Smart Meters will encourage us all to think about how and when we use electricity. A smart meter tracks how much electricity you use and when you use it - key information to help you better manage your electricity use. In Ontario, all homes and businesses will be equipped with smart meters by December 31, 2010. Conservation will help us to make the best use of our existing electricity resources and slow the growth in our demand.
A smart meter looks like the meter you have now, except the display is digital and there are no dials. The key difference is that the conventional meters can only measure the total amount of electricity used over an entire billing period and must be read manually. Smart meters will record your electricity consumption hourly and automatically send the information, wirelessly to Greater Sudbury Hydro. The applicable time-of- use (TOU) rate shall be applied to the corresponding hour in which the electricity was used. This practice will encourage all of us to think more about how and when we use electricity.
The ability to measure when electricity is used means different prices can be applied at different times of the day, or days of the week. With time-of-use pricing, you'll have new options for managing your electricity costs. If everyone makes a few small changes around how they use electricity, it will also have a positive impact on both the environment and Ontario's electricity system.
The provincial mandate is that all Ontarians must be serviced by a smart meter by December 31, 2010. Greater Sudbury Hydro is currently operating a smart meter pilot encompassing about 500 homes and small businesses. The technology for future installs has been selected and Greater Sudbury Hydro expects to commence installations in 2009. We will keep you up to date in the coming months as this work progresses.
Why is Greater Sudbury Hydro installing Smart Meters?Greater Sudbury Hydro is supporting the Government of Ontario's initiative to install a smart meter in all Ontario homes and small businesses by December 2010 to help build a conservation culture in Ontario. Conventional meters currently in use measure only the total electricity consumed during the bill period which is typically one or two months. A Smart Meter records the time of day electricity is used and allows customers to save money when they use electricity in the lower rate off peak hours.
A smart meter records how much electricity you use and when you use it (typically hourly), and communicates this information automatically via wireless and other technologies. In contrast, conventional electricity meters measure only how much energy is consumed by a customer each billing period (typically one or two months). A smart meter looks like the meter you have now, except the display is digital and there are no dials.
The installation of the smart meter is the first step on the road to building the smart metering system. Initially, smart meters will perform exactly like conventional electricity meters. Once the related smart metering systems are operational and time-of-use rates become mandatory, the smart meter system provides a number of significant benefits.
Your smart meter will become fully functional when the related systems (communications and billing infrastructure, etc.) are in place. Greater Sudbury Hydro will keep you up to date in the coming months as this work progresses.
The Ontario Energy Board has not yet established a date when time-of-use rates will become mandatory, but we will notify you well in advance of this date.
Today, most consumers pay the same electricity price during all hours of the day. In the future, electricity prices will vary during the day more closely reflecting the market price of electricity. When demand for electricity is low like in the late evening and weekends, the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour will be less, and when demand is high, like in the late afternoon and early evening, it will cost more.
The cost of the smart meter initiative will be recovered through the regulated electricity distribution rates paid by all customers in the same way that costs for existing meters and services are recovered today. Commencing 2006, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) directed all Ontario electricity distributors to collect smart meter fees of approximately 30¢ per month. Since the OEB order and through its distribution rates, Greater Sudbury Hydro recovers 27¢ per month from each residential consumer to fund initial start up costs. The Ontario Energy Board has made preliminary estimates that the incremental monthly cost for a typical residential customer may be between $1.50 and $3.50 per month once full implementation is complete in 2010, but this is an initial estimate.
No. The Ontario government has mandated everyone in the province to have a smart meter by December 31 2010.
The Ontario government's target is to have smart meters installed in all Ontario homes and small businesses by December 31, 2010. If you do not receive a smart meter this year, rest assured you'll receive a smart meter in the future sometime before 2010.
We are very encouraged by the level of interest and enthusiasm of our customers to adopt the smart meter technology. Some areas of Greater Sudbury are a part of the pilot project, encompassing 500 homes and businesses. These areas were randomly selected though the City of Greater Sudbury. In order to maximize the efficiency of the smart meter deployment across the province, customers not selected as a part of the pilot project will not be able to select when they receive a smart meter.
No. Your smart meter is tool that measures and records how much electricity you use at different times of the day. When teamed with time-of-use rates, it provides you the opportunity to better manage your electricity bill by reducing electricity use during higher cost periods and by moving your electricity use to lower cost periods.
Having generating plants that stand ready to meet peak demand and only operate infrequently is expensive. By smoothing out the peaks in demand, we can reduce the need for additional power generation facilities, which will make the system less expensive to operate and benefit the environment.
Not at this time, but in the future, your smart meter will eliminate manual meter reading altogether as your hourly usage information will be sent automatically by wireless technology.
Be proactive and ready yourself for the coming of smart meters by changing your habits today. Participation is the Key!
Essentially Energy Conservation & Efficiency means using less energy by reducing consumption. This involves behaviour changes; or, performing the same function using less energy by substituting less efficient products with higher-efficiency products such as appliances, lighting, heating & air conditioning systems. Several appliances now come with power saving options and you should look for the ENERGY STAR® label when buying new appliances, which guarantees the highest efficiency.
Load Management means using energy at different times of the day. This involves shifting activities or equipment usage from peak hours to off-peak hours such as:
- Whenever you can, change your electricity use to off-peak periods like,
- Do laundry on weekends
- Turn your dishwasher on after 10:00 pm
- Lowering your electricity use during on-peak periods
- install a programmable thermostat and set it a few degrees warmer from 11:00am - 5:00pm (during peak higher cost periods in the summer)
Customers with meters outside their home do not need to be home for the installation process. Appointments will be booked for those whose meters are inside their home or business. The installation only takes a few minutes to complete.
Yes. The installation of your smart meter will require a very short power interruption (usually a few minutes). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and you will need to reset digital clocks and other electronic devices.
The installation generally takes about 5-10 minutes.
Appointments will only be booked for customers whose meters are inside their home or business. Customers with meters outside their home will not need an appointment as we do not need to enter your home or business.
No. Your new Smart Meter simply replaces your existing meter. There is nothing more that you need to do.
Old meters are recycled. Some are put back in service in other markets that do not have Smart Meters, while others are recycled for their valuable components.
If your apartment/condominium is currently serviced by an individual meter, it will be replaced with a smart meter.
