Dear editor,
Re: The letter by C. Miles about smart meters, in which he states "Holdouts are receiving estimated invoices while smart meter holders receive bills reporting actual usage" — not true!
In many areas the receiving end of the smart meter technology is not turned on yet, despite the meters' transmitters being turned on at installation.
The receiving end will not be turned on for up to several more years in some rural areas, so many analog AND smart meter customers are currently receiving estimated bills, and will continue to do so indefinitely, according to the Hydro rep I spoke with on the phone.
If you have a dispute about your estimated reading, you can contact Hydro and give them the actual reading, and your bill will be changed to reflect this. This computerized estimation method is working quite well, and there's no reason at all why it shouldn't be continued for analog meters.
Before all this smart meter rubbish, they used to send someone around once every two months to read our meter, so that means we will now be charged $70 per reading ($35 per month), which is a total scam, as no one will even be coming out to read it, and we will continue to receive a computerized estimated bill, just as we are now.
It must cost quite a lot for Hydro to buy the new meters and send installers around, and fight the lawsuits for meters that have malfunctioned, so just think of the money Hydro is saving on those of us who just keep the perfectly functioning meters we've had for years.
We should be rewarded, not taxed. And I bet they sell off the old meters to be reused elsewhere, too.
Hydro only has the right to inspect your meter once a year. You have always been able to call in your own meter reading monthly or bi-monthly to Hydro customer service/billing, and there is somewhere on the Net where you can send it in if you prefer.
Your bill will then be based on this reading rather than an estimation. You do NOT need a meter reader to do it for you, you can just do it yourself.
Hydro has never willingly given out this information, but it's true. So the $35-a-month charge for nothing will be a lot like rural residents being forced to throw away money paying for the removal of garbage that many of us won't even be creating.
Do not be duped by BC Hydro, which is seriously abusing its monopoly. It's hard to understand how they can get away with it legally.
We desperately need electricity competitors here in B.C., as there are in many other places. That would definitely stop these extortionist tactics, and reduce bills as well.
Competitor companies may have no objection to analog meters, so don't give yours up easily; you'll never be able to get it back again.
And by the way, analog meters are still largely in use in the U.S. and all over the world, and it's another Hydro lie that they are no longer available for replacement.
S. Joy,
Merville