2014 Update
Since December 2013, BC Hydro has issued the Opt Out “Legacy Meter Fee”
You can read up on the current actions on StopsmartmetersBC.com or CitizensforSafeTechnology.org
Cost Comparisons of Smart Meters
Costs on a Per Meter Basis (provinces in Canada, states in USA, & UK):
www.stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/COSTS-ON-A-PER-METER-BASIS-Feb.-20-2015-1.pdf
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Itron, Cisco Win BC Hydro – Turns out the rumors were true.
APRIL 11, 2011 – KATHERINE TWEED, Greentechmedia
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/category/network-infrastructure-ami/
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Dear Premier Christy Clark, “Smart Meters” Letter from EMRHA
April 4, 2011 – EMRHA sends letter to Premier Clark
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We Don’t Want Smart Meters
March 31, 2011 White Rock – Ocean Star News Editor – Read Article
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POWER TO THE PEOPLE
STOP SMART METERS Campaign in British Columbia launched
Dr. Blatherwick talks to EMRHA about Smart Meters
March 15 2011 – EMRHA – Read the Article, Watch the Video
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BC Hydro will work with homes concerned about Meters
2011 Interview with Cindy Verschoor at BCHydro on safety concerns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-4s2C1l6Xc
Transcript : “We have NOT conducted any studies on the EFFECTS of wireless technology“
“It could be Wired or Wireless”
“We do understand that some customers do have some concerns about technology,
and that there are some people who are sensitive to wireless technology and in those cases
we will work directly with those customers to find mutually beneficial solutions so we can still service them “
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NDP CHALLENGE PREMIER-DESIGNATE TO PROTECT B.C. HYDRO CUSTOMERS
March 10, 2011
VANCOUVER – With a pending 50 per cent increase to B.C. Hydro rates, New Democrat interim leader Dawn Black and energy critic Doug Donaldson today called on Premier-designate Christy Clark to take steps to protect families from skyrocketing B.C. Hydro bills.
Black said Ms. Clark should start by suspending B.C. Hydro’s $1-billion Smart Metering Program and bringing billions in planned capital spending by B.C. Hydro back under the purview of the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC).
“The B.C. Liberals are ignoring the public interest, spending billions of dollars on projects like the Smart Metering Program with no accountability,” said Black. “That’s led to the prospect of massive and unaffordable hydro rate increases for average families and small businesses.
“Premier-designate Clark needs to take action now to protect families and the economy.”
Black said recent media reports detailing concerns about the awarding of a Smart Metering contract to a company with B.C. Liberal ties underscore the need for the program to be suspended and thoroughly reviewed.
Black and Donaldson proposed the following two concrete steps Ms. Clark can take now to start reversing the trend on hydro rate hikes and B.C. Hydro privatization:
· Halt the $1-billion Smart Metering Program and order an immediate review of how it was put in place
· Bring all of B.C. Hydro’s major capital investments under the purview of the BCUC
“Under the B.C. Liberals, B.C. Hydro has lost its citizen-focused mandate, which must be central to a crown corporation,” said Donaldson. “As a result, customers of B.C. Hydro are forced to pay the biggest price.
“If Premier-designate Clark is honest about her promise to help families, as a first step, she should shelve the Smart Metering Program. And she should act to restore accountability to B.C. Hydro.”
B.C.’s New Democrats are committed to restoring the role of the BCUC and implementing an energy plan that puts British Columbian’ interests first and focuses on conservation and environmental protection.
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Smart Meters headed for disaster, says NDP
Oct 4, 2010 – VICTORIA — The B.C. Liberals’ plan to force B.C. Hydro to rush into spending $1 billion to install
“smart” hydro meters in every B.C. home by 2012 is a disaster waiting to happen,
says New Democrat energy critic John Horgan. … Read More….
http://bcndpcaucus.ca/en/smart_meter_program_headed_for_disaster_says_ndp
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BC Hydro digital meters already installed in new BC Homes
September 2010 – EMRHA
Homes in BC that were constructed in the past few years were given the choice of new smart meters or old style meters.
Some homes, schools and industry locations in various areas of the Lower Mainland and Victoria have smart meters operating today.
However they are apparently not the version with wireless, which many were asking about.
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BC Residents can join FaceBook group “Say NO to Smart Meters in B.C.”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Say-NO-to-Smart-Meters-in-BC/120249448031076?v=wall
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BC Hydro awards $138 million in smart meter contracts
Deals with Corix Utilities and tech firm Capgemini will see 1.8 million units replace existing mechanical meters, beginning later this year
JANUARY 26, 2011 BY SCOTT SIMPSON, VANCOUVER SUN
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Hydro+awards+million+smart+meter+contracts/4168734/story.html
British Columbia’s Corix Utilities has won a $73-million contract to install new power meters for BC Hydro’s smart meter program.
Photograph by: Bill Keay, PNG
British Columbia’s Corix Utilities has won a $73-million contract to install new power meters for BC Hydro’s smart meter program.
Hydro announced Tuesday that it has also awarded a $65-million contract to global technology and consulting firm Capgemini to provide information technology and telecommunications support to integrate the new metering system into Hydro’s grid.
The Corix contract “will result in an estimated $30-$40 million in direct wage benefits in B.C. through the hiring and training of a labour force of over 350 to complete the project,” Hydro said in a news release.
Hydro said installation of 1.8 million meters will begin later this year. Corix is replacing Hydro’s existing mechanical meters with digital ones that can collect a greater range of power consumption data than is possible at present. For example, Hydro says the meters will serve as a deterrent to electricity theft.
As well, Hydro will know almost immediately if there’s a local blackout instead of waiting for customers to phone them with the information.
Corix will open seven regional offices to facilitate the installations -in Surrey, Prince George, Terrace, Victoria, Burnaby, Kamloops and Cranbrook.
“Corix has both strong local knowledge and broad experience and has performed over 10 million meter exchanges and other device installations and retrofits for various gas, water and electric utilities, helping the utilities make smooth transitions from traditional meter reading to automation. The contract is worth approximately $73 million over the next two years,” Hydro said in the release.
“Capgemini will provide project management services and systems integration, along with the information technology and telecommunications to support the integration of the smart metering system into key BC Hydro business functions such as outage management and customer billing,” Hydro said. “The three-year contract is worth approximately $65 million … Customers will begin to receive notification that meters are coming to their community and information about what they can expect. For most customers, installation will be simple and will only take a matter of minutes.”
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
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RuggedCom’s Utility Grade RuggedMAX Broadband
Wireless Solution to be Deployed in a Field Trial of a
Proposed WiMAX Wide Area Network.
CONCORD, ON, Jan. 31 /CNW/
RuggedCom Inc., (“RuggedCom”) (Toronto:RCM.TO), a leading designer and manufacturer of rugged communications networking solutions for mission-critical applications in harsh environments, today announced it has been selected as a supplier for BC Hydro’s WAN Pilot project. The Pilot project will run through March 2011 and successful deployment will extend the supply agreement for an additional two to three years.
BC Hydro is deploying the WiMAX WAN field trial in the Burnaby/Richmond area and the Gulf Islands of the Lower Mainland in BC. The purpose of the field trial is to verify the suitability of WiMAX technology for BC Hydro’s applications including:
– Distribution automation, such as the control and monitoring of reclosers, transformers and capacitor banks
– Site remote monitoring for alarms and video surveillance
– SCADA LAN connectivity
– Smart metering
“BC Hydro continues to be a thought leader in the proliferation of communication technologies for grid automation applications,” said Elik Jaeger, VP RuggedWIRELESS. “We are delighted BC Hydro chose to work with RuggedCom on this key Smart Grid infrastructure pilot project and look forward to successful completion of the field trial and the future roll out over the BC Hydro service territory.”
The pilot project is a multi site live outdoor deployment and is expected to last 3 months. The project will be deployed in the 1.8 GHz frequency band, set aside by Industry Canada for electric power applications. RuggedMAX is the world’s first utility grade mobile WiMAX platform designed for the harsh environment of the electric substation by complying to standards such as IEEE 1613 and IEC 61850-3. RuggedMAX supports a unique standalone network architecture, which can operate without the need for an ASN gateway, thereby reducing end-to-end latency and improving system reliability.
About RuggedCom Inc.
RuggedCom is a leading provider of rugged communications networking solutions designed for mission-critical applications in harsh environments. RuggedCom’s pioneering leadership in developing technologies and products for the electric power industry delivered the world’s first IEC 61850-3 compliant Ethernet switch suitable for electric utility substation environments, the world’s first IEEE 1613 Class 2 error free communication devices, the world’s fastest network fault recovery and the world’s first fully managed IP67 rated Ethernet switch. RuggedCom’s technology solutions include Ethernet switches, network routers, wireless devices, serial servers, media converters, software and professional services. RuggedCom’s products are expressly designed for use in challenging environments such as those found in electrical power substations and “Smart Grids”.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/
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Did Itron Win BC Hydro?
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/did-itron-win-bc-hydro/
KATHERINE TWEED: JANUARY 28, 2011
Speculation abounds about which company will get to install 1.8 million meters
in British Columbia. Wall Street comedy abounds.
A picture is worth one thousand words. Or, in the case of news coverage on BC Hydro’s smart meters, a picture has sparked a few words.
The British Columbia utility is on the verge of rolling out 1.8 million smart meters. In BC Hydro’s smart meter business case, there is a picture of an Itron meter along with the benefits that the new technology will bring. BC Hydro has not made an official announcement and says it is still finalizing the vendor, but that has not stopped financial firms like Robert Baird, Wedbush Morgan and Pacific Crest from hypothesizing that Itron has won the deal.
No sooner had the firms made their guesses when a Vancouver Sun piece detailed the $930 million plan along with a picture of Fiona Taylor, acting director of BC Hydro Smart Meter and Infrastructure, holding a Sensus meter. On BC Hydro’s website, Minister of Energy Steve Thomson stands in front of a wall of smart meters from different makers. But that hasn’t stopped Itron’s stock from climbing to nearly $60 per share from $55 earlier in January; it is currently at $58.50.
Although BC Hydro is still finalizing its meter decision, or keeping the announcement closely guarded, it has revealed that Corix Utilities will install the meters and Capgemini will provide implementation and technology integration services. Besides the meter maker, there are a few other vendor announcements to watch out for.
There has not been any word about which company has won the meter data management or communications contracts, and BC Hydro’s business case states that starting in 2012 customers will receive a rebate for buying in-home displays to help monitor and reduce energy use. Although there’s an endless array of home energy management systems, few are available in stores, and the business case suggested that the choice for BC Hydro customers would be something they could go out and buy, rather than ordering through the utility.
Expect more at Distributech next week in San Diego.
Overall, the utility is estimating that the upgrades will pay for themselves and net $520 million by 2033 through improvements in operational efficiencies, energy efficiency, reduction in theft and the elimination of manual meter reading.
The first meters are scheduled to be installed this summer and the project will be completed by 2012.
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BC Smart meter installation and support contracts awarded
Smart meter installation and support contracts awarded to Corix, Capgemini, BC Hydro announces
JANUARY 25, 2011 BY SCOTT SIMPSON, VANCOUVER SUN
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Smart+meter+installation
Corix Utilities has won a $73 million installation contract in BC
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Smart Meters proposed by BC Hydro
April 29, 2010 – Homes in BC to be refitted with wifi smart metres by 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mTnkl1KH-8
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Why Gordon Campbell’s ‘Smart Meters’ Are Dumb
If we have a billion dollars to invest in energy conservation, is this where to start?
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/07/05/SmartMeters/
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BC Hydro Dumb Meters Update
Posted on January 25, 2011 by jimquail http://jimquail.com/2011/01/25/bc-hydro-dumb-meters-update/
A few months ago I posted a piece about BC Hydro’s so-called “smart meters.”
One of the arguments the BC government is pushing to try to justify this waste of a billion dollarsof ratepayer money is that these toys will prevent electricity theft. Back when I posted that article in July they claimed that $30 million is stolen by marijuana grow-ops every year.
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City of Abbotsford to Deploy Itron’s Water SaveSource™
LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — April 26, 2010
Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) announced today that it has signed an agreement with the City of Abbotsford, British Columbia (Abbotsford) to install Water SaveSource, Itron’s fixed network system for water providers. Located approximately 35 miles east of Vancouver, Abbotsford provides water service to approximately 135,000 residents.
Traditionally, Abbotsford read its customers’ water meters annually, issuing a water bill yearly along with the customer’s property taxes. Faced with growing challenges, the city set out to implement an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution to initiate new water resource management and customer service programs, and reduce its meter reading costs. A longtime customer, Abbotsford again trusted Itron, this time to successfully deliver Water SaveSource. Past successes, along with the two-way communications offered by Itron’s AMI solution, were critical in Abbotsford’s decision.
“Going from an annual meter read to hourly reads will be a transition for us,” said Abbotsford Mayor, George W. Peary. “We are fortunate to be working with Itron through the process. Their technology meets our objectives, and the two-way communications and software applications will increase operational efficiencies and offer asset management unlike anything we’ve had before.”
Deploying 25,000 Water SaveSource endpoints over a six-month period,
Abbotsford will achieve benefits from data logging, which means more frequent and more incremental meter reads. Access to more granular usage information will enable greater customer service through efficient bill reconciliation and in-home leak detection, as well as allowing the end consumers’ to better their water usage to support mandated conservation programs. With distribution-side leak management, the city will also be able to reduce non-revenue water losses and better oversee field assets by constantly monitoring and mitigating performance issues.
“Helping a customer like Abbotsford move from annual meter reads to hourly reading with a fixed network will be rewarding,” said Scott Owen, vice president of Canadian sales for Itron. “This is a big change for the utility, but Abbotsford realizes that the challenges it faces require an AMI solution. Itron is privileged to be working on this project.”
About Itron:
At Itron, we’re dedicated to delivering end-to-end smart grid and smart distribution solutions to electric, gas and water utilities around the globe. Our company is the world’s leading provider of smart metering, data collection and utility software systems, with nearly 8,000 utilities worldwide relying on our technology to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Our offerings include electricity, gas, water and heat meters; network communication technology; collection systems and related software applications; and professional services. To realize your smarter energy and water future, start here: www.itron.com.
About City of Abbotsford:
Located in the shadow of Mount Baker in the fertile Fraser Valley, Abbotsford is a one hour drive east of Vancouver. With 135,000 residents, it has the fastest growing economy in western Canada and prides itself on being where the splendor of nature meets the promise of the future.
For additional information, contact:
Kim Papich Itron Communications and Marketing (509) 891-3824 [email protected]
https://www.itron.com/newsAndEvents/Pages/City-of-Abbotsford-to-Deploy-Itrons-Water-SaveSource.aspx
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Water Meters in Kamloops
March 13 2010
Plan for universal water meters goes to council – Kamloops Daily March 13
http://www.kamloops.ca/waterwise/radiofrequency.shtml
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20090611/KAMLOOPS0304/306119994
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First to Profit from $1 Billion Smart Meter Program: Liberal Insiders
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2011/03/07/SmartMeterProfits/
Firm winning $73 million contract is connected to BC Hydro director, has close ties with Libs.
By Will McMartin, Today, TheTyee.ca
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http://hilltimes.com/page/view/greenprovinces-08-16-2010
Provinces making green economy a priority, feds ‘drop ball’
Published August 16, 2010
<..The B.C. government’s plan includes a $75-million retrofitting program for provincially owned buildings, a $25-million Clean Energy Innovation Fund to assist prospective investors and $89-million for hydrogen fuel cell technology. The plan also includes a $1-billion smart meter and grid program, that would install new “interactive” hydro meters across the province to assist consumer conservation plans, which the government expects will trim anywhere from $125 to $430 from electricity bills. This is part of B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s government’s efforts to have 90 per cent of B.C.’s electricity derived from clean and renewable sources. ..>
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Campbell River petition started over BC Hydro’s use of smart meters
For your information and in case you would like to sign. You can also make a comment, as many people have. To read comments, scroll to the bottom of the petition.
Sian Thomson / Campbell River Courier-Islander
February 6, 2015
With the local MLA’s office being the one that has the most people in the province asking for help because they are facing hydro disconnection, it is no wonder someone has started a petition.
Holly Bliss has done just that, in reaction to her hydro bills being double of what she paid last year.
At press time, there were 1,662 signatures on the petition, and only from Campbell River community members.
“The residents of British Columbia are struggling right now,” said Bliss. “The new “smart meters” were supposed to help us, but so far, it has caused nothing but problems. Some had left BC for the holidays and used zero energy, but BC Hydro’s smart meters can be viewed online, and said some were using energy when they were not even home. We have enough power to send to California where they pay less, meanwhile we are losing our shirts. There are no other options available in BC, they (BC Hydro) are the primary suppliers for power and they have us trapped. They are not responsible for any damages to properties. There have already been homes that have been damaged via fire to defective smart meters.
“This is a human rights issue. Not just a financial one, and this petition will be submitted to every ombudsman, MP, and the federal government, possible. Somebody has to do something.”
Claire Trevena agreed with the situation we have been left in. “There are people who have to choose between food or heat for their homes,” said Trevena.
“This is simply wrong. BC Hydro provided my office with a handful of kits to help people save some energy but while this may help one or two families it does not deal with the reality confronting many people.”
Bliss said the main objective of the petition is to make politicians and bureaucrats aware that these rates really hurt young people, families, seniors on fixed incomes.
“So the purpose of the petition is to make aware that low income families, growing families, old age pensioners cannot afford these huge increases and to stop the hikes from continuing,” she said. “To have the new smart meters removed and investigated for errors, and last but not least, to have the policy changed on BC Hydro not being responsible for damages and fires done to homes from malfunctioning smart meter.”
One man had mentioned on a social networking site that while he was away at camp he looked on his BC Hydro App and it said that he was using the same amount of power as the previous week when he was on his days off. Another person said while they were away during Christmas they were paying as well.
One woman said her bill went from $550 to $750 and she purposely has not turned on her furnace this year. She is on disability pension and cannot afford these rates. Another paid $173 on her last bill and this bill is $420 and nothing has changed.
“I would like the right people to see this and wake up and realize that this is way bigger then a financial hardship for families,” said Bliss. “This is a human rights issue, the people of BC have the lowest wages, and the highest prices. When people think of Canada they are supposed to think of peace, glowing heart, true north strong and free, and above all equality. There are people on pension, disability, that can’t even afford to eat. There are young, growing families that work so hard but can’t get ahead. I want my four year old son to have a great shot at opportunities when he grows up. I don’t want him being a slave to these huge corporations.” To sign the petition, go to www.thepetitionsite.com and look for “BC Hydro Is hurting our people.”
© Copyright 2015 Campbell River Courier Islander
FORTIS BC : Smart meter controversy surfaces in Okanagan
Fri, Dec 19 2014 – The controversy over smart meters is surfacing again. This time in the Okanagan, where Fortis BC is installing what it calls “Advanced Meters.” For more on the equipment and how it will impact you we chat with David Wylie of Fortis BC.
http://globalnews.ca/video/1737039/smart-meter-controversy-surfaces-in-okanagan/
