPAA Compliant, OSHA certified, a member of the American Society of Photobiology, and memeber of BEMS, and a certified EMRS. Anastasiia has a PhD in Electrical and Electromagnetic Engineering, and Phil D. is an Electrical Engineer. Our company also has an affiliate staff of fellow EMRSs, NYC local electrical engineers, electricians, and licensed medical practitioners.

What distinguishes EMFnYC from a typical EMRS and all others?

  1. We carry Professional Liability Insurance and General Liability Insurance to protect both our clients’ properties and our health.

  2. We conduct surveys using ISO 17025-certified, GPS- and timestamp-accurate equipment, measuring Earth’s DC fields and RF up to 60 GHz, with calibration up to 40 GHz. Every frequency from DC to 60 GHz is accounted for. (Please note: Even though few in this area of work can match the level of our equipment, a skilled consultant who has a strong working knowledge of the laws of physics involving electromagnetic radiation and a deep understanding of DC and AC power systems can help you and your family with even the most modest equipment.)

  3. Every report is an official document that would withstand legal scrutiny and is also a scientific study that is replicable and verifiable.

  4. Of course, we know the Building Biology threshold levels, but we do not use terminology like “severe” and “extreme.” We believe this is fear-mongering and skates the edge of a conflict of interest, since most EMRSs profit from selling mitigation products. Instead, to inform our clients about contemporary science, we present the various international standards and point them to the studies published by the Bio-Initiative.

  5. Another difference between EMFnYc and the Building Biology Institute EMRS is that the BBI likes to make up terms like MEP, Microsurge Electromagnetic Pollution, DE (dirty electricity), and electrosmog. In contrast, we prefer terms used by electrical engineers over the last 50 years, such as EMI (electromagnetic interference), THD (total harmonic distortion), and SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), voltage, and current. This is because we work with third-party engineers and electricians every day.

  6. We test primary grounds with a certified calibrated meter and successfully design grounding systems using soil resistivity tests.

  7. We can log and run multiple tests on the current and voltage at your single-phase or three-phase electrical service panel for several days.

  8. We can test the bonding integrity of every electrical bond in your home with a certified Micro-Ohmmeter. This is an unprecedented detail. (It is probably not necessary for 99.9% of homes.)

  9. We measure epidermal voltage from DC to 3.0 GHz in real time, covering the entire frequency range.

  10. We measure AC magnetic fields to 30 MHz.

  11. We measure more than voltage noise; it could yield “dirty electricity” (harmonic transients) on the electrical lines (hot, neutral, and ground). We measure the harmonic transients in the current. We also measure the air frequencies to see whether what is conducted on the electrical line translates into capacitive coupling. Line and capacitive noise sometimes do not correspond due to cancellation. This thoroughness helps us determine whether line filters are needed for our client or would make their home environment worse. Yes, installing“dirty electricity” filters can sometimes worsen the home environment!

  12. We do not sell mitigation products directly to our clients to avoid a conflict of interest, nor do we receive commissions or kickbacks. We consider this a conflict of interest.

  13. Due to the placebo effect and the way the EMF-sensitivity works, we do not use EMF-sensitive clients as a metric for mitigation success. We work towards achieving the lowest levels that are reasonable, given the budget.

  14. We also test for ionic radiation with a certified calibration pan-style Geiger counter for clients' homes built on landfills before 1980, or for homes in areas known to have radiation. (Although we have a radon detector, we do not test for radon.)

  15. We can also provide seismic studies, acoustic testing well beyond the range of human hearing, and vibration testing, again with state-of-the-art, certified, calibrated equipment. This work is helpful for people suffering from tinnitus. It helps determine whether the ringing is in the physical space or self-generated.

  16. We work with licensed electricians in an advisory role. We do not make any alterations to your electrical system.

©2025, ©2026 All Rights are Reserved.

James Finn