B.C. Hydro will be working with its customers over the next several months to help them understand the benefits of new smart meters prior to final installation.
During this time, B.C. Hydro will not install a new meter without the homeowner’s consent and will work directly with customers to address their individual concerns.
We have an obligation to assure British Columbians that smart meters are safe. B.C.’s provincial health officer and Health Canada have confirmed that smart meters pose no known health risk or reason for concern. Some customers remain unwilling to accept that fact, and we will work with them to help allay their concerns.
The reality is we must upgrade our aging system, and smart meters are a necessary part of modernizing our grid. They are standard equipment, just like utility poles and power lines.
Over the last year and a half, B.C. Hydro has installed 1.74 million smart meters across the province and is now in the process of installing the remaining 85,000. They will be revisiting customers who originally turned down the smart meters to better understand their concerns, provide them with credible answers to their questions and finish the final installations. Our people in the field tell us that the majority of the people who held out originally are now taking a smart meter, so we continue to make good progress.
Rich Coleman
Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas
