MAY 27, 2011
BY CAM FORTEMS
DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Kamloops will be one of seven provincial hubs for BC Hydro’s billion-dollar smart metering program set to roll out this fall.
The Crown corporation has started an advertising campaign in markets across B.C., including here, to prepare homeowners for new meters with capabilities it says will save energy and make consumers more aware of their consumption.
“We’re using Kamloops as one of our operational centres,” said Gary Murphy, chief project officer for the program. “It’s a logistical hub where meter installers keep vehicles and get stocked with new meters and get rid of the old ones.”
The installation will be contracted out to Corix Utilities. It will provide an additional 37 jobs here during the installation period, from the fall this year until the end of 2012.
BC Hydro’s business case for smart meters says the billion-dollar program will eventually result in $500 million worth of benefits after all costs are factored in.
Following the current advertising campaign, pamphlets will be included in hydro bills, followed by a letter to homes. The installation phase will involve installing the digital units on homes, typically a 10-minute job.
Murphy said installers will knock on the door to advise residents the power is about to be shut off. The outage itself will be only 30 seconds or so.
“You don’t have to be home, unless you need to be home to have your meter read today.”
The changes and benefits, including stopping electricity theft and improving efficiencies in the system, will also be invisible to homeowners for at least a year. That’s when BC Hydro will have technology in place allowing homeowners to view details of their consumption habits, for example power usage from so-called “vampire devices” operating in the middle of the night.
Opposition critic John Horgan said he is skeptical of some claims, including that Hydro will find $100 million worth of electricity theft by grow-ops.
“It’s clever people who run these operations and they’ll find another way. It might be easier than joining wires to hack with a computer.”
But Horgan’s biggest concern is the program lacks oversight from the independent B.C. Utilities Commission. It was given a free pass through legislation introduced by the B.C. Liberal government.
He noted rates are already forecast to rise 50 per cent, without the billion-dollar smart meter program.
“The public could be saddled with a billion-dollar boondoggle. It’s a concern for everybody.”
The most controversial aspect of the program is technology that will allow the Crown corporation to charge higher rates during peak periods.
Overall energy production is driven by need to supply during peak times. And some utilities with smart meters charge higher rates around the supper hour to discourage operation of clothes washers and dishwashers, for example.
But Murphy said the smart meter program will save $500 million even without time-of-day charges, which he said are not under consideration.
Environment Minister Terry Lake said once the smart meter program is in place the province can look at time-of-use plans, but only after public debate.
“Right now we import electricity at high-demand times. If we could reduce that it would reduce need for coal-fired electricity from Alberta.”
A study conducted by energy management company Opower in the United States released this week found Americans who receive smart meter information on their usage reduce consumption by 1.8 per cent. If every home saved that much, it would be enough to power the states of Utah and Colorado.
“Studies range from the low end of one per cent up to 15 per cent,” said Murphy. “It really depends on the social and environmental factors that cause people to want to conserve. In B.C. we have a culture of conservation.”
FACTS ABOUT SMART METERS
BC Hydro smart meters are digital devices that capture energy-use information, replacing current meters. They provide a radio-frequency signal that can be read by a passing, mobile reader.
They will be installed on every Kamloops and area home starting in the fall.
Installation takes minutes and homeowners don’t have to be home, unless they need to be when meters are read today.
The program will save $500 million, due to efficiencies. Those include finding theft of electricity.
In 2012, technology will be available so consumers can view their power consumption habits through an Internet site or household device that displays information.
Smart meters are also capable of allowing BC Hydro to charge different rates by time of day, something experts say will reduce demand during the key suppertime hours. But the Crown corporation said that is “not on the table” at this time.
Source: BC Hydro
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110527/KAMLOOPS0101/110529841/-1/kamloops01/smart-meters-set-to-roll-out-in-kamloops
