SMART METERS…THE BASICS
- What is a “smart meter”?
- Why Is it important to know when electricity is used?
- What are the benefits of smart meters for me?
- I have been using off-peak electricity all along, why do I need a smart meter?
- Will I be billed TOU rates if I am currently with, or moving to a retailer? Will I pay time-of-use rates?
- Will I be able to see the time-of-use (TOU) rates—or my hourly consumption data—on my meter?
- Do smart meters need to be activated to work?
- Will someone still come to read my meter? Will I see any changes to my meter reading frequency or my bills?
- Will I see a smart meter charge on my bill?
- Are smart meters safe? What about Radio Frequency emissions?
Smart meter is a meter that can record and automatically report electricity consumption information.
In Ontario, our smart meters will record electricity consumption on an hourly basis, and typically, report that information via a wireless technology.
Conventional (our old electromechanical) meters only measure total electricity consumption from one reading to the next, and they have to be read manually in order to report that information.
Smart meters measure not only how much electricity is used but also when it is used and will automatically send that information to your utility, via wireless and other communications technologies.
With that information and an understanding that electricity prices can vary throughout the day—you will have a new way to manage costs. You might, for example, choose to reduce your electricity use during the higher rate periods (“on- and mid- peak”) periods, and aim to shift some consumption to the “off-peak” hours when rates are lower.
Why Is it important to know when electricity is used?
Knowing when electricity is used allows for the introduction of “time-of-use” (TOU) electricity rates—and that will give you a new way to manage and potentially reduce costs.
Previously, we had very little incentive to manage when electricity was used because electricity prices remained the same no matter what the time of day—simply because our meters could not report when electricity was used.
TOU rates will vary over the day—the highest rate will be in place during times of peak demand (when we tend to use a lot of electricity) and the lowest rate during the off-peak periods. With TOU rates, your choices about how and when you use electricity can have a positive impact on your costs.
What are the benefits of smart meters for me?
Here are two of the major new benefits that you’ll see with time-of-use rates:You’ll be able to take new actions to manage your energy bill.
- With a smart meter and time-of-use rates, you’ll be able to take advantage of two cost-cutting strategies. These include:
- Reducing your electricity use during the higher rate (on-peak and mid-peak) periods; and
- Shifting your electricity use to lower rate (off-peak) periods.
- Your electricity bills will reflect the readings taken by your smart meter over the previous period. That means your bills will always be as up-to-date as possible.
I have been using off-peak electricity all along, why do I need a smart meter?
With a smart meter and the implementation of TOU rates, you will pay less for the electricity you consume during off-peak periods (after 7 p.m. during the week and on weekends and holidays). Your local electrical utility will have the data consumption required to bill you at off-peak rates.
Will I be billed TOU rates if I am currently with, or moving to a retailer? Will I pay time-of-use rates?
Everyone has a smart meter. Your electricity rates, however, will be determined by the terms and conditions of the contract you choose to sign.
Will I be able to see the time-of-use (TOU) rates—or my hourly consumption data—on my meter?
No, TOU rates and consumption data do not appear on the meter.
Your smart meter will show your current meter reading, just as your meter does now. The TOU rate periods and costs will also be on your bill for easy reference, along with your total consumption during each period over the billing period.
Do smart meters need to be activated to work?
No. Once your new smart meter is installed, you don’t need to take any further specific steps for the meter to work.
Will someone still come to read my meter? Will I see any changes to my meter reading frequency or my bills?
Manual meter readings are no longer required but you will receive bills in exactly the same way you do now. A smart meter eliminates manual meter reading altogether. Your hourly usage information will be sent to your utility automatically via either a wireless communication method.
Will I see a smart meter charge on my bill?
There will not be a specific smart meter line item on your bill.
The cost of the smart meter initiative will be recovered through the electricity distribution rates paid by all customers in the same way that costs for meters and services were recovered before smart meters.
Are smart meters safe? What about Radio Frequency emissions?
The Ontario government in partnership with local electricity distributors, has taken significant efforts to ensure that smart meters will not only help households manage their electricity consumption, but are also safe and reliable.
The government has established a regulation to outline the minimum standards for the smart meter system also referred to as the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). In this regulation, requirements have been included to ensure safety laws are adhered to:
"…For greater certainty, the AMI shall meet all applicable Laws that are necessary for the measurement of data and/or the transmission of data to and from the consumers within the Province of Ontario, including Laws applicable to metering, safety and telecommunications."
As such, smart meters are well within the safety guidelines for exposure to radio frequencies established by Health Canada. These safety guidelines are outlined in Limits of Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields in the Frequency Range from 3 KHZ to 300 GHZ, also known as Safety Code 6.
For more information about Safety Code 6, you may contact the Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada, 775 Brookfield Road, Ottawa ON K1A 1C1, telephone (613) 954-6699.
If you have access to the Internet, Industry Canada has compiled answers to frequently asked questions about radio frequency fields, which you may view at the following link:
www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/smt-gst.nsf/en/sf08792e.html.
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