BC Hydro used to say, “The power belongs to us”. If that’s the case, how come we don’t have a say?

Yesterday on Facebook I posted a link to a Letter to the Editor in the Kamloops Daily news.  The letter was entitled, “Conservatives an ally against meters”

Here is what the BC Conservative Party leader had to say just 3 weeks ago:

BC Hydro Smart Meter

John Cummins and the BC Conservatives are calling on the government to end Hydro’s ill-advised plan to install smart meters across the province.

“British Columbians are upset about smart meters, and rightly so,” said John Cummins, leader of the BC Conservatives.  “They do nothing to protect the environment, and the only people who stand to gain from smart meters are the Liberal insiders who get juicy contracts to install them.”

Despite BC Hydro’s mounting debt of $2.2 billion, the crown corporation continues to pursue this costly endeavour.  In the face of clear opposition by the citizens of British Columbia, Hydro is embarking on an expensive ad campaign, reminiscent of the Liberal’s failed HST campaign from earlier this summer.

BC Hydro and Minister Coleman claim that the meters are being used to educate us on our energy consumption, not to increase electricity bills by charging extra for peak period energy consumption.  The government will only guarantee the meters will not be used to charge for time of use consumption until the next election.

“And then what?,” asked Cummins. “Charge British Columbian families a premium for power to cook their supper because supper time is a period of peak energy consumption?”

“The smart meter initiative goes beyond simple monitoring of consumption.  It is clearly the intention of this Liberal government and BC Hydro to announce higher billing charges at peak periods after the election.  People are going to be punished for performing normal, everyday tasks that they cannot do at other times because they go to work or school.”

“The Liberal government should never have let BC Hydro proceed with its smart meter program. It is a terrible initiative that will ultimately cost the tax payers of this province dearly.”

I AGREE with those comments --- some people however do not --- and some have gone so far as to trivialize those who have experienced, at least for them, very real physical problems.

Others have said that we need to move forward in to the 21^st century … that smart meters will help us to conserve power … that they will assist BC Hydro in knowing when and where power is out … etc, etc.

I believe there is another reason why, one that is simply dollars and cents (mostly dollars). The dollars belong to you and me, and BC Hydro wants more of them. 

I have stated this before and I still believe it to be true – hydro smart meters will be used to create a multi-tiered pricing grid that will ultimately cost us more money.

A media friend I have (who by the way is not from Kamloops) does not agree with this – or perhaps they are just stirring up comment – or seeing what might be useful for a story.  Regardless, we had an exchange of comments last night, and this is how it went:

Media Friend:
But BC Hydro already has two-tiered billing. Unless you're like me in keeping power consumption under the first-tier break-off point you're paying a lot more now than Ontario consumers are with smart meters and two-tier billing for time of use. Do the research...

ME:
Yeah well good luck keeping under the first tier --- at least here where I live. I work from a home office so I'm home all day and the heat can't go down and certain power / lighting is going to be on. That said I make sure there is no unnecessarily lights, and other things turned on.

I am not going to speak one way or the other to possible medical / health issues because that I do not know about. What I would put money on however is that we will end up with peak time billing, at a premium price, if the Liberals win the next provincial election.

Using the excuse Smart meters will help us conserve power is a scam because I believe most of us are already doing that to a high degree. As to knowing about power outages sooner --- I find that VERY unlikely.

Another reason, I just heard in a BC Hydro TV ad the other day, is that if power is restored to a residential area -- they'll be able to tell if a single house on a block is still without power. For that we need to spend 1 billion dollars on smart meters??

As to Ontario --- I just want to know that I am paying the best price for what I am provided. I don't want to have to pay for high salaries ... for unearned bonuses ... for power to IPP's that are receiving above costs ...etc, etc.

I am more than willing to pay what is a fair rate, for what it takes to produce the power (from the physical plants, to distribution, to maintenance, etc) .  With all of the question marks on BC Hydro, that seems to be very questionable at the moment

Media Friend:
Yeah, I find the smart meter health and security issues that are being raised suspect, in fact I have to laugh when they email me petitions against smart meters because my internet service is through the neighbourhood cell tower. That's irony for you. Wouldn't want anyone to freeze in the dark and I agree with you about overpaid bureaucrats but arguing that smart meters should be scrapped because they take away 600 meter reader jobs is like arguing that we should ban emails to save postal clerks their jobs.

Here's the rate comparisons (by the way even with peak rates Ontarian's still have brownout / blackouts at supper time because they can't meet demand despite huge investments in solar etc., while BC Hydro does not have that problem of meeting demand, hence time-of-use billing would not be a necessary tool here to control demand): Ontario Hydro (effective Nov. 1, 2011)

Normal meter pricing - First 1000 kilowatt hours per month: 7.1 cents/kWh - Above 1000 kWh: 8.3 cents/kWh

Smart meter pricing - Off-peak rate (7 PM - 7 AM, plus all weekends and holidays) 6.2 cents/kWh - Mid-peak rate 9.2 cents/kWh - On-peak rate: 10.8 cents/kWh

BC Hydro (current price)

Normal meter pricing - First 1350 kWh per month: 6.67 cents/kWh - Above 1350 kWh per month: 9.62 cents/kWh

ME:
I appreciate the comparison information, but comparing BC to Ontario is still like comparing apples to oranges. IF there is nothing inherently wrong with existing meters then why do they actually need to be replaced? I have yet to hear what I would call a logical explanation that makes any sense to me, but if there is give me the straight goods.

Call me whatever you wish, but this strikes just a bit too close to what we just went through with the HST (and in case you were wondering even after all of the lies and stories they made up I was still willing to vote to keep it UNTIL the bribe to take it down to 10%).

They have yet to say they will not bring in time of day billing --- only that if it happens, it won't be till after the next general election. Whether they have the capacity now is irrelevant to a government starved for money.

I said the same thing before with the HST --- tell us the truth --- make an HONEST case for the necessity of them, and then we can be onside.

Time and time again this current government is simply having us question everything they do and say --- and why wouldn’t we, given their previous history?

Media Friend:
The meters have been around longer than rotary dial telephones. It's like a newspaper publisher arguing that typewriters and lead set still work and provide more employment so why replace them with a Mac?

ME:
I don't dispute any of that, however; why does this government have to appear to be so clandestine about the majority of things they do.  I am neither opposed nor in favor of the keeping, or changing the old ones. What I do object to is how seems like, or appears that, we rarely seem to get the straight goods from the government.

Hydro workers repairing outage (Nov 2011)

What real benefits will we get, as I do not see big savings to be found at home, to our current power usage? We have been reducing, or making smarter use, of our energy consumption now for years.  Knowing when we have no power?? ... I think we have done pretty good letting Hydro know when it’s out.

That leaves ONLY time of day, or peak time billing, as the logical rationale or reason.

Yes?? No??

Here's another reason -- they want to cut the number of employees at BC Hydro ... and the smart meters gives them this opportunity in one fell swoop to eliminate the jobs of the meter readers.

The probability is that both scenarios are likely correct -- and again I'm not saying they should or shouldn't do this. It would suck to be the person losing their job --- but if it needs to be done, well then I guess it does.

I read a lot of media stories in community papers, the Sun, the Province, the Times Colonist, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail. Why are they not searching for what may be the real answers as to the need for smart meters being installed?

… or ... am I wrong and they have been asking them

… or ... am I a conspiracy theorist after all?

I hope not!  I hope I am just asking questions that anyone would.  Are you?  What do you think? 

BC Hydro used to say, “The power belongs to us”.  If that’s the case, how come we don’t have a say?

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative.