Improved safety and reliability
Faster outage notification and more reliable restoration notification. Reduced risk and fewer outages from electricity diversions.
- Faster outage notification – Real-time outage notification provided automatically by smart meters will pinpoint problems quickly and specifically, accelerating the restoration process.
- More reliable restoration notification – BC Hydro crews will be able to quickly confirm power is back on – no more driving along electricity lines in search of secondary outage problems.
- Reduced risk and fewer outages from electricity diversions – By helping identify potential electricity diversions in a more consistent and automated way, smart meters will reduce safety risks and customer outages resulting from those diversions.
Enhanced customer service
More accurate meter readings and elimination of estimated billing. More streamlined moving procedures, and better-informed customer service representatives.
- More accurate meter readings – Hourly meter data – rather than bi-monthly meter reads or estimated bills – will quickly and accurately correct anomalies in reported electricity usage.
- Elimination of estimated billing – Customer bills will be generated from actual electricity use, not from estimated readings based on profiles.
- More streamlined moving procedures – With automated meter reads available on request, customers will get an accurate, up-to-date final bill and will no longer have to deal with transferring bill amounts when they move in or out of a home or business.
- Better informed customer service representatives – Armed with more accurate information, BC Hydro call centre employees will be better equipped to address customer questions related to their bills, electricity use or opportunities for energy savings.
- Increased privacy and convenience – customers will no longer need to provide meter readers with regular access to their property.
- Reduced onsite visits – Automated meter reading and connection services, combined with more information available for troubleshooting, will reduce the need for BC Hydro to send crews to customer sites. These direct savings will be passed on to customers.
Support for new technologies
Support for new customer applications, plus support for large- and small-scale clean energy initiatives.
- Support for new customer applications – Advanced telecommunications infrastructure will support advanced electricity system functions and emerging applications such as customer generation and micro-grids.
- Support for clean energy initiatives, large and small – A smarter electricity system will help BC Hydro better manage new uses of the grid, such as electric vehicles, electrification of public transportation, community-based generation and integration of renewable fuel sources. Customers who invest in solar panels, or other clean sources of electricity, could sell excess power back to BC Hydro or draw electricity from their electric vehicles during a power outage.
Improved efficiency and reduced waste
Voltage optimization, plus efficiencies in meter reading, meter sampling, distribution system maintenance, outage management and load research.
- Voltage optimization – Voltage information collected from smart meters will make the distribution system more efficient. Less electricity will need to be transmitted to maintain expected power quality, so less electricity will need to be generated or purchased. The result? Lower costs.
- Maintenance efficiencies – More efficient meter reading, meter sampling, distribution system maintenance, outage management and load research will significantly reduce operating costs.
Support for greater customer choice & control
Optional in-home feedback tools and access to energy consumption information.
New customer tools to manage your energy use and save money – Once the smart metering system is fully operational, you will have access to new smart meter enabled tools, such as a free and secure online account, that you can use to manage and conserve your energy use, helping you save money. Research shows that conservation tools can help you reduce your energy consumption by up to 15 per cent.
For more information, visit Smart meters, smarter choices.
Reduced electricity theft
Quicker detection of electricity theft. Tamper detection features.
- Theft detection – New distribution system meters (different from those installed at customer homes or businesses) located at key points on BC Hydro's system will measure electricity supplied to specific areas. Combined with software tools, these meters will help BC Hydro to identify electricity theft more accurately and address it more quickly.
- Tamper detection – Smart meters have a tamper detection feature that automatically notifies BC Hydro if they have been removed from the wall or otherwise manipulated.
