THE TIMES JUNE 9, 2011
Editor, the Times:
BC Hydro has been hitting the hustings lately with the message that its wireless smart meter program will save us money – it won’t. And that we need it – we don’t. Where the utility company introduced it in California, the residential rates went up by as much as 300 per cent. In Ontario, they’ve gone up by an average of 80 per cent.
Everywhere the wireless smart meter has been introduced, rates have increased. Even Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty admits that their billion dollar program isn’t saving money. And why is that? Because that clever smart meter figured out that shifting major utility use to overnight when the rates are lower will save money. Imagine that. Who would have guessed? But Ontario residents decided that such a shift in pattern is disruptive, inconvenient, and, since day and night rate are practically identical, without sufficient incentive.
There are many reasons for B.C. residents to oppose our own disaster-in-waiting. Cost is only one. The smart meter communicates through wireless technology and is easy to hack into. Further, it emits harmful electromagnetic radiation in spurts that some electrical engineers report ranges in frequency between 4,000 hz to 60,000 hz. And this every 30 seconds, 2880 times a day.
Many that have the meters are complaining of headaches and sleep disturbance.
Added to the plethora of wireless devices that are now assaulting our systems every moment we live and for every breathe we take, our health costs are going to skyrocket. All in all, BC Hydro’s wireless smart meter program is an expensive and nasty piece of work. One billion dollars is their estimate cost to radiate us with microwave in our home. We deserve far better representation from our politicians than this.
Better they spend the billion dollars to reduce our power bill.
Robert Riedlinger
Mission
#1 by Christina Postnikoff on June 10, 2011 - 3:27 pm
I received the following email from Mora Scott BC Hydro in response to the Christy Clark email from your website I sent earlier. For your information only. I couldn’t find a contact email on your website so am using this comment box to sent this email.
Dear Ms. Postnikoff:
Thank you for contacting us regarding the Smart Metering Program.
As you may know, our electricity grid has changed very little over the past 50 years. The Smart Metering Program is a critical infrastructure upgrade and involves replacing existing meters with a modern, fully integrated, smart metering system. We hold the responsibility for delivering safe, reliable and cost effective electricity to homes and businesses across the province, and the Smart Metering Program is an integral part of meeting that responsibility.
First and foremost, the Smart Metering Program is focused on improving public and worker safety. Specifically, the smart metering system will:
· Reduce public, first responder and worker exposure to increasingly dangerous theft-related hazards. By helping to identify illegal electricity diversions in a more consistent and automated way, the smart metering system will reduce public safety risks, such as house fires, public exposure to live wires, and premature transformer failures.
· Reduce risk to BC Hydro field crews during outages. Unlike today when BC Hydro is not aware of outages until customers report them, the smart metering system will automatically provide real-time outage notification. Not only does this significantly improve customer service, but it also serves to pinpoint problem areas quickly – reducing both the duration and frequency of outages, as well as reducing travel time and minimizing field crews’ exposure to dangerous work under adverse weather conditions.
In addition to improved public safety, BC Hydro’s Smart Metering Program will pay for itself through operating efficiencies, reduced theft of electricity, and energy savings and deliver at least $520 million in net benefits over 20 years. In fact, the program reduces rate pressures by over $70 million over the next three years alone. All of those savings will be passed on to customers, keeping both current and future rates lower than they otherwise would be without the program.
In summary, BC Hydro’s Smart Metering Program will:
· Improve safety and reliability through faster and precise outage notification and a reduction in the damage and hazards caused by illegal electricity diversions.
· Enhance customer service by reporting electricity use more accurately, eliminating estimated bills, simplifying the process of opening and closing an account when moving, improved outage management, and reducing the need for onsite visits by field crews.
· Reduce electricity theft that amounts to approximately $100 million a year in costs that are borne by all legitimate BC Hydro customers.
· Improve operational efficiency and reduce wasted electricity through voltage optimization. Lower operating costs are passed on to all customers through rates.
· Support greater customer choice and control by offering optional in-home feedback tools that provide direct and timely information to customers about their electricity consumption.
· Help modernize British Columbia’s electricity system by replacing nearly obsolete meters, and creating the foundation for supporting new uses of electricity such as electric vehicles, customer generation and microgrids.
The decision to move forward with the Smart Metering Program was based on a thorough evaluation of the technology and options available, extensive discussions with other utilities, and the incorporation of those lessons into our program.
Customer and public safety are top priorities for BC Hydro. BC Hydro has sought the advice of Dr. Perry Kendall, BC’s Provincial Health Officer, and he is confident that the selected technology is safe and can be implemented as planned. Additionally, the BC Centre for Disease Control has conducted independent testing on BC Hydro’s smart meters at our request, which found the meters to be well below the applicable public limit of power density exposure.
Smart meter signals are short and infrequent. The meters will communicate using radio frequency signals 4 to 6 times a day – for a total average daily transmission of one minute. The cumulative exposure to radio frequency from a BC Hydro smart meter – over its entire 20-year life span – is the equivalent to the exposure during a single 30 minute cell phone call. For more information about BC Hydro’s smart metering technology, please click here.
We understand that some customers are uncomfortable with radio frequency based technology. Now that the metering technology has been confirmed, BC Hydro is considering potential options that could be offered to customers and what the cost of those customized options will be.
Protecting your privacy is our top priority and extensive security and privacy provisions are in place for the Smart Metering Program. BC Hydro will use data encryption like online banking systems. In addition, our security methodology includes ‘ethical hacking’ testing by an independent security services firm.
With smart meters, BC Hydro will be able to collect electricity use data more frequently – hourly instead of bi-monthly. Customers who choose to take advantage of in-home feedback devices can monitor their own consumption data on a real-time basis, in the privacy of their own homes. All personal information will be handled in accordance with the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
BC Hydro is committed to providing accurate and timely information about the Smart Metering Program. All current information about the Smart Metering Program, including the business case, can be found at bchydro.com/smartmeters.
Should you wish to be added to our list of key customers that will receive direct updates from BC Hydro, including information about our engagement forums, as the Smart Metering Program progresses, please let me know.
Thank you again for your enquiry.
Kind regards,
Mora
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#2 by Linda on July 7, 2011 - 1:39 pm
Those smart meters, are a serious health hazard. People have been made ill by them, especially children.
The best thing to do, is have meetings in your neighborhoods. We are looking into solar power. The more people you can get together, means the solar panels are that much cheaper.
In BC Campbell thieved and sold our rivers, so our hydro was to go up, 53%. Our bills will be higher than that, with the smart meters. As they say, the meters, are easy to hack into. Anything Campbell did, there will be corruption involved. He thieved our rivers for a reason.