If I make one claim now, you will know where this piece is
going. “We hardly had any lights on and we didn’t use any electric heat, and
yes we take a shower each day.”
That’s right. You’ve got it. We have lived in our new condo/townhouse/
carriage home complex for 60 days and yesterday we received our first hydro
bill. We immediately took issue with the exorbitant total amount. A punch line
is coming but before I deliver it, get this.
Smart Meters they’re called. BC Hydro in British
Columbia, is implementing Itron smart meters to all customers by the end of 2012. They
enable hourly remote 2-way communication between the meter and the central
information gathering hub. BC Hydro promoted to consumers that smart metering
offers potential benefits including an end to estimated billing, a major source
of our collective complaints. When Christine called BC Hydro she was met with a
congenial response and then this predictable default but now superfluous
answer. “It is only an estimate.” Really?
A Smart Meter was installed at our old house before we sold.
New owners have to deal with the outcomes. Here at the new condo/townhouse/carriage
home complex, Smart meters are contained in a clandestine concrete bunker into
which residents are permitted only in the company of the property manager or
custodian. Christine will be entering this subterranean vault today to read the
data. This was suggested by the respondent at the BC Hydro monitoring centre
which Christine called yesterday.
There has been a great deal of consumer resistance to this obligatory
appliance. In some countries,
American states or districts, but not in Canadian provinces, there have been moratoriums,
delays, and "opt-out" programs arising in response to the concerns of
customers and government officials.
The two main reasons for complaint are health and
privacy.
The health concerns about the meters arise from the pulsed radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted
by smart meters. Privacy concerns focus upon the collection of detailed data
about customers and their habits, the accessibility of that data through the
utility and possibly, at the site of the meter as well as the potential for
sharing of detailed personal information without the knowledge or desire of customers.
The meters have the capacity for extensive data collection
and analysis which moves far beyond the consumer purchase of a utility. Contrary
to B.C. Government claims, I do not believe smart meters provide any financial
benefit to consumers. The multi-million dollar cost for installation of the
meters will be rolled back into consumer bills. This device records consumption
in intervals of an hour or less, communicating that data for monitoring and
billing purposes. This permits time-of-day electricity pricing so that at peak daily
and seasonal utility usage periods, consumers will pay more. Consumers will
need to adjust their consumption habits to be more responsive to market prices.
However, it is unlikely that unless the consumer has an in-home (or on-line)
display and well-designed programme that successfully informs, engages, empowers
and motivates people, that this self regulation can occur.
Here are some sites that express displeasure and concerns
about Smart Meters:
I hate the new Smart Meters! When we got ours(we're in Ontario) our MONTHLY hydro bill was 600$! It's outrageous! Now we have to limit putting on the fans or A/C or even doing laundry until the cheaper "off peak" HRS. In doing so our monthly bill has now dropped in half, to 300$ but we resent being so limited and restricted and our lives dictated to by the gov't.Thanks to the Smart meters we have to swelter in the heat and can't turn on the A/C until 5pm!
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