A modernized grid: Smart meter installations begin
By Contributor
This summer, BC Hydro will begin exchanging existing meters with smart meters across the province.
These modern devices are part of an integrated system that measures the flow of electricity through the grid and can capture and record the amount of power that is consumed, and when.
Smart meters enable a range of new benefits that are not possible with the current system.
The electricity system that supplies the energy to power it all hasn’t kept pace. For example, meters – the devices that measure how much electricity customers are using – have not fundamentally changed since the 1950s.
What you can expect
Smart meter installations begin this summer and will continue through the end of 2012.
Delta, Ladner, Prince George and Richmond will be the first communities to have the new smart meters installed.
BC Hydro will send a letter a few weeks in advance as a reminder that they’ll be coming by.
Installations will take place between Monday and Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. In most cases, the exchange will take less than 10 minutes and there will be a brief electrical outage, typically lasting 60 seconds.
Corix is the local company that has been contracted to install smart meters, and the installers will be clearly identifiable by signs on their vehicles, logos on their uniforms, and photo identification badges.
They’ll knock on your door before starting any work, but you do not need to be home for the exchange to take place as long as they have safe, clear access to the meter.
Smart meters put you in control
With smart meters in place, a range of additional conservation tools will become available to you, helping you to save energy and money in new ways.
Next year, BC Hydro customers will have access to a secure online account that displays how much energy you have used, when it was used and at what cost – up to the previous day.
Eventually, optional in-home feedback devices, such as an in-home display, will provide you with near real-time feedback on your consumption.
Use the links below for more information on BC Hydro’s Smart Metering Program:
