Hydro One “Enough is Enough”      Video Coverage

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Smart Meter Brands used in Ontario 

Simcoe Ontario –  SENSUS iCON Smart Meter  http://www.sensus.com/Module/Catalog/ElectricCategory?id=101

Kingston Ontario –  SENSUS iCON Smart Meter  http://www.kingstonhydro.ca/SmartMeters

Niagra on the Lake Hydro –  SENSUS iCON Smart Meter  http://notlhydro.com/residential/readmeter/

Kitchener Waterloo –  SENSUS iCON Smart Meter   electricityforum.com   CTV News 2012

Cambridge & North Dunfries – SENSUS iCON Smart Meter   electricityforum.com/news/sep09/ThreeOntarioutilitiesoptforFlexNetmetering.html

Collingwood Ontario – SENSUS iCON Smart Meter   www.colluspowerstream.ca/collus-powerstream-smart-meters-have-proven-safety-record

Collingwood Ontario – Crisis averted as Ontario smart meter explodes next to gas line

 

London Ontario – PHASE TWO was  SENSUS iCON Smart Meter  according to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in Ottawa 

QUOTE : ” In addition, API indicates that, as part of the District 9 (D9) group of seven utilities in northeastern Ontario, it worked collectively with these utilities to develop a single project plan, single AMI solution, single vendors and pooled resources for educational and research activities. D9 also participated in the London Hydro Phase Two RFP Proposal process that resulted in a contract with Sensus. All Regional Collectors are owned by API and the D9 utilities share a single Regional Network Interface (RNI).” 

Sudbury Ontario – SENSUS iCON Smart Meter

QUOTE : ” In Sudbury, the local utility has installed 173 Sensus smart meters from the same Generation 3 line, but not the same model as used in Saskatchewan, with the only difference likely being software, said vice-president Brian McMillan.”   thestar.com Aug 11 – 2014

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Stratford Ontario – Trilliant (Landis+Gyr) Focus Smart Meter  trilliantinc.com

Brampton Ontario – Trilliant (Landis+Gyr) Focus Smart Meter    hydroonebrampton.com/smart_metering.html

Collingwood Ontario – Trilliant (Landis+Gyr) Focus   www.colluspowerstream.ca/collus-powerstream-smart-meters-have-proven-safety-record

 

North Bay / Nipissing Ontario  – Trilliant (Landis+Gyr) Focus Smart Meter   hydroone.com/…NewsReleases2009/05_21_2009_Nipissing_TOU_pilot.pdf

Brampton Ontario – Trilliant (Landis+Gyr) Focus Smart Meter    hydroone.com/…NewsReleases2008/06_16_2008_Smart_Grid.pdf

Thunder Bay Hydro – Trilliant (Landis+Gyr) Focus Smart Meter   http://www.tbhydro.on.ca/Market/Smart-Meters.htm

Hydro One  –  “Working with vendor partner Trilliant Networks”  hydroone.com/…NewsReleases2012/03_06_2012_Distribution_System_Modernization.pdf

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ottawa Ontario – HydroOttawa – Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter  

www.itron.com    thefreelibrary.com/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network…

Pilot Project (2005)  Itron and Elster Meters – http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/documents/cases/RP-2004-0203/2006-annualreports/hydroottawa.pdf

Toronto Ontario – Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter  www.itron.com    thefreelibrary.com/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network…

Toronto Ontario – Itron Sensus Industrial Meters for Business

London Ontario – Phase One – Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter  www.itron.com   London Residents refuse meters

Wasaga Beach Ontario – Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter   thefreelibrary.com/Itron+to+Deploy…   thefreelibrary.com/Itron+Adds+Another…

Barrie / Newmarket Ontario – Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter  thefreelibrary.com/Itron+Adds+Another+Fixed+Network …

Sarnia Ontario / Bluewater Power – Itron Centron Openway Smart Meter   tdworld.com/smarter-grid/itron-adds-fixed-network-deployment

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ottawa Ontario – Elster Smart Meter  “ELSTER Meters, A pilot project in Ottawa along with ITRON” 

HydroOttawa Pilot Project (2005)  Itron & Elster Meters – http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/documents/cases/RP-2004-0203/2006-annualreports/hydroottawa.pdf

Toronto Ontario – Elster Smart Meter used in 2004 – http://www.metering.com/toronto-hydro-selects-energyaxis-smart-meters-7020/

Burlington Ontario – Elster Smart Meter used in 2004 – http://www.smartmeters.com/elsters-energyaxis-to-power-ontario-electric-vehicle-project/

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Guelph Ontario – GE I-210 Smart Meter w/SilverSprings Network –  guelphhydro.com/en/residential/resources/CEIVA-Guelph-SetupGuide.pdf

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hydro One reacts to damning Ombudsman report

Marin said he told Hydro One to change the disconnection threat weeks ago, but the complaints kept rolling in

 

CBC News Posted: Mar 12, 2015 12:10 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 12, 2015 12:10 PM ET

A spokesperson for Hydro One says the utility is taking recent comments by Ontario’s Ombudsman about its collection practices “to heart.”

• Ombudsman urges Hydro One to stop sending threatening letters

In a report released Wednesday, Andre Marin didn’t shy away from words like “cruel” and “deceitful” in accusing Hydro One of extortion in the way it has tried to force payment on outstanding bills.

Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin said Hydro One’s collection practices have been “cruel”.

Marin said the utility has been threatening to cut off people’s electricity, even during the winter months — something that contravenes Hydro One’s own policy.

He said he told the utility that threatening disconnection letters, though largely hollow in effect, “must stop.”

The vice president of Customer and Corporate Relations with Hydro One said they’ve “taken the Ombudsman’s comments to heart.”

“We’ve changed the letter now,” Laura Cooke said.

Letter re-written, again

That letter is at the heart of Marin’s latest criticism. He said he told Hydro One to change the disconnection threat weeks ago, but the complaints to his office kept rolling in.

Cooke said the offending letter has been re-written again.

“It was clear that [Marin] wasn’t satisfied with the changes we made to the disconnection letter … [it] now does says that we will not cut people off during the winter months,” she said.

“With any luck, he’ll agree to the new wording in the letter.”

Cooke was adamant that Hydro One does not threaten to cut people off without plenty of opportunity to address outstanding bills.

“One of things that we try to do with customers is ensure that people keep their accounts current,” she said.

“Before a customer gets a disconnection notice … we’ve had a long discussion with that customer. We’ve probably had a friendly reminder phone call, a friendly letter, another phone call, another letter. So this disconnection process is at the end of a very long communications practice.”

Cooke also said Hydro One looks for ways to help people keep the lights on.

“We recognize that some of our customers are having a challenging time and so we talk to them about instalment plans or payment plans.”

Marin has been looking into Hydro One billing for 13 months. To date, the number of complaints he has received recently passed 10,000 — the highest total for any of his investigations to date.

Marin’s full report is slated to be issued in the spring.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Two Hydro One executives depart in wake of overbilling probe

Two of Hydro One’s top customer service executives have parted ways with the utility in the wake of ombudsman André Marin’s probe of billing practices.

by Robert Benzie – February 22, 2014

http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/02/22/two_hydro_one_executives_depart_in_wake_of_overbilling_probe.html

Two of Hydro One’s top customer service executives have parted ways with the utility in the wake of ombudsman André Marin’s probe of billing practices, the Star has learned.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sensus Smart Meter Deployed In Waterloo Region And North America Not Safe According To Underwriters Laboratories ( Ul)

Published November 4, 2012

By Howard Kalnitsky

http://radirid.com/www/sensus-smart-meter-deployed-in-waterloo-region-and-around-the-country-not-safe-according-to-ul/#comment-29

So get this..not only do we have to worry about the radio frequency smog coming off these meters but they have also caused some serious house fires in Pennsylvania.

The model that this article is written about can be viewed in the picture below.

This meter is in wide use throughout North America and the picture below is from my home.

I will be having this removed asap and hopefully go back to a non wireless model or something that only turns on once per day.

For electrically sensitive people these meters mess with their health and well being.

For the rest of the population, you are being exposed needlessly because the utility made a decision to install these without taking into consideration the well being of their customers.

As stated elsewhere on this website, we don’t know the long term effect of exposure to all the e-smog we are being bombarded with.

But dozens of studies point to an assortment of medical maladies that are already afflicting people worldwide because of incidental exposure.

So what right does your utility have to impose their business decision on you and by doing that potentially putting you in harms way?

You can read about the utility in Philadelphia that is getting rid of the  wireless Sensus Flexnet 530X.

This particular meter gained popularity because of its’ ability to put out an extremely strong signal that carries for miles.

There is no legal requirement for the meter to be wireless in Ontario Canada. I can’t speak for any other jurisdiction as I don’t know.

It simply must be a smart meter and capable of sending back information to the utility once per  day.

Also the company that makes the Sensus meter is in financial difficulty and looking for a buyer.

http://articles.philly.com/2012-10-10/business/34343946_1_sensus-meters-sensus-devices-new-generation-meters

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/is-sensus-for-sale

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hydro Ottawa threatens to cut mom’s power

Woman refuses to have smart meter installed in home

BY AEDAN HELMER ,OTTAWA SUN

FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 11:11 PM EDT

The registered letter that landed in Monica Bonnah’s hands on Tuesday was the last straw for the Alta Vista mother of two.

After two years of polite requests, Hydro Ottawa threatened to cut Bonnah’s power — she would be on the hook for any reconnection fees — if she didn’t schedule an appointment to have a smart meter installed in her home within two business days.

“Why am I being forced to get a smart meter when I don’t want one, and I’ve been telling them for two years? And don’t tell me you’re going to cut my electricity off. I’ve got two kids here and I pay my bills on time,” said Bonnah. “I hang up my clothes, I do my laundry on the weekends, my lights are off when they’re not in use. I don’t need a smart meter to tell me when to be smart.”

David McKendry, Hydro Ottawa’s director of customer service, said the power authority has been responding to a provincial initiative by installing more than 300,000 smart meters in the city — representing 99.8% of their customer base — accompanied by an extensive communication campaign.

“Disconnection is absolutely the last recourse we have in any customer interaction,” said McKendry, adding most customers with smart meters have noticed little change in their bottom line.

Count Bonnah as one holdout among the remaining 0.2%.

“I really feel sorry for the people who are on limited incomes who have to get up in the middle of the night to do their laundry to save money,” she said. “I’ve also read a lot about how having these waves in your house may be a health risk.”

Bonita Poulin, Canadian co-ordinator of an awareness campaign around chemical sensitivity affecting civilians and military personnel, said, “Canadians have to allow ourselves to be poisoned because that is what our government says.”

But McKendry said the radio frequency fields emitted by the meters are well below the safety threshold allowed by Health Canada.

“Biomedical studies in Canada and elsewhere indicate no scientific or medical evidence that a person will experience adverse health effects from exposure to (safe levels of) radio frequency fields,” said McKendry.

Still, Bonnah may be buoyed to see the issue raised on the campaign trail, with Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak pledging to “unplug” the mandatory meters.

“This isn’t just an election issue,” said Bonnah. “This is my issue.”

http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/09/15/hydro-ottawa-threatens-to-cut-moms-power

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hudak will unplug smart meters, Chudleigh says

Aug 17, 2011

Driving the message that a Progressive Conservative government would reduce home energy bills, Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh said the Smart meter would go with his party in power.

Chudleigh and Oakville PC candidate Larry Scott stopped outside the Oakville Beaver office to chat with reporters.

Calling the time-of-use Smart meters nothing more than a tax grab for the government, Chudleigh said Conservative party leader Tim Hudak will unplug the devices.

“A Tim Hudak, PC party government will unplug Dalton McGuinty’s mandatory time-of-use Smart meters. We’re the only party willing to take a stand for Ontario families who are sick and tired of being told what to do and when to do it,” Chudleigh said.

“(People) tell us they can no longer afford Dalton McGuinty’s expensive energy experiments. In fact, the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters estimates the average Ontario household hydro bills will increase by a staggering $732 a year by 2015, representing another huge bite taken out of the family budget.”

Furthermore, he said Ontario families are on the hook to pay $1 billion to install the Smart meters on every home and small business, at $200 per household.

Despite the introduction of Smart meters, energy consumption has not gone down, he said.

“Instead (the Liberals) did something really amazing,” Chudleigh said. “They broke the law of supply and demand. McGuinty’s scheme raised the price of electricity for almost all Ontarians without promoting conservation.”

Chudleigh also talked about non-traditional power sources introduced in recent years in Ontario, including solar power.

“Certainly we want to be as ecologically sensitive as we can be,” he said. “Solar energy is an experimental form of energy, in my opinion, at this time. We can’t possibly pay 80 cents a kilowatt-hour for something that we’re selling for 6.8 cents a kilowatt-hour. It just doesn’t make sense.”

He added when the price can go down from 80 cents to somewhere between 20-30 cents it may be a viable option.

“We’re not anti-environmental,” added Scott. “We just think it should make sense. You should price it in properly, you should make sure you’ve got the kind of competition, which drives the price to its lowest level.”

Among the examples of non-competitive, improperly priced deals, Scott mentioned the Samsung energy deal that will cost $1 billion per year.

Chudleigh said a PC government would return the province to affordable energy sources.

“Our plan is to maximize hydro use, the use of water, gas powered and nuclear – traditional and proven sources of power that aren’t an experiment and they are cost effective,” he said.

Acknowledging that nuclear power will take time to implement, Chudleigh said there is an excess of power for the moment. Because Ontario has seen a reduction of manufacturing jobs, electric consumption has not reached the summer peak since 2004 and winter peak since 2006.

“We do have a sleeve of power for the foreseeable future. That’s maybe a five year horizon,” he said. “Certainly a nuclear plant is going to take 12 to 15 years to build, and until that time, our emphasis will be on gas and water-powered electricity. There’s about 3,000 megawatts estimated of hydropower left to develop. Some emphasis on that is a good direction to send Ontario in. That’s the cleanest and most renewable of forms of creating electricity.”

The provincial election will take place on Thursday, Oct. 6.

http://www.insidehalton.com/news/article/1058529–hudak-will-unplug-smart-meters-chudleigh-says

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hudak keys in on “tax machines”: smart meters

PC leader visits home of Scarborough couple

by Danielle Milley    August 17, 2011

Though the government has already spent nearly $1 billion installing them, Tim Hudak wants to unplug the province’s smart meters.The leader of the Progressive Conservative party was in Scarborough Tuesday morning to announce – if his party wins on Oct. 6 – it will end mandatory time-of-use pricing that goes along with the smart meters.

“Time-of-use smart meters have become nothing more than tax machines…Sadly, the Velummailum’s story is one I’m hearing not only in Scarborough, but right across Ontario,” Hudak said.

He made the announcement at the home of Ruthiran and Sakuntha Velummailum, small business owners who have seen both their business and residential electricity bills rise since the smart meters were installed and time-of-use rates introduced.

Smart meters are able to measure electricity usage hourly so that allows electricity providers (such as Toronto Hydro) to charge different rates depending on the time of day the electricity is used. When electricity demand is at its highest (peak), rates cost the most and the least in off-peak times such as weekends. Power generated during peak times is also usually the most environmentally damaging.

This means people are being asked to do laundry or run the dishwasher only on weekends or at night if they want to pay the lowest rate (Toronto Hydro recently lowered the evening start time for the lowest rate from 9 p.m. to 7 p.m.).

“We normally do the laundry in the night time and on Saturday and Sunday,” said Sakuntha. “We turn the lights off and we still get higher bills.”

The Velummailums said their residential bills have gone up by $100 a month.

Hudak said he wants to give people the choice to opt into time-of-use rates if they want to, but not make it mandatory.

“This summer when the heat has gone up well into the 30s families were sweltering for fear of putting on the air conditioning during the day,” Hudak said. “I believe there is a better way. There is one expert who knows best how to run your home and that’s you…I just don’t believe it’s the role of the premier to lecture my mom to get up in the middle of the night to do her laundry.”

The Velummailums said they would be voting for local PC candidate Mike Chopowick, running in Scarborough Southwest, this time around. They voted Liberal in 2007.

Hudak also pledged to remove the HST and debt retirement charge from home hydro bills.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/1058465–hudak-keys-in-on-tax-machines-smart-meters

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ontario PCs Call for Wasteful OPA Bureaucracy to be Scrapped

by Richard Wakefield

QUEEN’S PARK-Today, Ontario PC Deputy Leader Christine Elliott called on Dalton McGuinty to scrap the wasteful and bloated bureaucracy known as the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), whose ballooning budget and expenses are contributing to Ontario families’ skyrocketing hydro bills.

Originally conceived as a “virtual” and “transitional” agency, the OPA has expanded from 15 employees when it was created in 2005 to over 300 employees today. OPA expenses have exploded by a staggering 465%. The number of OPA salaries over $100,000 has grown from six in 2005 to 75 including former Dalton McGuinty spokesperson Ben Chin who made $185,000 at OPA last year.

Longtime Liberals Patrick Monaghan, Lyn McLeod, and Adele Hurley are also on the OPA Board.While Dalton McGuinty rewards his friends at the OPA, Ontario families are seeing their hydro bills skyrocket. Hydro rates have already gone up 75 percent under Dalton McGuinty, over 100 percent if you have smart meter tax machine. What’s worse, family hydro bills are expected toincrease another 46 percent over the next few years, according to Dalton McGuinty’s own low-ball estimate.

QUOTES:

“Six years ago, Dalton McGuinty created the Ontario Power Authority saying it was a transitional agency and promising it would produce a long-term energy plan. But all he has to show after six years are skyrocketing hydro bills and a record of backtracking from the offshore wind experiment and screwed up microFIT experiment the OPA produced for him.”– Christine Elliott, Deputy Ontario PC Leader

“When the Ontario Power Authority is not wasting money, it is busy finding ways to make life miserable for Ontario families. It’s time to scrap the OPA bureaucracy and once and for all put families first.”– John Yakabuski, Ontario PC Energy Critic

QUICK FACTS:· The “virtual” and “transitional” OPA bureaucracy has expanded from 15 employees when it was created in 2005 to over 300 employees today.·

OPA expenses have grown over that time from $14.1 million to $79.7 million – an increase of 465%.·

The number of six figure salaries at the OPA has skyrocketed from six to 75 – a staggering increase of 1,250%.

http://h1ripoff.blogspot.com/2011/03/ontario-pcs-call-for-wasteful-opa.html

http://www.ontariopc.com/news-releases/tim-hudak-and-ontario-pcs-call-to-scrap-dalton-mcguinty’s-bloated-energy-bureaucracy/

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ontario Smart Meters making people feel sick

OCTOBER  2010  Stratford https://emrabc.ca/?p=1271http://martin-weatherall.ca/Hidden-EMR-dangers-in-Stratford.html

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Smart Meters – They’re Smart, But Are They Safe?

NOVEMBER 8  2010 http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/16846-1

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Stratford Ontario, Smart City – One of the First (MESH NETWORKS) in the World says Motorola

http://www.motorola.com/web/Business/_Documents/Case%20studies/_Static%20files/Stratford%20CS%20FINAL.pdf

“Stratford is one of the first communities in the world to deploy a metering platform enabled by wireless broadband.”

Paul West, Business development manager,   Rhyzome Networks

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/09/15/ontario-electricity.html

End smart meter hydro program: Ont. opposition

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Ontario’s smart meter program needs to be scrapped, the opposition demanded Wednesday after Premier Dalton McGuinty refused to rule out a price increase for electricity during peak demand hours.

After saying Tuesday that off-peak electricity rates should be lowered to convince people to change their habits to take advantage of time-of-use pricing, McGuinty wouldn’t say Wednesday if that could mean a rise in rates at peak demand times.

“I’m not going to get into that because I’m not the expert, but what I can say is that we’ve got to make sure the differential between peak and off-peak is significant, so significant that it motivates people,” said McGuinty.

“We’ve got to make sure people understand the opportunities there, the options available to them.”

The New Democrats said McGuinty’s comments have them worried about an increase in the peak rate for hydro, which is already nearly double what Ontario residents used to pay for power 24 hours a day.

“It’s quite disconcerting that the premier dodged that question,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

“I really don’t want to see the government making more decisions that make life less affordable for folks.”

‘People deserve a choice’

The Opposition accused McGuinty of forcing people to dramatically alter their behaviour in order to get the lowest electricity rates, and said consumers should be able to opt out of the smart meter program.

“Who’s looking out for the senior citizen who is being lectured by Dalton McGuinty to do her laundry at two in the morning? Who’s looking out for the family with multiple kids who’s being told by Dalton McGuinty to get them showered and ready for school at five or six in the morning?” asked Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak.

“I think people deserve a choice whether they want to engage in using smart meters or not.”

The government has spent about $1.5 billion to install 4.1 million smart meters in homes, with a goal of 4.4 million, but the cost of the meters is added to electricity bills, which were already on the rise because of the HST and green energy charges.

A survey by Toronto Hydro showed about 80 per cent of people using smart meters are seeing increases, not decreases on their bills.

Hudak said the program should be halted immediately because it’s not helping lower hydro bills or convincing consumers to switch their heavy electricity use to late at night.

“Dalton McGuinty’s smart meters have been nothing but a tax machine to take more money out of people’s pockets,” he said.

“This project has gone dangerously off the rails.”

Hudak’s plan “would return Ontario to the days of weak, unreliable and dirty power,” said Energy Minister Brad Duguid.

“That’s the way the system was that we inherited from him, when he was in [the PC] cabinet, and that’s why we’ve worked so hard over the last six years to … build up our system so we’ve got the power and reliability in it that Ontario families can count on.”

The smart meters will help consumers keep a lid on rising hydro bills, but won’t mean lower electricity bills.

“Smart meters are one factor that will help consumers mitigate some of the increases, but smart meters are not meant to be the panacea that’s going to provide consumers with the ability to completely avoid all potential increases down the road,” added Duguid.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/09/15/ontario-electricity.html#ixzz1A0viIvBF

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

www.cupe.on.ca

CUPE : Ontario should get smart, follow Hydro Quebec decision to abandon time-of-use meters, electricity coalition says

December 12, 2007

TORONTO — The Ontario government would be doing consumers a favour if it were to follow the example of Hydro Quebec and abandon its plan to install so-called smart meters in all homes in the province, says the Ontario Electricity Coalition.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://www.metering.com/node/18695

Ontario Energy Board issued directive on smart grid development

Toronto, ON, Canada — (METERING.COM) — November 26, 2010 –

Ontario’s minister of energy has issued a directive to the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) to provide guidance to licensed distributors and transmitters in relation to activities in support of establishing and implementing a smart grid in the province. In particular guidance is requested on the preparation of plans for the development and implementation of a smart grid, and the criteria that the Board will use to evaluate smart grid plans.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Smart meter use on hold for most of Windsor-Essex (Ontario)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | 1:46 PM ET CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2010/11/23/wdr-hydro-time-of-use.html#ixzz17L0qhEO8

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ontario’s Power Trip : Is this ‘smart’ ?

While Ontario’s electricity infrastructure deteriorates, the province is spending billions on smart meters.

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2010/07/06/ontarios-power-trip-is-this-smart/

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

For More information in Ontario

weepnews.blogspot.com/search/label/smart%20meters

www.youtube.com/user/martinwea

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ottawa taps Itron for 210,000 smart water meters

By Andrew Nusca | April 29, 2011, 7:18 AM PDT

The City of Ottawahas chosen smart grid firm Itron to deploy smart water meters and related infrastructure in town.

The fourth largest city in Canada, Ottawa is using the deployment as part of a greater Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI, scheme that hopes to help its local utility eliminate estimated billing for customers and improve efficiency in water service operations.

The contract involves 210,000 smart water modules, fixed network two-way communications infrastructure, the software that runs it, a meter data management system and the usual turnkey bundle of services: installation, project management, training and support.

The new smart modules will be retrofitted onto existing water meters, Itron says.

The intelligence of the new system will allow city officials to collect time-synchronized meter data in daily or hourly increments. It will give service representatives access to real-time information when responding to billing inquiries.

The networked nature of the system also allows city officials to monitor for leaks and their locations, as well as gain insights into city-wide usage patterns.

The deployment of the overall smart metering system began in January 2011; it’s expected to take two years to complete.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/ottawa-taps-itron-for-210000-smart-water-meters/15952

https://itron.com/newsAndEvents/Pages/City-of-Ottawa-Selects-Itron-Smart-Metering-Solution.aspx

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hudak attacks smart meter plan

By JONATHAN JENKINS, QMI AGENCY

TORONTO — Local power distribution companies are balking at installing smart meters across the province, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said Wednesday.

“PowerStream, the secondlargest hydro company in Ontario, has written to the Ontario Energy Board,” Hudak said. “They’re asking for this experiment to be postponed because they say they’re worried about the impact of potential bill increases on their customers.

“Premier, if you won’t listen to me, will you listen to the secondlargest utility in the province that’s saying, ‘No’ to your smart meter tax machines?”

Premier Dalton McGuinty has been pushing smart meters to be installed in every Ontario home and business, replacing mechanical meters. The new devices allow for time-of-use pricing, where peak periods of power use cost more and off-peak cost less, which the government hopes will even out consumption.

Hudak has promised he would give families a choice between time-of-use pricing and the old system of tiered-use pricing, where the cost goes up depending on how much power is used in a month.

McGuinty defended the meters, two million of which have been installed across the province so far.

“They are being used today in B.C., Quebec, the U.S., Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland,” McGuinty said.

“I could go on, but the fact of the matter is, we’re moving ahead to put in place a progressive, intelligent, affordable, reliable, clean electricity system that is creating jobs.”

Eric Fagen, spokesman for PowerStream, said the company has asked the OEB for more time to install smart meters for its 26,000 business users, in order to make better use of conservation programs that are coming online.

But the company has faith in the technology and believes it will benefit consumers, Fagen said.

“Smart meters will form the backbone of the smart grid,” he said.

“The difference between the old mechanical meter and the smart meter is similar to the difference between a rotary phone and smartphone.”

[email protected]

http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3110166

Hudak hammers McGuinty ‘tax grab’ smart meters

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2011/03/16/17643851.html

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

1. http://www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/2010/09/17/15392101.html

    

   Dalton McGuinty’s shocking admission: Editorial

   
   

   TORONTO SUN

   FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010 7:09:18 EDT PM

   
   

   Premier Dalton McGuinty, having launched Ontario on a billion-dollar smart meter experiment, now admits the electricity pricing scheme that’s supposed to make it all work, isn’t.

   
   

   Terrific! Now he tells us. Couldn’t his experts have figured this out before he started installing smart meters all over the province?

   Worse, McGuinty’s government has been sending out conflicting signals on whether smart meters are even supposed to save us money.

   Right now, most hydro customers who have smart meters – and we’re all getting them eventually – are seeing their bills rise. And that’s just because of the meters.

   It doesn’t include all the other rate increases because of such things as McGuinty’s Green Energy Act and his 8% tax hike on electricity, as of July 1, due to the HST.

   McGuinty says the problem with the smart meters is the cheaper, off-peak rate of 5.3¢ per kwh, to encourage people to do things like laundry and dish-washing between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, or at any time on weekends and statutory holidays, isn’t enough of an incentive to change old habits.

   For that reason, he said, he might lower off-peak rates to provide a greater price differential, compared to the mid-peak rate of 8¢ per kwh and on-peak rate of 9.9¢ per kwh.

   But under opposition questioning in the Legislature, McGuinty wouldn’t rule out raising mid-peak and on-peak rates to increase the differential from off-peak.

   Besides, the smart meter pricing system is so confusing it’s no wonder few consumers who have them are changing their habits.

   While the times for off-peak rates are constant throughout the year, mid-peak and on-peak occur at different times during the winter and summer months, causing further confusion.

   In “summer” – defined as May 1 to Oct. 31 – mid-peak rates apply from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, while on-peak rates apply from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

   But in “winter” – defined as Nov. 1 to April 30 – the charges reverse, with on-peak rates applied from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., while mid-peak occurs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

   Good luck keeping track of all that.

   Plus, there’s so little difference between the mid-peak and on-peak rates – 8¢ versus 9.9¢ per kwh – it’s hard to see many customers changing their electricity use patterns because of them.

   Finally, despite the premier’s insistence smart meters can save people money if consumers take advantage of them, an aide to former interim energy minister Gerry Phillips told the Sun earlier this year “smart meters are more about creating awareness of energy use, rather than helping people save money.”

   Great. So which is it, premier?

   And why do you appear to be making up your policies on electricity pricing on the fly?

    

   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    

   
   

   Wireless Water Meters in Toronto

   http://torontowatermeterprogram.ca/component/content/article/10/41-homeowners-with-water-meters

   
   

   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

   http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/545606–the-smart-meter-program-is-kicking-into-place

   The smart meter program is kicking into place

   

   Smart meters Jeff Bartels stands next to his hydro meter at his Kitchener home, Thursday. Bartels is upset with the new time-sensitive rates that started Thursday.

   Mathew McCarthy/The Record

   WATERLOO REGION — Jeff Bartels is worried about increasing costs for electricity as local utilities start charging customers different prices at different times of day.

   Bartels, who lives on Sydney Street South in Kitchener, came home from work on Wednesday to find a letter from Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro.

   As of midnight that night, Bartels and his neighbours were switched to time-of-use billing that will see rates increase or fall, depending on the time of day the electricity is used.

   Smart meters have now been installed in most homes in the province and local utilities are now starting to use the technology to change prices for electricity according to the demand. When demand is high the price is high. When demand is low the price is low.

   “I was not too pleased about it,” Bartels said. “I am a single father of two young children and I am not in agreement with this to begin with.”

   Smart meters send wireless messages to nearby towers about how much electricity is being used, and more importantly, at what time of the day or night.

   Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro started switching over customers at the beginning of June and everyone will be on time-of-use billing by early August. Waterloo-North Hydro started in May and should have everyone on the new system by late August. Cambridge-North Dumfries Hydro plans to begin the switch in November and finish four months later.

   The provincial government implemented smart meters and time-of-use billing in an effort to lower electricity use during times of high demand and encourage conservation.

   Simply put, under the new system you will pay a lot more for electricity during times of peak demand. If you can use dishwashers, air conditioners, dryers, washing machines and showers during times of low demand you should not have higher bills and may actually save some money.

   Bartels said he now pays 6.4 cents per kilowatt hour.

   Under the new pricing the cost actually drops during off-peak hours — after 7 p.m. and before 7 a.m.

   Bartels said that doesn’t help him much because he uses electricity during the day when prices are highest.

   “I have two young children, my day is seven to seven,” Bartels said.

   On top of the new prices, Bartels is really miffed about getting such short notice of the changes.

   “Many people are on fixed incomes on this street, and I am a single father of two young children, I don’t know how bad this is going to hurt me two months down the road,” Bartels said.

   “It seems like we are the ones getting nailed first, and I hate to say it, there are other people in the world who can afford this a little easier than the people on this street,” Bartels said.

   Jerry Van Ooteghem, the head of Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro, said the notices were mailed out more than two weeks ago and it’s unfortunate Bartels did not receive it sooner.

   On June 2, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro began switching some of the 86,000 customers affected to the new-pricing system. As meters are read customers are put on time-of-use billing at a rate of about 2,000 per day.

   Van Ooteghem said the utility trained its call centre staff to answer the most frequently-asked questions about the new prices and how customers can reduce electricity use when prices are highest. As expected, the utility is fielding calls from customers.

   “It’s a bit of an education thing,” Van Oogteghem said.

   On a monthly basis, electricity will be at its lowest price for 64 per cent of the hours. The medium and highest prices each account for 18 per cent of the remaining hours.

   “If you have something that is on 24-7 like your refrigerator, 64 per cent of the hours that it is running will be at the off-peak rate in a month, which is actually a lower rate than they are paying now,” Van Oogteghem said.

   Under the current system, as demand for electricity goes up during the day the province has to buy more expensive forms of electricity. The new rates are set to more closely reflect the cost of meeting demand.

   “What we are really trying to tell people is — turn things off basically, conserve,” Van Ooteghem said.

   Televisions, computers and radios should be put on power bars because they use electricity even when they are turned off.

   John Janzen, spokesperson for Waterloo-North Hydro, said the switch started for the 50,000 customers on May 9. The first ones to be switched to time-of-use pricing will not see a bill for the new system until July 20th or so.

   “So far we haven’t received a lot of reaction yet because no customers have received a time-of-use bill yet,” Janzen said.

   Barb Shortreed, spokesperson for Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro, said about 45,000 smart meters were installed last year.

   Shortreed said advance notice will be given along with information on how to take advantage of the new pricing to save money.

   “They need lead time to practise actually, changing how they use their electricity,” Shortreed said. “We want to help our customers take advantage.”

   The smart meters and the towers that collect the data cost a lot of money and customers will pay about $2 a month on their bills to pay for the new infrastructure.

   John Milloy, Kitchener-Centre MPP, said for decades no provincial government upgraded the systems for producing and distributing electricity. Time-of-use pricing more closely reflects the cost of the electricity and consumers can benefit from lower prices by changing their habits slightly, Milloy said.

   “Over all it is a way for people to have more control over their energy use and their energy bills,” Milloy said.

   In recognition of the increasing cost of electricity in recent years the government brought in a 10 per cent reduction last fall, Milloy said.

   “We recognize some of the pressures people have been under,” Milloy said.

   [email protected]

   Time-of-use pricing:

   From May 1 to Oct. 31

   7am-11am: 8.9 cents per kilowatt hour.

   11am-5pm: 10.7

   5pm-7pm: 8.9

   7pm-7am: 5.9

   7am Saturday to 7am Monday: 5.9

   From Nov. 1 to April 30

   7am-11am: 10.7 cents per kilowatt hour

   11am-5pm: 8.9

   5pm-7pm: 10.7

   7pm-7am: 5.9

   7 am Saturday to 7am Monday: 5.9

   Source: Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro

   
   

   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    

   Opposition says smart hydro meters cost consumers more

   The Canadian Press

   Date: Monday Mar. 7, 2011 6:50 PM ET

   TORONTO — There’s no doubt the Ontario government’s $1-billion smart meter program for electricity is costing consumers more instead of saving them money, the opposition parties charged Monday.

   About 4.5 million smart meters have been installed in homes and small businesses to switch them to time-of-use pricing for electricity and away from the old, two-tiered system based only on total usage.

   Data from utilities in Bowmanville and Toronto show most customers with smart meters are paying more, while only a small number are seeing decreases, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

   “There’s more people paying more than there are saving,” said Horwath.

   “Here we have a system that’s costing us $1 billion and people aren’t getting the benefit in cost savings and they’re not getting the benefit in conservation. It’s a complete failure.”

   Toronto Hydro figures show 80 per cent of customers had increases averaging $1.50 a month, while 20 per cent had decreases averaging $3.70 a month.

   Figures from Bowmanville, east of Toronto, show 57 per cent of residential customers paid more for electricity than they would have paid on the old two-tiered pricing system.

   The giant transmission utility Hydro One, which is also a local distribution company for about one million customers, also found 57 per cent of customers were paying more with smart meters.

   The figures are preliminary, cautioned Energy Minister Brad Duguid, because no one has been using smart meters for a full year yet.

   “On average, consumers are saving modestly, and I would use the word modestly,” said Duguid.

   “But there are more that would be paying a little bit more and there are less that would be paying significantly less, if you know what I mean. It’s a little complicated.”

   Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak literally laughed out loud when asked if smart meters were saving anyone money.

   “I don’t think anybody actually believes the premier or his energy minister when they say that these smart meter tax machines are saving anybody money,” said Hudak.

   “Everybody I talk to (says) their bills are going through the roof, and the smart meters are making them worse.”

   Hudak has promised a Conservative government would allow people to revert to two-tiered pricing and away from time-of-use so they aren’t forced to do dishes and laundry late at night.

   “I don’t think the premier should be dictating to families to have all the kids showered, fed and ready for school by 7 a.m. when the higher rates kick in,” said Hudak.

   “We’re going to unplug the mandatory smart meters and give families a choice.”

   Going backwards and unplugging the smart meters is not an option, said Duguid.

   “We’re moving toward time-of-use so that we can help Ontario consumers manage their energy costs and understand that there are different costs to energy, to the system, depending on when you use energy,” he said.

   “It’s very important … that consumers are fully aware of the costs of energy, on-peak and off-peak.”

   Horwath called the smart meters “cruel and unusual punishment,” but said the NDP hasn’t yet decided if it would go as far as Hudak and agree to let consumers opt out and return to the old pricing plan.

   “We definitely think it’s a program that is not going to get the results we need to get,” said Horwath.

   “We’d like to see much more investment in conservation.”

   Duguid insisted the smart meters would result in big savings over time, and said they were needed to upgrade Ontario’s power system to deal with everything from electric cars to smart appliances.

   “That $1 billion will accrue $1.6 billion in savings over 15 years,” Duguid told the legislature. “You have to invest in modernizing our energy system if you’re going to get access to those savings.”

   http://swo.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110307/smart-meters-cost-110307/20110307/?hub=SWOHome

   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

   http://www.chathamthisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1927175

   Smart meters becoming a big problem

   Smart meters becoming a big problem

   Posted 3 years ago

   Congratulations to Chatham This Week for breaking the news about problems with smart meters. Chatham-Kent Hydro will now be getting calls from people complaining about interference to cordless devices.

   And I will be digging through receipts so Hydro can reimburse me for the wireless equipment in our home which is now useless due to the interference caused by smart meters.

   Your July 4 story contained some comments from the Hydro spokesperson that, in my opinion, were misleading. ?All utilities that operate smart meters must secure a licence for the radio frequency, and Chatham-Kent Hydro has been issued one,? implies that the system is duly licensed, when it is not. The licence pertains to a data link at 220 MHz only; the smart meters are NOT licensed, nor are they required to be. But the smart meters do have to abide by the rules for unlicensed radio equipment (RSS-210), namely, they must not cause harmful interference to other users, and they must accept all interference, even if it causes undesirable operation.

   Despite being informed of problems last fall, Hydro continues to mistakenly assume that they have priority over other users of the 900 MHz band. Industry Canada sanctions no such protection, and warned that spending $4.6 million on an unlicensed and unprotected system was ?dangerous? since there is nothing to stop licensed users from rendering Hydro?s unlicensed system inoperative. The huge price tag doesn?t raise Hydro?s priority as a user.

   Hydro also stated that, ?People with cordless phones or similar devices can change the channel.?

   But the smart meter system actually monopolizes the entire 902-928 MHz band, meaning there?s not one single channel available which is free from interference. Residents can?t change the channel because there aren?t any that aren?t affected. Industry Canada has expressed concern that one user is using the entire band in a way that excludes the possibility of sharing with other legitimate users.

   The Radio Advisory Board of Canada, which recommends rule changes to Industry Canada, has already started examining this issue at its meetings.

   Of all the options available for smart meter data, the Ontario Energy Board rated 900 MHz systems as rather weak, since better options were available, including a licensed and protected allocation at 1.43 GHz. This frequency is effective across North America, and offers exclusive and protected use by the smart meters. Industry Canada is already expressing concerns about the use of 900 MHz for smart meter systems. Despite being allowed under today?s rules (subject to the ?cause no interference? clause), Industry Canada is ?examining how to deal with a single user who muscles in on a band and pushes everyone else off, and how they are going to deal with the pressure on other unlicensed bands that will follow if all the present unlicensed users move away from 900 MHz,? according to RABC member Richard Ferth.

   It?s hard to fault Hydro directly, since they likely relied on the recommendations of an outside consultant while choosing the system.

   Hydro ought to have followed Ontario Energy Board guidelines and explored other options.

   In any event, hydro is continuing to install a flawed smart meter system with a short life-expectancy which is guaranteed to cost far more in the long run than is being saved today.

   
   

   Austin Wright

   Chatham

   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

   
   

   New fees proposed to pay for smart meters

   by Paige Desmond – The Record – June 28, 2012

   www.therecord.com/news/local/article/752227–new-fees-proposed-to-pay-for-smart-meters

   WATERLOO REGION — Local residents may soon see an extra fee on their hydro bills, as local distributors seek to get back the cost of installing smart meters.

   Waterloo North Hydro, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro and Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro have all applied to the Ontario Energy Board for permission to institute a new user fee.

   “The Ontario Energy Board has directed local distributors to apply for the capital costs for the installation,” said Margaret Nanninga, director of finance with Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro.

   In Waterloo, the average cost to a homeowner would be $2.03 per month for 30 months starting Nov. 1, according to the application.

   A general service customer with a monthly demand of less than 50kW would pay $8.47 each month for 30 months.

   “Ultimately, the end-use customer pays for everything,” said Albert Singh, chief financial officer at Waterloo-North Hydro. “The idea is that the end-use customer will benefit from that smart meter.”

   The average Waterloo customer pays about $120 each month for hydro, Singh said.

   Up until April, users paid another fee for the meters. In Waterloo the fee was $1.

   But the proposed fees would make up costs that were not recovered. No new fees had yet been approved by the Ontario Energy Board.

   Derek Satnik, past-president of Community Renewable Energy Waterloo, said the fee wouldn’t do much for the smart meters’ reputation.

   “It’s terribly bad optics,” Satnik said, adding that it should be a reminder to homeowners to conserve energy.

   “I’d rather pay for that than another nuclear plant.”

   Kitchener-Wilmot and Cambridge-North Dumfries users would see less impact than those in Waterloo.

   “Residential customers would not be affected because of the revenues we’ve already received from (previous fee,)” Nanninga said.

   Kitchener-Wilmot customers would pay 60 cents — $1.40 less per month than in April — and wouldn’t likely see the fees until next year.

   Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro spent about $8.2 million on more than 50,000 installations.

   Those customers would see no change from fees already paid of $1.61 per month. Users of less than 50 kW would pay $1.99.

   The company wants a start date of July 1, 2012, or retroactivity to that date, likely to continue to at least May 2014, according to its application.

   Waterloo North Hydro said in its application it had spent more than $10 million installing the meters at 52,000 homes and businesses.

   To comment on the proposed fees, visit: http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca and on the consumer page enter the following application numbers:

   Waterloo: EB-2012-0266.

   Cambridge North Dumfries: EB-2012-0086

   Kitchener-Wilmot filed its application a week ago so no reference number is available yet, Nanninga said.

   [email protected]

   ……………………………………………………………………..

   
   

    

   Reader addresses issue of smart meters

   Carleton Place Almonte Canadian Gazette

   By Edward Lapa  

   Jul 10, 2014

   On Feb. 14, a Hydro One smart meter installer knocked on my door to inform me that he wanted to replace my analog power measuring meter with a smart meter. This is the third attempt that a Hydro One installer wanted to replace my analog meter, and this was my third refusal to have a smart meter installed on my house.

   I have four concerns about smart meters and they are: health, privacy, control of you and fire hazard. Therefore, I see no net benefits to myself to have a smart meter.

   Health Every smart meter transmits information about your power usage just like a cell phone. The smart meter uses powerful bursts of electromagnetic radiofrequency (RF)/microwave radiation to communicate with nearby smart meters and cell towers and send info back to the power company every few minutes or less.

   You are living within a microwave environment and your dwelling is acting like a microwave appliance. There is a medical study that shows the cumulative health effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF)/microwave radiation that causes the breakup of the DNA, birth defects, cancer, blood pressure changes, sleep disturbances, headaches, and more than 100 other health problems. You will also get radiofrequency (RF)/microwave radiation from the next new appliance that you purchase.

   The new appliance will have a RFID chip that will communicate with the smart meter and thus exposing you to more radiofrequency (RF)/microwave radiation.

   Privacy The smart meter has the ability to collect accurate information of your power usage of each of your individual appliances (spying) and send the information to the power company. In order to accomplish the spying you will be required to replace all your appliances with Energy Star smart appliances that have a RFID chip that will communicate with your smart meter by wireless (WiFi).

   You will also be required to replace all your plugin receptacles with new RFID chipped receptacles. Then your smart meter will collect data when your washing machine and coffee maker are operating. If you don’t replace your old appliances and plug-ins with new RFID chipped appliances and plug-ins then you could be billed more for using old appliances.

   This plan is from the Earth Summit 1992 Treaty that is concerned with CO2 emissions that they claim is causing global warming (they now call it climate change as what happened this winter).

   Control The smart meter has a system of control. First of all, the smart meter will track your power usage at all hours of the day and you will be charged a different price that varies during the time of day. Power consumed at business hours will be charged at a higher price than off business hours. Those that have smart appliances will find that the smart meter will turn off the smart appliance when the power company decides that you are using too much power. Also, your power may be shut off in order transfer the power to another area. This is all part of the plan to integrate North America into a Smart Grid Power System.

   Fire hazard Smart meters have been causing fires and explosions in different jurisdictions of Canada, United States and Australia. Just in the last few years there were house fires caused by a smart meters in the cities of Pickering, Cobden, Deep River and other areas of Canada.

   There is a growing demand to ban smart meters across North America. In some of the US states it is optional and in other states there is a state-wide ban.

   Albert Einstein once said, “The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”

   Edward Lapa

   Pembroke

   http://www.insideottawavalley.com/opinion-story/4625134-reader-addresses-issue-of-smart-meters/

    

    

   The hydro smart meter that apparently couldn’t count | Columnists …   10 Jan 2010 … Even when a smart meter was installed — the start of trouble for some …The only good news in all of this: Smart meters and time-of-use … www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists… Ontario to offer smart meter rate savings | Canada | News …   21 Nov 2010 … The Ontario government will take some of the sting out of smart meterpricing next summer by reducing the amount of time residents are … www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/1… Meters prove not so smart | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun   7 Jan 2010 … Most Toronto Hydro customers who’ve been on smart meters and … Toronto Hydro found the actual difference in smart meter bills — up or … www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta… Searching for ‘smart’ in hydro’s smart meters | Columnists …   28 May 2009 … Sometime in the next 12 months or so, a nice man from Hydro One is going to arrive at my door with a smart meter to be installed at my home. … www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists… New meters are one ‘smart‘ move for Hydro | Columnists | Opinion …   8 Aug 2009 … They came to my house while I was out and left me a little card which says: “Hydro One would like to introduce you to your new smart meter.” … www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists… Are smart meters a dumb idea?: Editorial | Editorial | Opinion …   19 Oct 2010 … Watching Queen’s Park tinker with hydro smart meter rates reminds us ofshuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, after it hit the iceberg. … www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/… Billing, smart meters top complaint list | Toronto & GTA | News …   21 Dec 2010 … Electricity customers upset over billing problems or smart meters were the most common hydro complaints filed to the Ontario Energy Board … www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta… Are smart meters a dumb idea?: Editorial | Editorial | Comment …   19 Oct 2010 … Watching Queen’s Park tinker with hydro smart meter rates reminds us ofshuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, after it hit the iceberg. … www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/… Be smart – watch your meter | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun   15 May 2009 … Local tabloid style newspaper. Part of the Sun Media national newspaper chain. www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta…