The Lakes District is scheduled to have BC Hydro smart metres installed at every home and business during spring 2012.
The company started to introduce smart metres into the homes of its customers across the province last month.
According to BC Hydro, virtually every industry has gone digital and the introduction of smart metres will enable them to keep up with technology.
BC Hydro say that without a new investment in technology and systems, the 20 century electricity system will be unable to support 21 century innovations such as solar panels, electric vehicles and increased customer service options.
The existing electromechanical metres are just about obsolete and according to BC Hydro, they will not be manufactured much longer.
Bev Van Ruyven, BC Hydro's deputy chief executive officer and executive vice president says, "A modern electricity system will move us away from the traditional way we have delivered electricity for the past 50 years. Currently we have large generating facilities that are located far away from many of our customers. The electricity travels along thousands of kilometres of transmission lines, with large energy losses along the way. Our transformation to a more modern electricity grid begins with the installation of 1.8 million digital smart meters into homes and businesses throughout the province," she said.
Gary Murphy, chief project officer for BC Hydro's smart metre program said to Lakes District 亚洲天堂 that there is no surcharge on customers hydro bills to pay for the metres.
He said that although the smart metres are funded by rate payers [through electricity rates] over time, there is a $520 million net benefit that is passed on to customers because of the smart metres.
"The program is actually keeping electricity rates lower than without the smart metres," he said. BC Hydro also say that smart metres result in lower operating costs which will then be passed on to all customers through lower rates.
According to BC Hydro, the smart metre program will improve safety and reliability through faster power outage notification.
The company also says that customer service will be enhanced due to more accurate reporting of electricity usage, smart metres will simplify the process of opening and closing an account when moving and reduce the need for on site visits by field crews and will reduce electricity theft, that currently amounts to $100 million a year in lost revenue.
These costs BC Hydro say, are passed on to legitimate BC Hydro customers in the form of higher electricity rates.
Murphy said, "We are absolutely convinced that the smart metres are secure and data will be kept private."
According to Murphy, the data that is transmitted from a customers smart metre back to BC Hydro is encrypted like a bank transaction. "It would take considerate effort to hack in and gain customer usage information, the framework is completely unique and very secure," he said.
Customers will also be able to purchase optional in home feedback displays that provide further information to customers about their electricity consumption by providing them with the ability to monitor their energy use in near-real-time and make adjustments to save money.
Murphy said the optional in home display units are not available yet, but could cost anywhere between $20 to hundreds of dollars, depending on the model and the level of sophistication the customer desires.
He said the in home display units are not part of the smart metre program, rather an additional extra for those customers that want to expand on the information they will already receive from their smart metre.
Murphy went on to say that customers who chose to purchase an in home display unit will then receive a BC Hydro rebate.
The units will soon be able to be purchased from electronic outlets, however Murphy said it is too early to say how much customers will be entitled to in the form of rebates if they purchase a display.
Murphy also said that all customers will be able to access a personal web portal via a home computer with internet, for free. The portal will display historical data from the prior day about the customer's electricity usage and the charges that will be incurred.
The smart metre program involves replacing existing customer meters with smart meters as well as upgrading the technology and telecommunications infrastructure that BC Hydro uses to manage the electricity system.
According to BC Hydro, customers will begin to receive notification that meters are coming to their community and information about what they can expect. Installation takes only a few minutes and most customers will not need to be home when the exchange occurs. Murphy said that the metres will be installed outside the home.
Smart metres will transmit aggregated hourly data which informs the company how much electricity was used.
According to Murphy, this data will be transferred for less than one minute per day.
BC Hydro also states that the radio frequency emitted by smart metres is safe and that each smart metres emits less radio frequency than a baby monitor.
"We are confident that the metres are safe," Murphy said.
He said that the company has been in consultation with the provincial health authority and that the smart metres emit very low levels of RF.
"They are very safe," he said.
"Twenty years of exposure standing next to a smart metre would equal one 30 minute cell phone call," Murphy explained.
"We are excited, there are so many benefits," he added.
